Immigration
Multilingualism is seen as an opportunity instead of a hurdle in Vermont district
In a first-grade classroom in Burlington, Vermont, Janelle Gendimenico guides her students through a lesson focusing on the importance of getting every word in a sentence, especially when you’re talking about animal teeth. “Show me with your fingers. What does the naked mole-rat’s teeth do?” Gendimenico asked the class. “They go back left and right,…
Read MoreConn. mother waits to hear if she’ll be deported, as new immigration enforcement guidelines take effect
Glenda Cardenas is worried about her kids. Seated in their living room in Waterbury, she said her son and daughter, 10 and 14 years old, are afraid she’ll leave them. Again. Speaking in Spanish, Cardenas said the children ask if they’ll be separated next April. Right now, that’s as late as Cardenas can legally stay…
Read MoreZambians in Maine launch community group to provide cohesion and support
Maine is home to several dozen immigrants from Zambia, a country of about 18 million people in southern Africa. While it’s one of the state’s smaller immigrant communities, many Zambians have deep roots here, and they’ve launched a community organization aimed at building cohesion, offering support and attracting more Zambians to Maine. The Zambian Community…
Read MoreSudanese Mainers cut off from loved ones back home as military seizes power
As a military coup unfolds in Sudan, some Sudanese immigrants in Maine said they are concerned about the safety of their loved ones, and about the future of democracy in their home country. Some are calling for greater diplomatic intervention – while others take a measure of hope in the pro-democracy movement in Sudan. Sudan’s…
Read MoreChicharrón, pasteles y arroz con gandules: los platos de Thanksgiving conectan a las familias Latinas de New Hampshire a sus raíces
Gustavo Quiñe, un peruano que vive en Derry, celebró su primer Thanksgiving en el 2016, justo después de mudarse desde Lima junto a su esposa Aurelia. Él cuenta que se quedó encantado con la mesa, especialmente, con el pie de pecanas. Pero, pensó que a la comida le faltaba sabor de casa y no se…
Read MoreMultilingual liaisons are ‘cultural brokers’ for refugee students in this Vermont school district
In an office at Burlington High School, just off Lake Champlain in northern Vermont, Chacha Ngunga made a phone call. “Jambo jambo,” he said, greeting a student’s father in their shared language, Swahili. Ngunga is a multilingual liaison — one of 12 employed by the Burlington district. A few feet away, Noor Bulle, another liaison,…
Read MoreLandlords wanted: As Afghan refugees arrive in Conn., housing is an issue
Thomas Kania is the grandson of Polish immigrants, people who he says came to the United States for opportunity. Now Kania, a real estate investor, says it’s their experience that has motivated him to help others looking for a bit of opportunity of their own — newly arrived Afghan refugees. “It’s basically the American spirit,”…
Read MoreNew Haven’s Día de los Muertos parade honors tradition and lives lost
Jose Antonio Armas lost family members in Mexico during the pandemic, and when his mother passed away, he couldn’t return to his homeland to bury her because of his immigration status. “Even though it’s been 25 years since I’ve been in the U.S. and I haven’t been able to see them again, the altar, the…
Read MoreTranscending borders and genres, Syrian rapper Assasi brings Arabic music to Maine
What do Maine and Syria have in common? Neither is an especially easy place to launch a career in hip hop. But that is exactly what one Syrian-born rapper has done, through a winding journey that began on the streets of Aleppo and led, last week, to an album release concert in Portland. In the…
Read MoreMigrant farmworkers fight to end collaboration between Vermont police and Border Patrol
A traffic stop in Newport, Vt., this past summer is intensifying concerns about collaboration between local police and federal immigration authorities. Now, migrant farmworkers in Vermont are calling on the state to do more to protect them from detention and deportation for minor traffic violations. Migrant farmworkers have become a critical labor force for Vermont’s dairy…
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