| |
Problem Area: Problems of Racial and...
Online Activities
|
Go to the sites listed and find the specific areas mentioned in the capsules below.
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
This is the homepage of the fund, "a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and promote the civil rights of the more than 29 million Latinos living in the United States."
Click on News (and, if you have time, on About MALDEF). After you access the News screen, click on MALDEF Press Statements. This should give you a bit of "flavor" concerning what this organization is all about. Your textbook has some discussion of Mexican Americans/Latinos as a minority group. In your assessment, what kinds of special difficulties confront Latinos today?
- National Council of La Raza
Homepage of an organization devoted to the preservation of cultural identity through bilingual education.
This organization represents people of Mexican American descent. Click on one or two news items under Pressroom. These clips should give you a better idea of some of the special concerns that Mexican Americans have and what efforts are being made by organizations like the National Council of La Raza to satisfy these concerns. Do you think that Mexican Americans need a helping hand? Why or why not?
- Organization of Chinese Americans
OCA is dedicated to securing the rights of Chinese American and Asian American citizens and permanent residents through legislative and policy initiatives. The site includes action alerts, news, and event listings.
Click on News, and, if there's time, click on What's OCA. Clicking the "News" icon will bring up recent activities of this organization and will help to familiarize you with Chinese Americans in American society. Your textbook also has some discussion of this group. After you have perused a few news items, write a short essay on what you think it would be like to be a Chinese American living in the United States.
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
This is the homepage of this government bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Here you will find interesting material on hot issues such as tribal shares, children's health initiatives, and gaming procedures.
Recalling your American history, you may remember that the BIA has been a very controversial government-based organization in terms of its dealings with Native Americans over the past two centuries. Click on FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) . Here, you will find answers to such questions as "Who is an Indian?" and "What is an Indian tribe?" After you have read the FAQ responses, pose this question to yourself: "Have Native Americans been exploited by the U.S. government?"
- American Indian Movement
This is the official website of the AIM movement, sponsored by the national Grand Governing Council. The site features information on the International Indian Treaty Council.
As an interest group, AIM has always been the best-known "voice" for Native Americans. If you are especially interested in this organization, you may wish to read the well-known book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. In the meantime, click on AIMGGC Profile. This will provide you with a brief history and some of the emotion-charged ingredients involved with this organization. Does the United States "owe" Native Americans for what has happened in the past?
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The homepage of the NAACP provides information about history, news, advocacy, publications, and current activities.
The name of this organization may strike you as a bit "dated" in terms of the reference to colored people. This is living testimonial to how long the NAACP has been a representative body for African Americans in the United States. From the opening screen, click on NAACP Press Releases. The contents of these screens will give you a glimpse of what the NAACP has been doing most recently in attempting to improve the lives of African Americans.
- South Asian Women
This is a forum for, and about, South Asian women in the U.S., including those from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Provides information on related organizations and publications.
South Asian Women Network (SAWNET) is a representative body for women of South Asian descent living in the United States. Click on News About South Asian Women. This will bring you up to date on the activities of SAWNET in representing and trying to improve the lives of South Asians.
- Anti-Defamation League
The ADL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about anti-Semitism, reducing prejudice, and eliminating all racial and ethnic discrimination.
You have probably read about the activities of the ADL in the newspapers or heard about this organization elsewhere in the media. The ADL is best known for its campaigns against anti-Semitism, but the organization opposes racial and ethnic discrimination in all its forms. Click on Hate Crimes and scroll down to Hate Crimes Laws. This will acquaint you with a recent legislation that is relevant to the racial/ethnic hatred and hostility that continues to rear its ugly head in American society. What do you think explains hate crimes?
|
