Thursday, July 2, 2020 7
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
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VIEWPOINT Protecting indigenous migrants
BY ARCENIO J. LÓPEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIXTECO/INDIGENA COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROJECT On June 18, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attack against Dreamers and upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which protects from deportation 700,000 individuals who were brought to the US as children. The Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) applauds the 5-4 SCOTUS ruling. As indigenous peoples, we do not believe in man-made borders, as our people have migrated freely for thousands of years. We will continue our work of protecting and advocating for full human rights for indigenous migrants living in the United States. DACA is only the first step towards truly protecting our families who have always been essential. Young adults are the next generation and will continue to build the social fabric of our community—economically, politically and culturally. Dreamers belong here, the future of our children is in their hands. What we need is a reformed immigration system that provides permanent protection for all undocumented individuals. MICOP was born in 2001 when community activists recognized the large and growing number of indigenous residents that were being underrepresented and underserved in Ventura County. MICOP’s mission became to support, organize and empower the indigenous community in Ventura County and, in 2016, Santa Barbara County, with the start of outreach programs geared towards the indigenous community of North County and the Central Coast. Primarily employed as row crop workers in the berry industry, indigenous immigrants earn amongst the lowest wage in the state on a seasonal basis. According to the 2008 Indigenous Farmworkers Study, an estimated 160,000 farmworkers in the state of California are indigenous—20,000 indigenous migrants in Ventura and 27,000 in Santa Barbara County. MICOP estimates that 80 percent of the agricultural workforce in the state is indigenous people from Mexico. Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have a significant population of indigenous people from the Mixteco, Zapoteco, Purepecha, Otomi, Triqui, Maya, Nahuatl and Huave nations. Mixtecos are the largest group. Over the last 19 years, MICOP expanded from its grassroots origins and is widely recognized as the preeminent organization addressing the unique needs of indigenous immigrants living in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. MICOP offers a full spectrum of programs that can be broadly categorized into outreach and education, community organizing, policy and advocacy. Today, MICOP serves over 12,000 individuals
As indigenous peoples, we do not believe in man-made borders, as our people have migrated freely for thousands of years. We will continue our work of protecting and advocating for full human rights for indigenous migrants living in the United States. DACA is only the first step towards truly protecting our families who have always been essential. annually through our programs: Health and Mental Health Access, Family Engagement, Community Organizing, Outreach and Education, Immigration Legal Assistance, Cultural Promotion, and Community Information through our Radio Indígena station. MICOP is now providing support to the indigenous community around Covid-19. MICOP served as one of the 12 organizations selected by the California Department of Social Services to support with their Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrant Program. We are providing day-to-day Covid-19 related information through our community based radio station, Radio Indígena, and have developed dozens of PSAs, videos and FB live events in Spanish and the indigenous languages of Mixteco, Zapoteco, Purepecha and Triqui. MICOP also continues to support the 805UndocuFund that is providing one-time financial support to the undocumented community during the pandemic crisis. Additionally, MICOP continues its works to organize indigenous farmworkers to create just and better working conditions, advocate for policy change in the immigration system for a long term solution to undocumented people such as comprehensive immigration reform and for language access for indigenous people, which is even more crucial now during the pandemic crisis. Lastly, MICOP is concerned about the increase of positive Covid-19 cases in the farmworker community during the past two weeks. Covid-19 has exposed the systematic racism, the disparities, and the exclusion of basic access to services such as food, housing and the health of our community, and we ask the community to join us in advocating for much needed and immediate change. If you have any questions or are interested in supporting, please contact us at micop@mixteco.org, donate at mixteco. org/donate or visit mixteco.org.
FILE PHOTO HERRICK
Carpinteria Chamber CEO Joyce Donaldson, left, and Boardmember Doralee Jacobson, right, attend the Carpinteria Kids Auction in 2018.
Local chambers of commerce merge
Facing a new economic climate for local businesses brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will merge with the Goleta and Santa Barbara chambers of commerce on July 1 to form the new Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce. Carpinteria’s 300 chamber members will become members of the new chamber which is expected to have 1,100 members after the merger. The merger will afford Carpinteria members “a plethora of new benefits including increased visibility with enhanced publications, new website, member promotions and advertising, along with a wide-range of business development resources,” said Carpinteria Chamber CEO Joyce Donaldson. Carpinteria events including the State of the City, Community Awards Gala, Legislative Breakfasts, Friends & Family Travel Program, First Friday Meet Me in Carpinteria Lunches and the Culinary Crawl will continue to be held. A Carpinteria Business Advocacy Council will also be established with founding members from the Carpinteria Chamber’s board of directors. The new organization was formed by the unanimous support of the business and civic leaders from all three boards of directors in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta. “Recognizing that the business community already has connections throughout the three cities, the united group best represents business and community needs across government boundaries,” said Donaldson. “The unique and distinct qualities of each community’s culture, events and neighborhoods will be honored and cherished while a new focus on countywide and regional issues can be addressed.” “As our current business climate continues to evolve, we tried to forecast our members’ future needs and give Carpinteria a stronger voice in the South County,” said Curtis Lopez, chairman of Carpinteria’s board of directors. “Being a native Carpinterian, I did not
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The new organization was formed by the unanimous support of the business and civic leaders from all three boards of directors in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta.
take this merger lightly, but I and my fellow board members believe this is our future.” Kristen Miller, who has served as president and CEO of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce for the last 18 years, will lead the organization as the chief executive officer. “Creating a unified voice for business on the South Coast is both the culmination of a long process and at the same time a natural next step in a rapidly changing world. Business and community, work-life balance and sustainable workforce practices are all coming together and making us a more unified community. While some areas of our lives are becoming more isolated, we are coming together,” said Miller. Donaldson will serve as the organization’s chief operating officer and Carpinteria liaison, overseeing operations and Carpinteria-centric initiatives. With 17 years of professional chamber leadership experience, Donaldson has served as president and CEO for the Carpinteria Valley Chamber since 2015. The organization is working to pivot priorities to serve members in new ways during the current Covid-19 pandemic given that events are not allowed at this time.
Managing Editor Debra Herrick Editor Christian Beamish Graphic Designer Kristyn Whittenton Photographer Robin Karlsson Sports Reporter Alonzo Orozco Advertising Manager Karina Villarreal Publishers Gary L. Dobbins, Michael VanStry
Coastal View News is locally owned and operated by RMG Ventures, LLC, 4856 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, CA 93013, and is published every Thursday. Coastal View News has been adjudged a newspaper of general circulation by the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County, Case No. 210046. Coastal View News assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.
