Chicano & Latino Studies Department, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
E-newsletter connecting departmental friends, family, alumni, allies, and others interested in issues impacting Chican@ and Latin@s communities and the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies
Remember to laugh in difficult times.
In this case, check outo this helpful way to keep us safe in COVID 19:-)
Conectando. Comunidad. Conciencia.
Queridxs, Compas, Familia,
We are in it. It's hard to know how deep or for how long. What we do know, however, is that we are strong and smart y tenemos una fuerza tremenda. We are strong as individuals, as families and in community. Remember that.
Things are changing so often and there seems to be both a lot of information and yet, not a lot or delivered in a confusing way. Below we have links to a LIVE document which we will grow and be updated regularly. It is an open document. If you want, bookmark the excel google sheet and add information- that way we as a community create it. We are just beginning with this and will keep adding.
Each of the six squares below link to a particular tab or sheet on a google workbook and upon opening one, you will automatically be connected to the entire workbook-look at the tabs on the bottom of the workbook to find the other pages. The sections are: U of M student-specific; Income, unemployment and immigration; Food and Housing; Wellbeing-physical and mental; Kids at Home; Community and Resistance. This is a work in progress and we hope it is useful and continues to grow and develop.
Resources~ Recursos
En Comunidad
We join with and send along this note from community leaders to the mayor of Minneapolis responding to the continued under valuing of our most underresourced and over taxed community members.
Hello Latinx leaders and allies,
Yesterday, we heard from the city that the Mayor is not committed to creating a specific fund to prioritize help for the undocumented community. We know that this will exacerbate the impact of the crisis in Minneapolis since our undocumented community is not eligible for any other social safety nets like Unemployment Insurance, Section 8 housing, and federal stimulus checks.
Those who are interested in securing support for nuestra gente who are crucial to our economy and on the front lines daily, yet with little to no financial support at any level have a template below to let your perspective be known:
Subject line: Don't leave the undocumented community out!
Dear Mayor Jacob Frey,
My name is [your name and/organization] and I am emailing you to request that you stand up for undocumented immigrant families because they are being left behind by Unemployment Insurance, Section 8 housing, and federal stimulus checks.
Our ask is two-fold:
1. Earmark $2M specifically for Minneapolis workers and tax-paying families who are ineligible for COVID19 Federal and State aid;
2. Expand the language for the use of these funds from "rental assistance" to provide "quick access to cash for essential needs such as rental assistance, food, household needs or medical expense relief.
We have hope that you are on the right side of history during this crucial time for all communities. Thank you for acting boldly for those who are most vulnerable in times of need.
In community,
[Your name]
Local, regional and federal authorities are failing many of our most hardworking and vulnerable community members. Let us not fair ourselves, our families nor our community.
The MN Immigrant Families Fund is a grassroots fundraising effort between UNIDOS MN, CTUL, Black Immigrant Collective, ISAIAH and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles to provide some financial support for immigrant families that don’t qualify for any state or federal support and because of COVID-19 containment responses are pushed deeper into the shadows with little or few resources available to meet their immediate needs.
We give a special shout out to seniors who will be graduating, without an important rite of passage-the formal graduation ceremony. As we think that through and figure out how to support you in this time, we acknowledge the very strange position you are in as you finish your university career and seek employment. Here is some communication from CLA Career Services.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Throughout the evolving COVID-19 situation we will continue to send the Employer Engagement Update to share opportunities for students to engage with employers and advance their career management virtually.
Events: We are monitoring the events shared for changes, such as transitioning to virtual formats or event cancellation, due to the COVID-19 landscape. Virtual events will be marked as such.
Job/Internship Exploration: New opportunities continue to be added to GoldPASS powered by Handshake daily.
