my*gration

Thuggish Microcredit

Very interesting discussion on microfinance going on over at Marginal Revolution, regarding what Sepia Mutiny's Vinod describes as a "thug function" in group loans in the village. The original post suggests that villagers in a group microcredit loans often resort to ruffian tactics to repo on an unpaid loan. Of course, there are many different kinds of microcredit loans and arrangements, some are more structured, some are less. But I am interested in tracking the shades of gray between the formal and informal economy.

Organizing in "turnstile" neighborhoods

I dragged myself out of my gelatinous haze yesterday to the Diversity Center of Queens (on 37th AVE not Rd.), and am I glad I did! Those guys are truly fantastic. Although Queens is pretty much THE most immigrant borough in the city, super diverse and fantastically integrated (at least on the surface), it is also the borough least backed up by political infrastructure on immigrants rights. David Anderssen, the driving force behind NYC's immigrant voting project and Diversity Center events organizer, clued me in yesterday:

The reason Queens immigrant rights advocates get nowhere on city politics is: turnover. I know, so simple and yet so incredibly powerful! The immigrant communities in Queens have shallow roots! They are turnstile immigrants, pushing through the grime and the grit on a fasttrack to the suburbs! They are the ones who have have transformed so many suburbs into immigrant havens and ethnic "enclaves" (for want of a better word).They may keep their small businesses here, but within a year or so, they've moved on. The immigrant core: Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Flushing -- in and out. Rego Park, Jamaica, maybe they have roots, but the heart of Queens is hemorrhaging!

As Anderssen so eloquently put it, immigrant rights organizing in neighborhoods like this is like trying to teach  a person to walk over and over and over again.

Interesting thoughts: if political will is generated by mobilizing a constituency, but that constituency is constantly changing (even if many of its issues remain the same), what channels to generating political will and creating policymaking (or at least influencing) infrastructure remains?

Immigrants are 24-Hour Party People

This weekend, I'll be discussing immigrant rights and identity formation, as well as reading from my book, at the 24-Hour Cultural Marathon, taking place at the Diversity Center of Queens, a remarkable art activism event aimed at raising awareness and support for non-citizen immigrant voting rights in New York. Hosted by the New York Coalition to Expand Voting Rights, the event will feature 24 uninterrupted hours of art, music, performance, spoken word and readings. All you need to bring is $5 and an open mind.

Legal immigrants contribute over $18 million annually to New York state's coffers, but have no voice in the issues that dominate their lives -- from health and education policy to local transportation and affordable housing. With your help, this broad coalition of individuals and organizations will give a vote and a voice to some 20% of adult New Yorkers.

I'll be on at 5:00 pm on Sunday, June 22. Hope to see you there!