As Alabama continues to enforce the harshest immigration law in the land, faith, civil rights, and Hispanic group leaders came to Capitol Hill today to ask lawmakers to put an end to the “man-made humanitarian crisis” unfolding in the state.

Telling stories of racial profiling, harassment, violent thefts, assault, threat of murder, and worse, the panel of leaders explained how Alabama has made it so clear that undocumented immigrants are unwelcome, that the state has become a sponsor of hate against all immigrants and Hispanics.

…Mary Bauer, Legal Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center…and other panelists spoke of undocumented immigrants in Alabama who have been refused all state services, and so could not obtain birth certificates for their American-born children; the husband of a nine-month pregnant woman who saw no choice but to drive her to Florida to give birth; a court judge who told a domestic abuse victim that he would report her to ICE; another court judge who said that anyone who asked for an interpreter would be suspected of being undocumented and reported; an American citizen from Ohio who was barred from making a purchase simply because he did not have an Alabama state ID; an immigrant outside his workplace who was threatened by armed white men in a pickup truck who told him they would kill him if he was still there tomorrow…..

Story continues at Americas Voice Online

Querida veterana Cherrie Moraga and her amazing colleagues are halfway to raising $26,500 for a new Cihuatl Productions Theatre Project – please support it at Kickstarter

A World Premiere Play:  NEW FIRE – To Put Things Right Again
Written and Directed by Cherríe Moraga
Designed by Celia Herrera Rodríguez

From the website:

After a fifteen-year hiatus, Cherríe Moraga returns to Brava Theater Center to help celebrate its 25th anniversary with her fourth Brava World Premiere production, NEW FIRE – To Put Things Right Again. Co-produced by the new-to-the Bay Area, cihuatl productions, NEW FIRE follows the sacred geography of Indigenous American ancestors to tell a post-modern story of rupture and homecoming.

Of her return to Brava, Playwright, Cherríe Moraga, states: “It’s about coming home, returning to the same place, but as a different person, a different artist. The world has changed so dramatically in fifteen years, and I, along with it. I am older, yes… and the work, more mature as well. I have, with my collaborators, discovered the poetry of movement, of visuals, the music of silence, even as I continue to write with words. It’s a beautiful thing to return to Brava — this woman’s theater — changed in this way, to celebrate a homecoming with a play that requires return for each of us – man, woman, elder and the young.”

We are seeking funds to support this world-premier project that has been three years in development and is currently funded in large part by a Gerbode and Hewlett Foundations. Additional funds raised during this campaign will support the costs of production, as well as, three Indigenous Master Artists who are serving as collaborators and performers. The artists include: Alelluia Panis, Choreographer (Pilipina); Stephen Cervantes, Instrumental Composer (Chumash); and, Charlene O’Rourke, Vocal Composer (Lakota).

This project is in the pre-production phase and with your support we plan to begin rehearsals in November. The production has a diverse and multi-talented cast, featuring Adelina Anthony in the role of “Coyote.”