| | RALLY WITH US FOR IMMIGRANT FAMILIES |
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 | | MinKwon joined hundreds of New Yorkers at Bryant Park on June 20 to support immigrants as part of the World Refugee Day action |
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The last few weeks have been difficult for immigrant communities. The world saw the horrific treatment of families at the border, as Trump's new zero tolerance policy which separated children from their parents and placed them in concentration camps. Congressional leaders continue pushing immigration bills that would harm immigrant families and increase funding for unjust deportations and enforcement at the border. The Supreme Court just ruled that the discriminatory Muslim Ban was constitutional.
Throughout this month, MinKwon has gone out in the streets and reaffirmed our commitment to immigrants rights and and speaking out against the Trump Administration's policies. After the Supreme Court decision on Tuesday, we mobilized and rallied at Foley Square with the New York Immigration Coalition and other allied groups. MinKwon also participated in World Refugee Day action to show support for refugees and calling for the United States to accept more refugees and asylum seekers.
This Saturday, June 30, there will be a national action to demand an end to family separation. Join MinKwon, NYIC, and other local and national organizations at Foley Square!
End Family Separation Rally!
Saturday, June 30
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Begin at Foley Square & march across
the Brooklyn Bridge to rally at Cadman Plaza
This action will be one of many throughout the country, and together we can show the strong support for immigrant families and protest the horrific treatment currently happening at our southern border!
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 | | MinKwon took to the streets on June 26 to protest the Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's Muslim Ban and declared our solidarity with Muslim communities. |
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MINKWON CONDUCTS KYR WORKSHOP |
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 | | Executive Director John Park speaks at Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's "Know Your Rights Immigration Week" event. MinKwon conducted Know Your Rights workshops and held a DACA renewal clinic as part of the weeklong effort. |
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The MinKwon Center joined the Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's office in June to hold a Know Your Rights Workshop and an immigration legal clinic as part of her Know Your Rights Immigration Week. The Borough President brought together a number of organizations throughout Queens, and MinKwon was proud to participate and help the Asian American community in Flushing.
Also, on June 2, MinKwon held a Know Your Rights Workshop in Flushing for the Korean American community. Michael Oh, our immigration lawyer, discussed what is going on with DACA under Trump administration. Also, Gloria Yun, from Get Covered NYC was a special guest speaker. She explained health insurance services, including Medicaid and Medicare, available for immigrant community members. This workshop gave guests deeper insight about their rights as Korean-American immigrants living in the United States. We thank our senior community members and DREAMers for attending the workshop.
For those unable to attend, MinKwon also produced a Korean language Know Your Rights video. The video covers many important topics including the current legislative landscape and what to do if confronted by immigration officials or detained.
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MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AGAINST A CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON 2020 CENSUS |
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In March, the Census Bureau announced that it would include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. MinKwon, as well as nearly all other immigrant rights organizations, strongly oppose this plan because it will decrease participation in our communities. MinKwon has joined a lawsuit with Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund against the Trump Administration to remove the citizenship question. Our Executive Director John Park spoke on the "Making Census Part of Your DNA" panel at the statewide New York Counts 2020 Conference on June 19, organized by the New York Immigration Coalition, and also answered questions about the potential effects of the citizenship question on the Census.
The Census Bureau is currently accepting public comments on the citizenship question, and we urge you to submit comments opposing the citizenship question.
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| | YOUTH HIGHLIGHT MENTAL HEALTH |
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The Youth Empowerment Program Spring Session ended with a bang as our youth planned and led their own workshop on how mental health is an important and overlooked Asian American and immigrant issue. All of us, with our different class backgrounds, documentation statuses, genders, and sexualities, will face different stressors that affect our mental health. YEP led other Asian American teens in collectively coming up with demands for our families, schools, communities, and government to recognize the importance of our mental health and increase resources to help teens. Thank you to the youth at the Korean American Family Services Center for joining with us!
Applications for the Summer Session are now open! Learn more and apply at http://minkwon.org/what-we-do/youth-empowerment/ |
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VOTER EDUCATION EFFORTS A SUCCESS |
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MinKwon continued our nonpartisan voter education and mobilization efforts for New York's federal primaries on June 26. MinKwon staff and volunteers phone banked more than 8,000 registered Asian American voters and reminded them of the upcoming election, where they could vote, and answered any questions.
MinKwon also worked with the APA VOICE coalition before the election to publish candidate surveys in three districts with large Asian American populations. The surveys were translated into Bangla, Chinese, and Korean based on the demographics of the district.
There will be another primary election on Thursday, September 13, for statewide positions. MinKwon will continue its efforts to ensure that Asian Americans stay informed about the election and vote. |
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| The MinKwon Center's 34th Annual Gala will be on Thursday, October 18, 2018. Stay tuned for more information!
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