TO ADVOCATE FOR THE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A QUALIFIED, LINGUISTICALLY- AND CULTURALLY-COMPETENT WORKFORCE TO PROVIDE QUALITY SOCIAL SERVICES TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND OTHER UNDERSERVED LIMITED-ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES

WHEREAS, according to the 2000 US Census, the Hispanic population in the State of Ohio exceeds 217,000 and are represented in significant numbers in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Lorain, Youngstown, Painesville, Defiance and Fremont and that this population has increased an estimated 85% of the total population growth in comparison to the overall decrease of the general population in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to break the stigma caused by the discrimination and language barriers which keep many Latinos/as from receiving appropriate social services such as health, mental health, AIDS support, substance abuse prevention & treatment, legal representation, domestic violence interventions and children
family services; and
WHEREAS, many Latinos/as continue to be in need of these social services but many times are not served appropriately due to cultural and linguistic limitations by established non-profits and social services; and
WHEREAS, due to the systemic poverty which is the socio-economic location of many unacculturated Latinos/as, these services become even more crucial.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Immigration, Faith-based and Social Services Area team will advocate for the recruitment, retention and development of a qualified, linguistic and culturally competent workforce in Northern Ohio as well as throughout all parts of Ohio where significant numbers of Latinos reside to provide quality social services (health, mental health, legal, domestic violence, children & families, etc) to the Latino community and other underserved limited-English speaking communities.

SUPPORT OF THE FLOC CAMPAIGN

WHEREAS, most of the scrutiny on big tobacco companies has focused on what happens to tobacco users, while little is ever said about the conditions of the farm workers who labor in the fields growing and harvesting tobacco; and
WHEREAS, at least six farm workers have died of heatstroke in North Carolina in the last two years; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina leads the country in tobacco production with an approximate 2006 annual farm income of $506.2 million dollars, and RJ Reynolds is one of the largest buyers of North Carolina tobacco—making one out of every three cigarettes sold in the United States; and
WHEREAS, while tobacco makes millions, tobacco workers live in conditions of indentured servitude, face racism and harassment, lethal pesticides and nicotine poisoning, staggering debt, and have hardly any basic labor and human rights protections.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Hispanic Convention 2007 endorses FLOC’s new campaign to organize tobacco workers in the South, and that The Hispanic Convention asks R.J. Reynolds to meet with worker leaders and accept their demands to stop indentured servitude in the tobacco fields.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hispanic Convention 2007 joins FLOC in a march at RJ Reynolds in Winston Salem, North Carolina on October 28th.

IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL

WHEREAS, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States; and
WHEREAS, a large proportion of this growth is due to the arrival of new immigrants and one way to limit that growth has been through making immigration laws more restrict, so that newcomers have no ability to become legal residents; and
WHEREAS, the struggle for “legalization” or permanent residency for the undocumented goes well beyond a mere struggle to reform immigration laws; and
WHEREAS, the restrictions in immigration laws have been a deliberate attempt to limit the ability of Latinos to become an integral part of this country in greater numbers and in this sense, the push for immigration reform is really a struggle of Latinos to defend their right to be here as a community; and
WHEREAS, FLOC members and the Latino community of Toledo have embraced the call for a broad legalization of the new immigrants who, unlike before in the USA history, have no way to become legal residents unless immigration laws are reformed.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team will support the call for comprehensive immigration reform to guarantee a path to legal residency for current undocumented workers and their families, to reunite and strengthen families, and to support immigrant workers rights.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team will call on Convencion Hispana 2007 to support Ag Jobs, a proposal that would legalize farm workers and strengthen their labor rights.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team will call on Convencion Hispana 2007 to support the DREAM Act, a proposal that would enable undocumented students to finish their education and would put them in a path to legalize their status.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team calls for the formation of an Immigration Task Force to research the impact of current immigration laws and policies on the State of Ohio and to formulate proposals that would benefit the State on immigration related matters.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team requests the Governor of the State of Ohio make driver licenses available to newcomers with no criminal record, to increase the number of insured motorists and make the roads of Ohio safer.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team will oppose any and all English Only laws in the State of Ohio.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team calls on the Governor of the State of Ohio to intervene in efforts by local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.

TO INCREASE QUALITY, PRO BONO/AFFORDABLE IMMIGRATION
RESPRESENTATION FOR LATINOS/AS AND OTHER UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN OHIO BY SECURING FUNDING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT DELIVER THESE SERVICES

WHEREAS, the cruel and inhumane policies targeting immigrant workers and families such as raids, arrests, imprisonment and deportation are separating families by the thousands and are proving fatal to hundreds of immigrants in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2000 US Census, the Hispanic population in the State of Ohio exceeds 217,000 and are represented in significant numbers in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Lorain, Youngstown, Painesville, Defiance and Fremont and that this population has increased an estimated 85% of the total population growth in comparison to the overall decrease of the general population in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to increase and empower the social service agencies in Northern Ohio as well as throughout all parts of Ohio where significant numbers of Latinos reside to provide quality, pro-bono/affordable immigration representation for
Latinos/as and other underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to break the stigma caused by discrimination and language barriers which keep many Latinos/as from receiving appropriate social services such as mental health services, substance abuse treatment and housing procurement; and
WHEREAS, Human and Immigrant Rights groups around the nation and social service providers should continue organizing; and
WHEREAS, we recognize that one of the resources most critical to the Latin American immigrant population is legal representation, especially in matters of immigration, and which is very difficult to access for the immigrants who, mostly, have very limited socioeconomic resources.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Immigration, Faith-Based, and Social Services Area Team will work to increase quality, pro bono/affordable immigration representation for Latinos/as and other underserved communities in Northern Ohio and to secure funding to support community-based organizations to deliver these services.

TO CREATE A COLLABORATIVE, SOCIAL SERVICE NETWORK OF PROVIDERS THAT WILL PROVIDE AN EVIDENCE-BASED CONTINUUM OF QUALITY CARE TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND OTHER UNDERSERVED ETHNIC GROUPS OF NORTHERN OHIO

WHEREAS, according to the 2000 US Census, the Hispanic population in the State of Ohio exceeds 217,000 and are represented in significant numbers in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Lorain, Youngstown, Painesville, Defiance and Freemont and that this population has increased an estimated 85% of the total population growth in comparison to the overall decrease of the general population in Ohio; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to increase and empower the social services in Northern Ohio as well as throughout all parts of Ohio where significant numbers of Latinos/as reside to gain the organizational capacity necessary to serve Ohio Latinos/as to
the best of their abilities; and
WHEREAS, Latino-specific and Latino-serving community based organizations need to work in collaboration and not in competition, sharing crucial information and data to ensure that service provision to Latinos/as is informed by up to date need
assessment and best practices; and
WHEREAS, Latino-specific and Latino-serving community and faith based organization need to function in constructive partnership in the areas of joint advocacy, funding acquisition, agency sustainability and overall institutional advancement.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Immigration, Faith-based and Social Services Area Team will create a collaborative, social service network of providers that incorporates resultoriented
analysis and other relevant assessments, including the Betances report, to create a continuum of care that will provide improved quality and quantity of evidence-based practices/services to the Latino community and other underserved ethnic groups of Northern Ohio.

Contact Our Team at
ssat@convencionhispana.org