Lauren Ballard
Our research efforts are helping us apply beliefs into most specifically the incident that happened on September 11, 2001, when the bombing of the World Trade Centers. That is because hate crimes started to emerge all over America against immigrant communities of color and the organization that we researched on which is called OneAmerica believed that they needed to take action on this immigrational issue. While we were interviewing OneAmerica and researching their website they talk about what they have a belief in building power within the immigrant communities and that it is also important to have a relationship with vital supporters. They believe that it is our crucial duty to work together, take action, and support any way we can.
Our community partner OneAmerica, use of shifting beliefs by making it known to everyone that there needs to be an effective policy change that will give our community the change that it so needs by creating a movement for immigration reform and civil rights for immigrants as well that works on helping everyone in the immigrant communities that will positively re-image our social issue and to learn from our historical issue of the 9/11 bombing.
On September 16, 2001, right after the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Centers, the organization was founded and was first named Hate Free Zone. They felt that it was important to respond to the hate crimes and the discrimination that was going on against the immigrant communities of color that started to happen after the 9/11 incident. So that they are able to do everything in their power to address the backlash that Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. They were going on against the immigrant communities of color, mostly the Muslims. With their strong beliefs to change our country, they have then grown into the largest immigrant advocacy organization in the state of Washington.
There is a quote in “Amusing ourselves to death” by Neal Postman where he talks about our society and how we value things “When we were first drawn together as a society, it had pleased God to enlighten our minds so far as to see that some doctrines, which we once esteemed truths, were errors, and that others, which we had esteemed errors, were real truths.” Pg. 30 this quote seems to be a great example of how certain things we seem to value in our lives as truth end up being false. That our principles need to be improving and decreasing the number of errors we make. So, if we are not willing to improve then how could we succeed? OneAmerica is a great example of our society changing and improving our principles so that we do succeed and together.
I found a great example of why it is important to get to know other cultures with A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki “Certainly one crucial way is for our society’s various ethnic groups to develop a greater understanding of each other. For example, how can African Americans and Korean Americans work it out unless they learn about each other’s cultures, histories, and also economic situations? This need to share knowledge about our ethnic diversity has acquired new importance and has given new urgency to the pursuit for a more accurate history.” Pg. 6 OneAmerica is doing exactly what Takaki is trying to say in this chapter and it is up to us to take action together so that we can become more knowledgeable when it comes to other countries.
With their strong beliefs, they have a mission to complete five primary goals. To grow and improve the number of people who participate that are immigrants in the community. To achieve a constructive policy change for the immigrant communities that are nationally and locally. To progress the communal climate for immigrant communities that are nationally and locally. Enhance the number of immigrant organizations all across our state so that we can lead and support change. Then, progress our organizational amount to accomplish our mission successfully and withstand.
OneAmerica functions within the most essential principles that the power of speech that is together can become even stronger. That is the reason that their organization works together to create alliances among immigrant communities and the conventional communities. Though the problem of the policies that wear down lawful and civil rights is landing mainly on immigrant communities, we understand and are aware that everyone is affected by this.
This organization works together to change the limits of what everyone is able to do to show that anything is possible. They get their staff working hard and always stick to believe that they can make positive changes in the world if they organize and advocate together. They believe that everyone needs to take action on the issues that we are all having to deal with in our communities. They work together to in taking action and training each other to do so.
OneAmerica does what they can to categorize and grows their leaders within the immigrant communities so that they are able to lead the people who struggle for equality through the base groups, which gives them space to come together and share their experiences with one another, inspire new skills within each other, and to help everyone see and use their creative talents to appraise, educate, and activate their own communities.
With this organization’s strong beliefs to change our country for the better, they greatly encourage others who also have the belief of achieving their mission to advance the fundamental principles of democracy and justice through building a powerful voice because anyone can make a change if you in immigrant communities, in collaboration with key allies.
References:
Black, H. (1910). Law Dictionary Containing Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern and including the Principal Terms of International, Constitutional, Ecclesiastical and Commercial Law, and Medical Jurisprudence, with Collection of Legal Maxims, Numerous Select Titles from the Roman, Modern Civil, Scotch, French, Spanish, and Mexican Law, and Other Foreign Systems, and Table of Abbreviations. St. Paul, Minn., West Publishing Co.
Takaki, R. (2008). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York, NY: Back Bay Books
Postman, N. (2007). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Showbusiness. London: Methuen.
OneAmerica. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2018, from http://weareoneamerica.org/
Communities of Power and Struggle 
