A Public Voice '95: 'Juvenile Violence' and 'Immigration'

Milton B. Hoffman Productions.

Each year, many public television stations around the nation air an hour-long program that features U.S. citizens deliberating in National Issues Forums around the nation. The programs also feature distinguished panels of nationally known political leaders, commentators and journalists meeting at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to reflect on what this 'public voice' may mean in setting direction for America. The topics are different each year.

Resource Link: http://www.nifi.org

American Composers Orchestra

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is dedicated to the creation, performance and preservation of music by American composers. Their project, Coming to America: Immigrant Sounds/Immigrant Voices, for instance, linked the symphonic work of immigrant composers to issues of immigration and American identity. Dialogue was used during pre and post-concert talks, in-school activities, and presentations within partner institutions.

Resource Link: http://americancomposers.org

American Repertory Theater

Located at Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) is the Boston area's Tony-award winning professional theater. One of ART's performances, called Children of Herakles, was designed to build people's awareness of the immigration issues that refugees face. Elements of the performance included live testimonials by refugees. Panels on refugee issues were held, as well as pre- and post-performance discussions.

Resource Link: http://amrep.org

CEC Artslink

CEC ArtsLink is an international arts service organization. Our programs support exchange of artists and cultural managers in the United States with their counterparts in Central Europe, Russia and Eurasia.

Resource Link: http://www.cecartslink.org

Facing Racial and Cultural Conflict: Tools for Rebuilding Community (2nd Edition)

Lester P. Schoene, Jr. and Marcelle E. DuPraw. Washington, DC: National Civic League, 1994.

This publication offers an assortment of tools that can be used to bring people together and help channel intergroup conflict in productive directions. The techniques presented range from proactive initiatives to incident-specific responses. Emphasis is given to collaborative problem solving, but the authors discuss such topics as the role of the community leader in a conflict situation, grassroots initiatives, and educational programs.

Resource Link: http://www.ncl.org

H-Ethnic Discussion Group

H-Ethnic is an international electronic discussion group focused on scholarly topics in ethnicity, race relations and immigration history, concentrating largely on North America. We publish news and announcements, and encourage debates on interdisciplinary themes. We run regular news updates on Washington developments. H-Ethnic is affiliated with H-Net, an independent, international consortium of scholars sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Michigan State University where it is located.

Resource Link: http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~ethnic/

Immigrant Body

Immigrant Body was a year-long project of filmmaker Maritza Mosquera that focused on individual and group dialogues between immigrants from all over the world. The installation included video, text and portrait prints. Mosquera uses listening and dialogue to gather text and images for the projects.

Immigration Issue Guide

Public Agenda.

Americans have always been ambivalent about immigration, with realistic concerns bumping into altruistic, even romantic notions. In 1890, when Congress enacted the first immigration restrictions, specifically excluding "paupers, ex-convicts, mental defectives and Chinese?” was the beginning of the greatest wave of immigration in American history, which brought in 18 million new citizens, diversified U.S. society and gave us the enduring analogy of the "melting pot." Today, immigration concerns an extremely controversial issue occupying a prominent place in hotly debated current issues. Public Agenda Issue Guides or ?“Citizen Choicework Guides?” contain background information on the topic and present three different approaches to the issue for people to deliberate.

Resource Link: http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/frontdoor.cfm?issue_type=immigration

Lost and Found in America: Story of New African Immigrants in the United States

Tokunbo Awoshakin.

Lost & Found in America is the story of Akobo Adele, an immigrant from Africa who, after the events of September 11, 2001, got caught up in both personal and socio-political circumstances that changed his perceptions about U.S. and transformed his relationships and well being. Lost & Found in America explores the multi-faceted circumstances of new African immigrants in the U.S. and provides unique lenses through which folks from Africa see and analyze events in the country, including how they deal with racism, expectations from home, love, romance, the African-American sub-cultures and the need to find a sense of place.

Resource Link: http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=44068

San Diego Dialogue

In San Diego County, a group of American and Mexican businesspeople and community leaders convene regularly under the auspices of San Diego Dialogue, a project the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). These dialogues are so successful that once-intractable border and regional problems are now dealt with almost routinely.

Resource Link: http://www.sandiegodialogue.org

The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion'

Directed by Ziad H. Hamzeh. Produced by Ziad H. Hamzeh, Bert Brown, and Marc Sandler, 2003.

This 76-minute documentary film tells the story of 1,100 Somalian immigrants who relocated to Lewiston, Maine. At first the immigrants were welcomed, but soon fear and distrust broke out amongst the townspeople. Tensions erupted after the mayor sent a letter to the immigrants requesting that they tell their friends and family not to move into the town. The mayor claimed that the newcomers were straining town services. The conflict escalated into competing ?“hate?” and ?“peace?” rallies held simultaneously and separated by only a few miles. "The Letter" could help dialogue programs raise awareness in their communities about how racism and immigration intersect. The film could also help planners decide which of these issues to address in their community.

Resource Link: http://www.hamzehmystiquefilms.com/theletter/

U.S. Immigration Policy: What should we do?

Choices Program at Brown University?’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

The Senate and House of Representatives are considering changes to current immigration law that will fundamentally change the rules on immigration. This resource presents four policy alternatives for U.S. immigration policy within the context of long-term goals for the country. Resources to facilitate deliberation on this issue are included. Links to additional materials are also available. The materials are produced for use in high school classrooms, and are easily adapted to public discussion.

Resource Link: http://www.choices.edu/resources/twtn_immigration.php

U.S. Role in the World

Choices Program at Brown University?’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

An important debate is taking place in the United States concerning America's role in the world today. This material presents four distinct alternatives - or Futures - that frame the current debate. Resources to facilitate deliberation on this issue are included. Links to additional materials are also available. The materials are produced for use in high school classrooms, and are easily adapted to public discussion.

Resource Link: http://www.choices.edu/resources/twtn_usrole.php

Voices of Hope: The Story of the Jane Addams School for Democracy

Nan Kari and Nan Skelton, Editors. Kettering Foundation Press, 2007.

The Jane Addams School for Democracy is no ordinary school. Its diverse staff and students include refugee and immigrant adults and children; faculty and students from nine Twin Cities colleges and universities; and community residents. And 10 years after the school opened, more than 1,500 of its participants have become U.S. citizens. Voices of Hope is an engaging account of the Jane Addams School as told through the voices of the school's participants. The 144-page book features 22 essays by 12 writers, including nonnative English speakers, and more than 75 photos.

Resource Link: http://www.kettering.org/readingroom/pub_detail.aspx?pubID=&catID=2&itemID=2611