Homelessness: What is the Solution?

In order to find solutions for this issue of homelessness in America, it is necessary for the entire country, as the richest nation on earth, to understand the need for social balance by embracing and providing everyone with at least the fundamentals of life, such as a place they can call home and pursuit of happiness, instead of the protection of only a few. Often times, homelessness becomes public fear. In reality, homelessness is the result of American social, economic, and political issues. In many instances it is the failure of the system to provide proper attention to the basic needs of people. Homelessness is the responsibility of community, local, state, and federal governments, and above all, individual citizens.

In many cities, local authorities are much more concerned about cleaning their towns by taking the homeless out of the main streets and out of sight, without taking into consideration human rights. Some of these people have severe illnesses, which require special attention and accommodations. There is a need for more effective street outreach programs. As far as I am concerned, local authorities are trying their best to resolve this issue. I must say that I do not know if their best is enough – especially with this major economic crisis we are facing. If Lowell as a whole tries to solve this issue, we will be a stronger and happier community. All of us should work together to find a solution, because homelessness is real for many people and it does not discriminate. As a major problem, the solution to homelessness requires common efforts. And according to the American’s creed, all people are created equal and deserve the right to happiness.

 

Quality Education for our Children with Quality Educators

A New Englander pragmatist, philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, John Dewey (1859 – 1952) once said that “Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” If this is still true today, Lowell is a life giver. Lowell has been investing in quality education for our youngsters and since I came here eight years ago, I have witnessed outstanding initiatives. These include (a) the freshmen academy, which is doing an excellent job with our 9^th graders, (b) the placement of guidance counselors in house offices, making it much easier to resolve student issues, (b) instructional specialists offering direct support to teachers, (d) the housemaster internship which is bringing quicker solutions to multiple discipline issues, (e) the new teacher academy, (f) the centralization of student support services, (g) and several other initiatives that empower teachers and students directly.

As an educational practitioner, I hope that the city of Lowell continues to encourage quality education for our children by providing them highly qualified professionals. Many of our students come from fragmented and economically disadvantaged households and often their only hope is to receive quality education. It is our collective responsibility to tell them that together, we will achieve despite the many obstacles we face as a community.  Our youngsters should be able to believe in American’s exceptionalism and the ability to accomplish their dreams because as a community, we are united and we possess the ability and the will to achieve excellence.

I therefore, kindly implore that we stand together and do all we can to erase the widespread notion that our schools are declining in quality. Lowell High School has highly qualified and caring professionals who are cognizant of the limitations we face as a community, state, and nation. They understand and put their hearts and souls into maximizing and celebrating students’ achievement.  We need to retain all of our staff members and allow them to continue to do what is best for our children. We are committed to work hard for our students because we understand the value of education, and our students count on us to support their journey to success.

Being Cape-Verdean in a Northeastern State, USA (Part 1)

In these series I want to present the role that migration has played in the lives of the Cape-Verdean people, particularly their exodus to the northeastern United States. I analyze the racial identity development of these Cape-Verdeans and consider their immigration status by presenting the viewpoints of many individuals who were interviewed individually and as groups. All of them were assigned pseudonyms in order to protect their identities. I also examine both old and new segments of migration by presenting the perspective of Cape-Verdean immigrants with diverse background, social status, and aspirations.

Interesting themes emerge from this work such as the need for effective, pragmatic, and visionary leadership to lead Cape-Verdean immigrants to a better understanding of the American reality and to encourage them to become citizens of the United States which will permit them to participate more actively in both social and political arenas, and to take advantages of opportunities available to citizens of this country.

Gregorio is between 33 and 38 years old. He had been in America for approximately three months when we began our first interview. He came as an immigrant with a petition filed by his parents. In Cape Verde, he had completed his secondary education, and he was thinking about eventually going to college in the United States. In addition to his secondary school degree, he also was trained as a professional accountant and was working as an accountant in Cape Verde. That job is a dream job for many Cape-Verdeans because, in addition to very good pay, it also provides job security. Back home, one of his responsibilities was to pay local people remittances sent by their migrant families. I asked him if he was motivated to come to America because he was dealing with all the money sent by immigrants, his answer was negative. “I came so I can give my children a chance to succeed in this country.”

Since his arrival, he has kept a low profile and does not socialize with the overall community. In addition to being with his family almost exclusively, he works five and sometimes six days a week from 5:00 PM till 5:00 AM. When he gets home around 6 AM, he goes to bed until 3:30 PM when he gets ready to go back to his routine. 

Currently, despite the fact that his English skills are limited, he is driving. I asked him about the driver’s license, and he told me that the law of this state allows him to drive for six months with his Cape-Verdean driver license. It is evident that he is seeking information to facilitate his life. However, it appears that working and saving money are two of his top priorities because his life has been sleep-work-sleep.

He believes that being Cape-Verdean is a right and privilege from the time one is born. However, to maintain one’s “capeverdeanity”, it is necessary to retain traditions and customs, such as language, food, music, and other issues relevant to Cape-Verdeans, as well as have the ability to integrate, he added. He also believes that the meaning of being Cape-Verdean is synonymous with being an intelligent and hard-working person.

When we talked about racial identity, immigration, and Integration, he believes that Cape-Verdeans do negotiate their identity because success in America is not guaranteed due to some American-centered behavior that discourages immigrants’ progress. As examples, he said that Americans value American degrees and experience primarily, and immigrants are forced into low-paying jobs. One can see many qualified fellow Cape-Verdeans working as janitors. Therefore, he condemns those who have making money and acquiring materials as their primary goal. To him, racial identity is seen as an individual phenomenon, and many misconceptions such as we are all equal in America have surface in light of these arguments. However, he said that Cape-Verdeans need to be more honest in terms of making this country look like paradise because it is affecting all Cape-Verdeans, including those left behind.

Despite the fact that he is new to this country, he has experienced situations where men are better paid than women, he said. He is not against that. He believes that salary should be according to one’s ability to perform. Prior education is relevant for integration because it provides the ability to learn languages that could eventually foster integration. In conclusion, he believes that being educated, becoming a citizen, bringing family from Cape Verde to the United States, and purchasing property are fundamental for those seeking to integrate.

According to him, making money is the primary goal of many Cape-Verdeans, and consequently, they have no time to learn and integrate into the American culture. As a result, they blame America for what Cape-Verdeans are becoming. He feels that, in general, the Cape-Verdean community is uninformed and unorganized. He feels that there is a lack of vision or leadership to encourage others to go to school and achieve academic success instead of blaming the system. Also, he believes that to claim that the English language is a major barrier to success is an excuse because Cape-Verdean people have the ability to learn any language and that acquiring materials has more importance than family. Therefore, Cape-Verdeans have to work excessively. Gregorio believes that Cape-Verdeans are materialists because they came from a poor country. Despite the fact that some believe in integration, they are not seeking information that would lead to an effective integration. They need to become educated, obey laws, and embrace fundamental American values.

Gregorio feels strongly that Cape-Verdeans are misinformed in this country and they should seek help from those who are informed. He made it clear that he would rather be in a different part of America because he feels that Cape-Verdean immigrants are not united in this country. He said that some fellow Cape-Verdeans are egotistical. Often, they keep relevant information to themselves and do not share with others. “As a community, we should support each other,” he added. He also believes that very few Cape-Verdeans achieve academic success, and one of their excuses is the language barrier. They need to understand the importance of school, citizenship, and learning English to become independent.

Dr. Julio C de Carvalho

The Road 3

Regardless of the reasons one is in the United States, the process to become an U.S. citizen requires many steps and has many obstacles. There are many anti-immigrant sentiments but there are also many people who believe immigration is pivotal for this nation.
Despite of many systematic pejorative and demeaning accusations from the anti-immigrant American nationalists, Lamm (1990) wrote, “I do not believe immigrants are responsible for the social problems that afflict the United States” (p.107).

In my opinion, the decentralization of political and economic powers will help solve the major economic gap that exists between people. According to Daily Paul Liberty Forum (2009), the United States wealth distribution is: top 1% own 38.1%, top 96-99% own 21.3%, top 90-95% own 11.5%, and bottom 40% of population has 0.2% of all wealth.

In one of his interviews published in The Sun in June 2002, Ritzer said that it is clear that our society is set up to favor the wealthy and that by some definitions; it is the most successful economic system in the history. Yet, he added, it is a system that disproportionately benefits a relatively small percentage of the people. If one follows the tax cut formula enacted by G. W Bush administration and re-authorized (not too long ago) by Barack Obama, one will be able to understand the magnitude of the problem- regarding tax credit which is mostly awarded to the wealthiest Americans.

The American society can be challenging because of the complexity of social relations and other generalizations about people and their way of living. The American social structure is (un)fortunately complex and we the people have a tendency to make it more complicated because of our behaviors. As an example, we should revisit the two last debates regarding immigration reform. There were many opposing views, even within the same political parties or families. Decisions were made based on re-election prognostics instead of the common good. In Washington DC and across the country -- being popular is more relevant to many elected officials, especially during the election seasons.

It is apparent that the he lack of understanding of the globalized world is pushing many people to develop anti-immigrant sentiments. Many Americans do not feel that opportunities should be available to those that have circumvented the legal immigration process (such as arrival on visitor visas and failure to return). People ignore many important facts and consequently, they make many decisions based on their biases, lack of analyzes and critical thinking. 
When we deal with immigration, there have (always) been two sides arguing how good or bad immigration is for this country. Many conservative and extremist Americans oppose the opportunities for legalization to be given to the hard working and so-called illegal and/or undocumented immigrants who earn the minimum wage and are exposed to ruthless work conditions.

During George W. Bush tenure, the U.S. House of Representatives wanted to criminalize illegal immigration and on the other side, the Senate wanted to create a path to legalization. This issue was dividing this country.  Ritzer (2002) questioned the rationality and humanism of this society. He pointed out that we accept both the rationality and humanism because they are part of our ‘mythological code’ meaning that what is good for capitalism is good for the country, and consequently good for the people, regardless of who they are.

I hope I have been able to persuade you to persevere because it is an important aspect for social integration and achievement. The self-determination and willingness to take action in order to achieve the American dream is also paramount. Immigrants should believe that future would depend greatly on the work done now in order to guarantee stability, especially when they walk their way deep into the process of U.S. naturalization. I must say that the process of integration and citizenship in the United States can be confusing, difficult, and intimidating for many immigrants--but once one is an American citizen, the advantages surpass the pain. (Being Cape-Verdean in America - forthcoming).

References

Bentley, J. (1986). Refugees: Search for haven. Julian Messner. New York.

Daily Paul Liberty Forum (2009), US wealth distribution: 10% of US citizens own 70.9% of all US assets.  Retrieved March 28, 2011 from http://dailypaul.com/111232/us-wealth-distribution-10-of-us-citizens-own-709-of-all-us-assets

Dudley, W. (2002). Illegal immigration: Opposing viewpoints. Thomson Gale.

Dudley, W. (2003). Examining issues through political cartoons: Illegal immigration. Thomson Gale.

Lamm, R. (March, 1990). The U.S. should limit immigration. In Bender, D., Leone, B.& Dudley, W. (1990). Immigration: Opposing viewpoints. (pp.105-112). San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc.

Ritzer, G. (June 2002). The disenchanted Kingdom: George Ritzer on the Disappearance of Authentic American culture. Published in the Sun and retrieved from http://www.derrickjensen.org/ritzer.html on May 1, 2006.

Wolf, E. R. (1982). Europe and the people without history. The Regents of the University of California

The Road II

Many immigrants have limited formal education, and they can barely read or write in their own native language and the U.S. government requires all prospective candidates for the U.S. citizenship to acquire at least the basic knowledge of the English language so they can pass their citizenship exam/interview.

In many instances, it is very difficult because of the many hours they have to work in factories to support their families. They know that they have to sacrifice and go to school to learn English, civics, and history because of the dream of being part of this society and becoming U.S. citizens. Also, many immigrants dreamed of becoming successful in America, but it does not work most of the time. In Capital, a critique of political economy, Marx, (1906) said that, “The directing motive, the end and the aim of capitalist production, is to extract the greatest possible amount of surplus-value, and consequently to exploit labour-power to the greatest possible extent.” (p.363). And in his book with Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1948), Marx said that unfortunately, “We cannot take from people what they have not” (p. 28). In the United States, in many instances, the capitalist minds of entrepreneurship take away what many immigrants struggle to achieve simply by exploiting them in the name of free market.

Cape Verde - A Brief History

The Cape Verde Islands are an archipelago with an ethnically diverse population, located approximately 300 miles from the West coast of Africa between the continents of Africa, Europe, and Americas. Cape Verde was discovered and settled in the 1460s by Portuguese sailors, and became a center for the distribution of West African slaves to the New World. Although Cape Verde is a very ethnically diverse country, at one point the situation in Cape Verde became uncontrollable and it was difficult to discern whether the European or African influences predominated in Cape Verde. As a result, many Cape-Verdean people are still confused about their ethnicity/identity, even today. Some are not sure whether they were European or African, and in many instances they accept both realities. Fortunately, in the United States they can check the “other” category, regardless of the color of their skin.

Economic problems and the drought in Cape Verde forced and are still forcing many Cape-Verdeans to come to America. Amilcar Cabral, the founding father of the Cape Verdean nationality, wanted people to feel empowered with an understanding of free society based on equality, rights, and privileges. On several occasions, he expressed that Africans have their own heads to think with, and that it was only a matter of time, before they become prosperous with liberty for all, and achieve the possibility of enjoying civil and democratic privileges regardless of their geographic location.

Wolf (1982) presents an outstanding view of what happened in Europe regarding trading, colonization, and other social matters during the imperial time. He explained how capitalism expanded throughout the world and devoted some of his attention to those who have been ignored by the “déjà vu” history. Wolf also pointed out that contrary to popular beliefs, many people of the world were well developed in many different areas such as culture, tradition, languages, and other areas when they encountered the European colonizers. He adds that trade and colonization changed the lifestyle of many native peoples, and spoke about the colonization impact in the arena of political, social, and economic transformation. I personally agree with the above statement. Africa had its own culture and values “taken away” by the imposition of colonial power.

Sklair (1999) said that politics are mostly bound up with anti systemic movements and struggles between superpowers and that they tend to prioritize the cultural over the political and/or the economic. He said that there is also a common interest in the question of how individual and/or national identity can survive in the face of an emerging global culture (pp. 149-150).

In this book, Sociology of the Global System (1991), Sklair demonstrates that the concept of the global system has a genuine scientific validity and that it is increasingly necessary for the analysis of a growing number of rapidly changing phenomena. Like any other idea, the author feels it exists in the minds of people.

According to my experience of the situation, right now, the globalization is not only in people’s minds but it is a reality. For example, because of the Internet, we are able to interact in real time with people in different corners of the world for many different reasons. Sklair, (1991) wrote that, “We are always being told that the world is shrinking and that the new technology is bringing the inhabitants of planet earth ever closer together, whether they like it or not” (p. 1).

We are connected as virtual professionals, educational institutions, businesses, and/or scientific communities. One can be in Australia and can have a real time connection/dialogue/chat with another person or organization in any other part of the world. This can certainly maximize the results in many different sectors and lower costs in terms of traveling. Also, time management is very important. If one can communicate virtually, there is no need to wait until the face-to-face happens to make a decision. Organizations and corporations brainstorm virtually when they want to create new projects. Instructors advise and or communicate with their students from any corner of the world. It is faster, more secure, and more reliable. About 10 years ago, online degrees were perceived to be of no value. Today, however, online degree programs are one of the most convenient and efficient ways to succeed academically and professionally.

We know and understand that globalization is real. Currently, most of our questions are being answered in real time by virtual teams in several calling centers throughout the world.  Therefore, globalization is not simply a dream. Instead, it is a process that works extremely well for the global community.

In addition to the fact that we are technologically connected, the United States was also built by generations of people who had dreams. Dudley, 2003, said that, “Racism and ethic prejudice…led many American to view immigrants as “undesirable” (p.19). However, these strong pioneers with their dreams took many risks to accomplish what they have achieved. They suffered and died just because they believed that

America was a promised land where they could enjoy freedom, equality, and prosperity. Contrarily to the many stereotype regarding immigrants, Lee, (1996) makes it clear that, “Many experts argue that immigration, legal or illegal brings economic growth, more wealth, and progress for all Americans and is, therefore, of general benefit to society” (p. 49).

Sklair (1998) said that influential people regularly argue that to survive, local businesses must globalize. However, most of national, state, and local leaders fight for the interests of their constituents and entirely reject globalization and espouse extreme nationalist ideologies (p.4).

United States is a society where when one claims to be its citizen, he or she is “defending” a strong values and integrity. He/she is probably talking about freedom and other opportunities available to them. As stated by Lewinsky (1088), “Their motives are not much different from those of the earliest immigrants. Some come for religious freedom …and others come for political reasons, fleeing dictatorship and political oppression” (p. 128). This was not the case with Cape-Verdeans. They came because of economic reasons and family reunion.

References

Dudley, W. (2003). Examining issues through political cartoons: Illegal immigration. Thomson Gale.

Lee, K. (1996). Illegal immigration. Lucent Books, Inc., San Diego, CA

Lewinski, M., Capurro, G., Clancy, E., Levine, H. & Nicholes, D. (1988). Consent of the Governed: A study of American Government. Scott, Foresman and Company.

Mark, K. (1906). Capital: A critique of political economy. (Bennett A. Cerf & Donald Klopper, The Modern Library.). New York. (Original work published 1859).

Sklair, L. (1991). Sociology of the global system. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Sklair, L.  (May, 1998). Transnational practices and the analysis of the global system: Delivered for the transnational communities programme seminar series, 22

Sklair, L. (1999). Competing conceptions of globalization. Journal of World-System Research, Vol. V, 2, 1999, 143-162

Wolf, E. R. (1982). Europe and the people without history. The Regents of the University of California

The Road I

“He is an American, who leaves behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new

mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds”. Michel Crèvecoeur.

Sklair, (1991) wrote that, “The poor in all countries struggle against the domestic and global forces that oppress them and their resistance takes many forms. Where this involves opposition to those who run the global system in their own interests it will naturally involve transnational practices in the economics, political and cultural-ideological spheres” (pp.23-24).

As many of us know and believe, the United States of America is a land of opportunities and people with dreams. However, in many instances to achieve the dream, it is necessary to become a citizen of the United States.

In 1993, Pat Buchanan, a nationally syndicated columnist said that, “Immigration is altering the racial composition of America; by 2050, whites may be near a minority. Consequently, American society is becoming increasingly divided along racial lines. The resulting ethnic tensions could cause the breakup of the United States…” (p. 31). There are some merits to that statement but Americans should be careful because radical views like those of Mr. Buchanan have been complicating the lives of many honorable immigrants in search of better opportunities.

Considering that integration and citizenship in the United States are important issues, this article presents a perspective of a Cape-Verdean immigrant by explaining the necessary procedure to integrate and become an U.S. citizen. Saskia Sassen, (1998) wrote, “I believe that multilateralism is better way to proceed in a broad range of matters, including immigration, because it is essential to create-and-invent-policies that have received and sending countries working together” (p. 116).

Sklair (1999) explained that the global capitalism is the most productive theory in globalization and concluded with a discussion of resistance to globalization. He acknowledged that it is a new idea to the social science community although it has been around for some time within the corporate and international business world. He said that, “Not all globalization researchers entirely accept the existence of a global economy or a global culture. Most accept that local, national and regional economies are undergoing important changes as a result of processes of globalization everywhere there are limits to globalization” (p.145). In his 1991 book, “Sociology of the Global System,” Sklair added that, “Because the world is divided into sovereign states, most with relatively clear and unified national cultures, it is convenient to identify these states as the basic elements of the global system” (p. 2).

Due to the importance of the issue regarding immigrants’ integration, I am particularly interested in explaining about Cape-Verdean people, history, and culture, as well as the relationship between the United States and Cape Verde. I will emphasize the importance of citizenship for those Cape-Verdeans seeking to become U.S. citizens and will help them understand some key insights as to how to succeed in this country.  I will also stress the urgency for all prospective candidates to obtaining U.S. citizenship and inform them the specific steps of the process such as (a) the U.S. political system/structure and the two major political forces, (b) the laws of immigration, including immigrant’s rights and the correct procedure to follow in order to become a citizen, and (c) lived experiences of immigrants (themselves) and native-born Americans who kindly accepted to tell their stories.

As far as I know there are many citizenship guides/resources, but none of them focus specially on the Cape-Verdean people in America except one created by me in 2008 (CD, DVD, or text available upon request). The primary goal is to be able to provide Cape-Verdean immigrants with a culturally adequate document that will help them fulfill their goals during the process of naturalization.

I interviewed several Cape-Verdean immigrants in order to obtain their own personal stories and experiences. The interviewees were able to explain about the “crossroads” and “obstacles” that they found when they went along the road, as well as the aspects of the changes that they went through in terms of their own cultural values as they wend their way deeper into the process of becoming an U.S. citizen.

Eric Wolf (1982) presents an analysis of the new laborers and the way that their arrival speeded up the industrialization in United States. According to him, male immigrants to the United States between 1879 and 1918 outnumbered females roughly two to one. This was because of the traveling expenses and distance, so the majority of the newcomers stayed in America. He spoke about new opportunities that emerged and said that because of the purchase of more machines, more people were able to get jobs and support the growth of the American economy. The system allowed great flexibility in meeting the opportunities and requirements of growth, he added. Most of these workers entered the unskilled, lower-paid levels of industrial occupations and their wages were determined by their social affiliation/status. (pp. 354-383).

As for the majority of Cape-Verdean immigrants, one of their major barriers is the lack of basic knowledge of the English language. When people come from all over the world to the United States, it is crucial that they contact social organizations available to them in order to get information about American society. Needless to say that Cape-Verdean immigrants, like many others in America, first go through a readjustment and then, eventually get “established”. Many of them qualify for naturalization, but in order to become a citizen of the United States, they must learn how to speak, read, and write the basics of the English language in addition to learning of the American history and government. (Part II forthcoming)

 

References

Buchanan, P. (1993). America needs a ‘Time Out’ on immigration. In Bender, D., Leone, B., Koster, K. & Barbour, S. (1995). Immigration policy. (pp. 31-33). San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc

Sassen, S. (1998). America must cooperate with other nations in regulating immigration. In Dudley, W. (2002). Illegal immigration: Oposing viewpoints. (pp. 113-119). San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press: Thomson Gale.

Sklair, L. (1991). Sociology of the global system. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Sklair, L.  (May, 1998). Transnational practices and the analysis of the global system: Delivered for the transnational communities programme seminar series, 22

Sklair, L. (1999). Competing conceptions of globalization. Journal of World-System Research, Vol. V, 2, 1999, 143-162

Wolf, E. R. (1982). Europe and the people without history. The Regents of the University of California