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South Asian Network |
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South Asian Network
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Ongoing Projects With the overall goal to inform
and empower South Asian communities, SAN has created multilingual,
culturally appropriate approaches to community organizing encompassing
community outreach and education, direct services and policy advocacy. Health: SAN is committed to promoting healthy lifestyle behavior and health access for the underserved in the community. Health and health care access are two major concerns for South Asians. Through the Community Health Action Initiative (CHAI) which brings together a unique collaboration of public agencies, community and faith based institutions and a network of South Asian health care providers, SAN has prioritized the preventive health needs of the community by conducting various targeted interventions such as workshops, outreach and case management. Awaz - Voices Against
Violence: Awaz is committed to the empowerment of survivors of
violence. Awaz advocates provide a comprehensive spectrum of culturally
and linguistically-specific prevention and intervention services. We
address issues of violence within the community through outreach,
education, case management, and advocacy. Awaz advocates have made a
concerted effort in establishing visibility of the quandary of immigrant
communities, given that language, cultural barriers and policies impede
access to resources. Toward such an end, Awaz utilizes a public health
model to improve service delivery to survivors of domestic violence
through stage-matched case management services. In an effort to
encourage greater participation in violence prevention from the South
Asian communities’ religious leaders, youth and other male members, the
unit has provided several trainings, with another domestic violence
training to follow in February, 2008. Anti Discrimination / Hate Crimes: SAN is committed to challenging societal attitudes, policies, and institutions that foster inequality. We offer culturally sensitive support and assistance to survivors of hate crimes and discrimination through case management, counseling, and advocacy. In response to the backlash of 9-11, so far, SAN has assisted 75 community members dealing with bias motivated issues with securing protection and appropriate compensation for the survivors and successfully upholding their civil rights. Immigration: Enforcement of immigration laws and related investigations has been used by the government to legitimize its domestic counter terrorism efforts to the detriment of immigrant communities. Increasingly policies such as Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) and Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) and the USA Patriot Act have been used to detain and deport friends and family members. Immigrants held for deportation are the fastest-growing group of prisoners in the nation. To address these important issues SAN has engaged in broad based community outreach and education, engaged in immigration policy advocacy, organized legal clinics and provided community members with appropriate legal referrals. Moreover since 2003 SAN has continued to assist detainees at the Mira Loma Detention Facility in Lancaster to ensure that South Asian detainees at the facility have adequate knowledge of theirs rights, link detainees to appropriate legal counsel and to assess how their family members are coping with the situation. We have also documented incidents of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) misconduct in the facility. Consumer Protection: As SAN continues to uphold the rights of South Asians in Southern California, we recognize the telecommunications industry to be an area fraught with unscrupulous practices aimed at deceiving new immigrants and individuals with limited-English speaking capacity. These abusive practices committed by the various telecommunications industries imply the presence of a greater racist system at work that minimizes the validity of crimes committed against these marginalized groups. As a result, the South Asian Network has joined the Campaign for Telecom Rights organized by the California Consumer Protection Foundation. During the first year, SAN reached out to over 2500 community members and advocated on the behalf of 30 clients. In the future, we hope to expand our existing involvement in addressing corporate responsibility to their consumers by identifying additional industries that systematically undermine the rights of new immigrant and limited English speaking populations. In doing so, SAN maintains a vision of promoting the rights of our community and increasing corporate accountability to their customers by organizing the community to advocate for the end of the gross negligence and abuse. Policy Reform and Action: Building upon more than a decade of advocacy work, establishing trust and credibility within the South Asian community and a deep commitment to social justice, SAN continues to build its capacity to empower and develop leadership among persons of South Asian origin to speak out on policy issues that affect their lives and join with other racial/ethnic communities in policy reform actions and campaigns. Access to Legal Services: Through partnerships with various public law agencies and attorneys in private practices, SAN has provided assistance to hundreds of community members in the areas of immigration and citizenship, government benefits, family law, workers’ rights, and consumer protection. Activism: Envisioning a community that is empowered and prepared to respond to issues such as economic injustices, the denial of equal access to health care and education, police brutality, and the curtailment of civil liberties, SAN is committed to translating the deeply rooted political consciousness of South Asians in Southern California into local activism. A central component of SAN’s activist work is the building of partnerships with other marginalized communities based on shared experiences and mutual understanding and interest, as well as challenging the racial, religious and sexual bias and prejudices of the South Asian community. Through this two pronged approach, we believe that we are creating an organic model of community organizing and empowerment. Gender, Sexual Orientation and Identity in the South Asian Community: Through a series of events and forums, SAN has led discussions on gender, sexual orientation, and other identity issues within the community. As of June 2003, SAN has organized a Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual / Trans (GLBTQ) Advisory Committee composed of South Asian community members of diverse ethnic, class, nationality and sexual orientation. The goal of this committee is to advise SAN on how to better integrate GLBTQ issues into its current work. While these are not always easy topics to address, SAN is committed to creating a safe space for dialogue on these issues within the South Asian community, and to ensuring the full and equal membership of all individuals. Community Workshops and Training: In response to the prejudice exhibited towards community members in the aftermath of 9/11 and the unfamiliarity of most mainstream service providers and law enforcement with the cultural and linguistic nuances of the South Asian community, SAN has developed a cultural awareness and sensitivity training module to assist service providers in better serving the South Asian community. SAN has conducted several Civil Rights workshops for youth between the ages of 15-25 in order to facilitate critical dialogues about race and racism, sexism, homophobia and classism. The goal of these workshops is to help youth examine their own fears and stereotypes as well as their own identities within the social, political and economic context. |