Thoughts on the Federal Election

by Arik Korman

By Eric Holzapfel

Chief Engagement Officer

 

I find myself in a state of déjà vu. Eight years ago, I stood in my office uncertain about what effects the federal election would have on the clients and community I served. At the time, I was in charge of an immigration program for LGBTQ+ Latinos at Entre Hermanos. Our clients expressed a great deal of fear around the anti-immigrant and mass deportation rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. Over the course of the Trump administration, many policies had dire effects on the clients we served but in turn were successfully defeated, specifically public charge and family separation. Public charge had a particularly detrimental effect on immigrant communities accessing public benefits. And family separation inhumanely, as I personally witnessed working with attorneys at a detention center in Laredo, separated thousands of children from their mothers and families. We also saw great victories on the state level to protect our immigrant communities, including Keep Washington Working (SB 5497) and a slew of successful legal challenges by then attorney general, Bob Ferguson. Read More

Podcast – Luma Mufleh on Her Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children

by Arik Korman

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman interviews Luma Mufleh, the founder of Fugees Family whose TED Talk on educational justice for refugee families has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Luma discusses what it’s like being dropped into a classroom when you don’t know English, what supports we should provide to students who are refugees, and how we can focus on the assets that refugees bring to our schools and our society. Luma’s new book is Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children.

 

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Spreaker

Listen:

Read More