Newspapers contributions - El poder de la palabra liberadora
Published at THE DAY, New London, CT on 12/08/2004
Concerns about illegals in the United States bring a variety of issues that need to be clarified. First, we know that many illegals do not come to this country to sit, they come to work hard and to experience the American dream. They perform the jobs that the citizens refuse to do. The majority of these people have no papers, but still pay local, state and federal taxes and also contribute into a Social Security System which won't ever be claimed or refunded since some survive with someone else identity. Of course, I am talking about the ones that lack financial resources to afford lawyers, papers and other documents to become legal residents.
On the other hand, the hijackers Sept. 11,2001 did NOT experience these hardships because they had millions to afford pilot lessons, the best lawyers and also contribute in their local, state and federal taxes. NOBODY questioned their moral character or integrity and they were welcomed and allowed to come in, not to build and add prosperity to the USA, but to bring destruction.
What is really important to consider at the time of creating immigration restrictions and laws for "illegals" -their moral character, background check or financial status.
Maria Santiago
New London
December 8,2004
With gifts come responsibilities
To the Editor of THE DAY, published on OPINION on Thursday, October 26, 2001, page A10
By Maria Santiago
New London, CT
With great dispair, I read The Day's Sept. 22 article where Centro de la Comunidad was devaluated through the words of some ex-members of the Board. I do not know them, but I certainly know Victor Mélendez. I have seen his work and the work of his employees. I have sent relatives and friends to El Centro, and it has certainly met their needs.
Mr. Meléndez commitment exceeds regular business hours. He has put great effort and devotion in the organization Comité Político Comunal. I was there. Thanks to the efforts of this organization for the very first time New London has three Hispanic representatives, one running for the City Council and two running for the Board of Education.
The professionals and middle-class Hispanics who claim that they need another organization to support their needs, and think Centro is not that place, should look for the best place for them, but they should not attempt to destroy the image of an organization they have never joined.
I feel sorry for the people who think that a M.A. or Ph. D or any sort of title or degree make them different. It is true that education makes us aware of aour rights and benefits, but that also include becoming aware of new responsibilities. That is a consequence of becoming educated.
Education does not make someone better than another one. Instead, it makes that citizen regardless of his ethnic group more responsible towards his society and those in his ethnic group who live in misery. I suppose that one commitment and goal of that new group that gathers the "creme" of the Latinos will be to complement and continue with what Centro de la Comunidad does, to help Hispanics get a better position in society.
Published in THE NEW LONDON TIMES, July 23, 2004, page 5
[Editor's note: The following opinion is provided in English with a Spanish translation. It relates to an incident at the Crystal Avenue apartments in which two children were left dead after a domestic dispute]
By B.M. and Carmen Santiago
Last April 19, the city of New London suffered a tragedy that has left us all shocked and saddened. Two innocent children lost their lives and two women were injured by an act of violence that is all too common. This repugnant act has left an aftermath of physical, psychological and social lesions to the particular families and to the entire community. We all feel specially sad, angry, frustrated and vulnerable because such a terrible event. It is precisely at this moment that we must use these strong emotions to guide our abilities to analyze our reality, and to change our social and material resources so that this type of event will never happened again.
It is evident that the phenomenon of family violence is and continues to be one of the most frequent and yet 'hidden" crimes committed in our societies. According to the FBI, a women is beaten or assaulted every 18 seconds. Each year between 2 million ad 6 million women are assaulted by their current or former domestic partner, to such an extent that they must seek medical care in the emeregncy room.
Some of the victims of family violence never reveal the abuse they endure, and when they do seek public redress or help, the victims often do not receive fair and appropriate treatment. This neglect intensifies the impact of these crimes leading to even great and more tragic events with profound economic and social implications.
In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law to eradicate violence against women call the Violence Against Women Act. This act attempts to eradicate all manifestations of family violence and sexual aggression against women.
VAWA has a variety of important and useful stipulations that women need to be aware of in order to use the law more frequently. It is OUR responsibilty as women to make sure the law is respected and in force.
The restraining order is among the most important stipulations. This order protects the victims against potential aggressors; it forbids the aggressor access to the victim's residence and regulates children visitation.
It is a difficult and complicated task for a women suffering from family violence to break this cycle, especially if there is misinformation, lack of help from and knowledge about the responsible agencies, institutions and infrastructure. The following fact, unfortunately, underscores the lack of priority the question of domestic abuse receives:
According to data offered by the Julian Center, in the United States there are 3,800 animal shelters, while, on the other hand, there are 1,500 shelters for abused women.
As a community we must face many challenges in order to provide a healthy civil life for women and our children:
* We must promote a free-violence education since early years.
* We must ensure that women experiencing family violence have a place to go for protection and moral and material support.
* We must guarantee a safe and fair access to a legal system that advocates for women and their rights.
* We must ensure GREATER access to information about the current institutions and to encourage the creation of new agencies that will support and instruct families that suffer from domestic violence.
* We must guarantee that schools play a LEADING role in addressing early violent behavior in young people.
* We must identify and eliminate violence against women and children as the "social norm" so that our children do not have to suffer other events like those of April 19,
