We The People: Redefining What it Means to be American

We theP eople Red ef i n i n g W h at i t M ean s t o b e Am er i can

Women's Rights

The Economically Disadvantaged

Immigr ation The Black Tr ans Refugees Community

Fall 2020

Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, Our team is We the People, and we strive to promote awareness of American communities that are often overlooked, dismissed, or misunderstood. In this issue, we are covering the topics of Women in the Workplace, Economically Disadvantaged People, the Black Transgender Community, Immigrants in Texas, and Refugees in Texas.

We will discuss the gender disparities in careers and the workplace, problems faced by the economically disadvantaged population, injustices the black transgender community face, ways to help and support current immigrants plus a review of immigration policies, and the experiences refugees go through when seeking asylum in the US, specifically Texas. Through this magazine, we hope you will learn more about the fellow Americans around you, and experience their lives and stories from points of views you haven?t discovered yet. We want you to learn about the processes others go through so that we can unite with a better understanding of each other and come together as a stronger America.

We the People started off as five unique individuals with an impressive array of interests that had surprisingly little overlap except for the desire to spread awareness and change. We chose difficult but crucial topics to cover in this issue because we believe it is imperative that they be addressed.

We have done our best to present this information in the greatest way possible to readers in hopes that it would bring light to the problems these communities face.

While, unfortunately, there are so many communities that face prejudice in America, we chose just five to discuss in this issue. A great deal of consideration went into this selection process, but ultimately we wanted to report on relevant issues that don?t get shown under the spotlight as often as others. This in no way means we think the problems and people we covered are more important or relevant than other discriminated communities.

Please enjoy these articles and infographics as we?ve put a lot of hard work, research, and consideration into them with you specifically in mind. Take this as an opportunity to discover more about those you are friends with, go to school with, live near, and work with.

We hope you enjoy, Lyssa Lashus, Lucy Loehr, Andrew Brotherton, Rosie Martinez, and Estefania Soria-Jimenez

L yssaL ashus

L ucyL oehr A ndrewBrotherton R osie M artinez EstefaniaSoria-J im enez

We The People DEC 2020 1

Tableof C ontents R efugeesofTexas.............. pg6-11 N aturalizationintheUnitedStates I nfographic ...................... pg12-13 Wom enintheWorkforce............ pg14-17 TheG enderPayG apThroughout the PastC enturyI nfographic ........ pg18-19 Im m i grationToday .................. pg20-23 Front cover- designed by Lyssa Lashus, inside front cover- designed by Lyssa Lashus, the Letter From the Editors- designed by Lyssa Lashus, the Table of Contents- designed by Andrew Brotherton assisted by Kevin Garcia, the Meet the Team page- designed by Lyssa Lashus assisted by Estefania Soria-Jimenez and Lucy Loehr, the Special Thanks pages- designed by Lyssa Lashus, the Hey Did you Know? page- designed by Lucy Loehr, Andrew Brotherton, and Lyssa Lashus, the inside back cover- designed by Lucy Loehr, the Back cover- designed by Lucy Loehr assisted by Lyssa Lashus. Photos from

2 DEC 2020 We The People

TableofC ontents Im m i grationintheUSI nfographic...... ............ pg20-23 TheBlack TransgenderC om m unity...... .............. pg26-29 TheI m portanceofPronounsI nfographic .......... pg30-31 TheEconom icall yDisadvantaged..... pg32-35 R esourcesfortheEconom icall yDisadvantaged ........ pg32-35 We The People DEC 2020 3

M eet th e Team!

LYSSA LYSSA 4 DEC 2020 We The People

ROSELYN ROSELYN

My name is Roselyn Martinez and I am a freshman at LASA high school. I enjoy art of crafting jewelry, painting, and upcycling thrifted clothes. My job here is to make sure that all our ASFs and image software are compatible with our stories. I want to inform my community about the crucial events and situations that are occurring today across our city Austin, the state of Texas, and the United States in general. I want for everyone to have a positive attitude towards our state and our country overall. I hope our magazine satisfies that for you all.

My name is Lyssa Lashus, and I am currently a freshman in the class of 2024 at LASA high school. My favorite things include chocolate, volleyball, and books, of which I have yet to attempt synchronously.

I?m the features editor of this magazine, meaning I am the last line of defense for our articles before their publication. I make sure the information is understandable, engaging, and formatted in a way that is easy to comprehend (because the last thing we want when covering important topics is for main ideas to get lost in translation). I want to change the world one day, and this magazine is a start. I hope you enjoy it!

My name is Lucy Loehr and I am currently a 9th grader at LASA high school. I enjoy biking, reading, debate, and playing my violin. I am in charge of fact checking articles and making sure our research is high quality and thorough. My goal is to inform and educate you on often overlooked and unseen communities and the issues they face in our country. I hope you enjoy our magazine!

My name is Estefania Soria and I'm a 9th grader at LASA. I like to write stories, listen to music, roller skate and once in a while learn how to do skateboard tricks when I have free time. I am the photo editor, so I predominantly check the photos in each feature story and check if it meets our standards. I also check if the photos are able to be used and are properly credited. I want to raise awareness of the injustices these communities face daily. Thank you and enjoy our magazine!

My name is Andrew Brotherton and I am a freshman at LASA high school. I enjoy going on bike rides around my neighborhood, reading books, petting my dogs, and texting with my friends. My high score on the no internet T-Rex game is 1468 (maybe updated when wifi brakes again). I've been getting a lot of practice because my wifi router likes going on vacation. On this project, I am the Graphics Editor in charge of checking the graphics. I am writing the section about the economically disadvantaged. I hope that you enjoy our magazine.

We The People DEC 2020 5

Sch ools adapt t o ser ve t h e n eeds of r ef u gee ch ildr en . St u den t s Ph ot o Cou r t esy of Ref u gee Ser vices of Texas.

T r yi n g T i m es f or T exas?

Asyl u m Seek er s

By Lyssa Lashus

T

exas is a hub of immigration for the United States. In 2018, the American Immigration Council reported that 4.9 million immigrants made up 17 percent of Texas?s population, yet the number of

immigrants admitted annually continues to drop throughout the state and across the country.

Since colonial times America has been a place of asylum, yet asylum is constantly changing.

Jacqueline Watson, an asylum attorney based in Texas, explained the system is not as 6 DEC 2020 We The People straightforward as some might

think. ?Asylum is a statutory form of humanitarian protection that is offered to someone who meets the definition of a refugee,?

Watson said. ?The international definition, which the US has adopted by law is someone who cannot return to their home country because they will be

persecuted by the government, or forces the government of the home country are unwilling or unable to control.?

This persecution is labeled as such due to five factors, which cover a wide range of topics and situations. ?The refugee?s race, the refugee?s religion, the refugee?s nationality, the refugee?s political opinion, or the refugee?s membership in a particular social group,? Watson said. ?Somebody would try to prove that they are persecuted by showing that their life or freedom would be threatened.?

Texas too, has historically welcomed many foreigners as well. ?As one of the leading states for resettlement, Texas is proud of its long history of welcoming refugees and forever... transforming lives of people who otherwise would have nowhere else to turn to,? Miranda Roberts, Development and Communications Coordinator at Refugee Services of Texas, said.

Some see these dropping levels as a tarnish of that record.

whether asylum seekers should be allowed into the US. ?I think another thing that people don?t understand about people who are seeking asylum, and it?s something that perhaps people seeking asylum themselves don?t understand, is the role that our own government plays in destabilizing some of the countries in our hemisphere, in Central America and even Mexico, some of the destabilizing influence that our own government has actually had a hand in has turned these countries into really dangerous places for the general population,?

Watson said.

During the 2017 fiscal year under the Obama Administration, the last year of the There?s also term, President the issue that Obama signed an the United executive order States have allowing 110,000 signed legal refugees to be documents Tw o r ef u gee w om en w ash pr odu ce resettled in the US. proclaiming u n der a w at er spou t . Ph ot o Cou r t esy During the 2020 of Ref u gee Ser vices of Texas the fiscal year under responsibility the Trump to help those Administration, the ?It is a black eye--or black mark, I seeking refuge. national limit was set at 18,000 should say, on the history of refugees. The 2021 ceiling of ?We pledged to help vulnerable Texas being welcoming towards 15,000 asylum seekers is the people find freedom and safety immigrants, and in fact the whole lowest number in history, and within our borders,? Roberts said. history of Texas being not part of many people were astounded and the United States to begin with One of these signings was at the appalled at how fractional it was and being part of Mexico before Geneva Convention following compared to the historic national that,? Watson said.

World War II, a war that produced average. a massive population of asylees It?s no secret that the US ?Right now, Asylum law is almost and refugees seeking protection government meddles in the impossible, and if it continues, affairs of other countries, and this from the Halocaust. Many the Trump Presidency continues, too may be a factor many We The People DEC 2020 7 it will be extinct,? Watson said. overlook when debating

A f am ily ser ved by t h e Ref u gee Ser vices of Texas com e t oget h er . Ph ot o Cou r t esy of Ref u gee Ser vices of Texas

countries including the United States of America turned away these people, and as a result, millions upon millions of people were murdered. ?Under the Geneva Convention, we, as a World of Nations that must live together, work together, and exist together, we all decided that we would offer asylum protection....our government will not send someone back if they will face persecution by their own government,? Watson said. ?We have said that that is one of the values we will adhere to under National law.?

Those seeking asylum are increasing in number as the world?s conflicts grow. When refugees and asylees arrive in the

United States, they are grateful for a multitude of things, especially the newfound security that comes with being in America.

"Many times

they're in those refugee camps for an average of 10 to 26 years."

- Miranda Roberts, coordinator for Refugee Services of Texas

?Asylum seekers arrive in the US seeking safety for themselves, seeking safety for their family, really start a new life so they 8 DEC 2020 We The People don?t have to have those

worries anymore,? Roberts said. ?One of the clients that we speak to, she talks about having this feeling of safety, having a sense of being able to go home at night, and not have to worry about bombs going off, have to worry about going to work and not coming home, so many things that we Americans often take for granted.?

Both Roberts and Watson also touched on the conditions of these people before, during, and after they flee their countries of origin. ?Refugees lose everything when they?re forced to flee their homes and the countries that they?re from. They often arrive at refugee camps with nothing? .but a suitcase they could pack and carry on their own, and they?re arriving at these refugee camps

that do not have ideal conditions, and many, many times, they?re in those refugee camps for an average of 10 t o 26 year s,?

Roberts said.

Refugees and asylees are put into centers or camps while they wait for resettlement in the US where they receive inadequate treatment and face harsh conditions. Watson talked about her experience with these places, focusing on detention centers. ?Detention is a very dangerous place for any human being to be, much less a human being who?s not a criminal, but is actually just trying to seek a civil remedy in the United States,?

Watson said.

awful, especially when it comes to very infectious diseases. Even Pre-COVID, I would have clients coming down with chickenpox, or flu, or pneumonia, things that shouldn?t be spreading like wildfire through a detention facility,? Watson said.

Many asylum seekers stay in these camps or centers for months to even years waiting to just receive refugee status which can be very discouraging. ?It takes a long time to have your case heard,? Watson explained. ?It takes a long time to get proof

Watson said that her clients?lives are out of her hands when they?re in detention centers, and she M ir an da Rober t s spr eads must rely on in f or m at ion abou t t h e other people to Ref u gee Ser vices of Texas. insure their Ph ot o Cou r t esy of RST. safety. Living conditions are subpar, to the point of your--even when you win, it common, preventable and can take a long time to get proof treatable diseases are a constant of your status, and it can take a threat. long time to get your green card, ?Post-COVID, it?s impossible for and so these things just go me to guarantee the safety of any through a bureaucracy. I don?t client I have that?s in detention, feel that any of my clients the detention conditions are though are unappreciative,

because, hey, even if it takes a year to get your green card...or six months to get proof of your asylum status, at least it?s done?

It's probably the bureaucracy, and trying to realize, it's a five-year wait for a court hearing right now, sometimes longer, for some people. And I think that?s difficult to take.?

Then, when these people finally do make it into the country, they face more hardships. ?When asylum seekers arrive in the US, they are not allowed to work, majority of the time, they don?t know anyone.

They don?t know anyone to help them along the way in navigating a very very complicated system,?

Roberts said. ?They want to work, they want to know how to help themselves and their family in a very new and foreign country.?

Asylum seekers come from all walks of life, many have degrees and are highly educated, they?ve

We The People DEC 2020 9

Asylu m At t or n ey Jacqu elin e Wat son . Cou r t esy of Walk er Gat es Vela.

passed many landmarks in their lives that don?t, for the most part, transfer over to their new lives in America. In response, they learn and take in as much as they can, as fast as they can. ?They want to know how to speak the language of the communities and the people around them in hopes of building a community for themselves, in hopes of finding a good paying job, which oftentimes is really hard,?

Roberts said. ?Many refugees come over with so many credentials, they come over with degrees that oftentimes the US does not accept, and so it?s very hard to find those good-paying

jobs? .

They?re stock workers, some of them are teachers, some of them are engineers, and they?ve owned restaurants, and they?ve done all these things, so coming over to start completely new and completely on the bottom level, it?s incredible to see how fast that our clients, they rise, and they keep learning, and they keep going to the top.?

Watson said.

This quick adaptiveness and rise to success should be more widely recognized.

" Refugees don?t seek resettlement for economic purposes or for a change of scenery, they?re literally fleeing for their lives,"

?Most, I can?t say all, but some of my most successful clients, like the people who have gone on to do great and wonderful things have been people who have sought asylum. These people are very courageous. They have suffered in their countries and they have come here, knowing that it is going to be difficult, but still seeking protection from our government, and our government should be more 10 DEC 2020 We The People willing to recognize that. And we?re willing to grant it,?

The US government should dispense more of its resources and money towards the resettlement of these people, as the assistance they currently give, though greatly appreciated, is somewhat lacking. ?In terms of employment, health, and education, asylum seekers? .often need more resources because of the system set into place,? Roberts said. ?As far as where we are as a country, there is nothing offered to asylum seekers as they enter the US to help them back on their feet.?

America?s hospitality to asylum seekers has been declining through the decades, and we should do better than return to recent years?past. Asylum seekers and their needs change when the conflicts affecting them change, so our laws should alter accordingly.

- Miranda Roberts, coordinator for Refugee Services of Texas ?....if I could speak to an

Administration that I felt was interested in justice and international obligations, and respected the rule of law, I believe I would say, ?Not only do we have to return to pre-Trump asylum interpretations, we should take that even further because obviously asylum law, and the reasons people are persecuted develop over time, right? And so, the asylum, these asylum laws and regulations should be developing as our society and civilization develops, and international conflicts develop, there should be more openness towards expanding rather than constricting grounds for showing persecution,?? Watson said.

Part of the reason for the funneling of immigrants, specifically of refugees and asylees, is due to misinformation at the hands of the media. ?There?s a stigma associated with the word or the identification of being a refugee, and it comes from us being able to source news from so many different places, you have digital media, you have newspapers, you have visual media, news outlets that are 24 hours, and they don?t often depict refugees in a good light,? Roberts said.

Many see refugees and asylees as people coming to America to take advantage of the country?s economic opportunities along with other accusations. In actuality, refugees and asylees immigrate to other countries because they will die or be severely harmed if they stay in their origin country any longer.

?Being a refugee is not a choice, and that is very much why it is not a choice. Refugees don?t seek resettlement for economic purposes or for a change of scenery, they?re literally fleeing for their lives,? Roberts said.

our country. And I think if we start with that, and if we run with that, and make sure that is central to our system of immigration laws, we can have better, more just immigration laws,? Watson said.

Many times, asylum seekers don?t want to leave, but they have no other viable options.

For those leaving their countries, homes, and loved ones as a trade for their lives, the least citizens of America and other destination countries can do is educate themselves.

"There should be

more openness towards expanding rather than constricting grounds for showing persecution" - Jacqueline Watson, asylum attorney ?One thing especially with my Central American cases, and Mexico cases, is that basically they tell me, ?I didn?t want to flee my country, before the trouble happened, I was perfectly happy to stay home and be in my country and stay safe,?? Watson said.

Watson also combatted the claims that immigrants weaken America, an issue she believes affects our legislature greatly. ?Immigration benefits our country... there?s no legitimate social study that says that immigration doesn?t benefit

?I would urge and implore any American to do the research about refugees and asylees for themselves, of course, through credible sources, and not solely rely on what they see or what they hear in the news,? Roberts said.

Conversations can change lives and the opinions we have that affect everyone around us. Find someone in your community to talk to, build a connection, learn about a life that is different from your own. ?Maybe one person?s story will stick with someone so much that that person wants to share that story, that it?s passed along, and hopefully when that?s passed along it comes across someone who is willing to, I say, ?soften their hearts and minds,?to really take in information and really kind of create their own image of a refugee, and...learn something for themselves in hopes that maybe they will see refugees and asylum seekers in a new light,? Roberts said.

We The People DEC 2020 11

NATURALIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES READ, COM PLETE, AND SUBM IT FORM N-400 TO DETERM INE YOUR ELIGIBILITY

COM PLETE AN IN-PERSON INTERVIEW AND TAKE THE ENGLISH AND CIVICS TEST

SOURCE: THE US CITIZEN AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES (USCIS)

DESIRE TO BE A CITIZEN

ATTEND A BIOM ETRICS APPOINTM ENT WHERE YOU WILL BE FINGERPRINTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED

IF YOU FAILED THE TEST(S) OR NEED TO PROVIDE M ORE DOCUM ENTS/ EVIDENCE, YOU RETURN FOR A SECOND INTERVIEW

A GUIDE TO BECOMING A LEGAL CITIZEN US CITIZEN AND IM M IGRATION SERVICES WILL EITHER APPROVE/ DENY YOUR FORM N-400 (DETERM INE ELIGIBILITY FOR NATIONALIZATION)

TAKE THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES

YOU ARE NOW A CITIZEN

IF DENIED, USCIS WILL EXPLAIN WHY YOU WERE DENIED, WHICH YOU CAN CHALLENGE IN A HEARING (ONLY WAY TO CHANGE RULING)

OVER THE LAST DECADE, USCIS WELCOM ED LESS THAN 7.2 M ILLION NATURALIZED CITIZENS INTO THE UNITED STATES, AND DURING THE 2018 FISCAL YEAR, OVER 750,000 PEOPLE WERE NATURALIZED.

M ayor Pr o Tem gar za spek in g.

Cou r t esy of t h e M ayor 's of f ice.

W om en i n t h e W or k pl ace

By Lucy Loehr.

W

omen make up 50% of the United States? population, yet face challenges that still make it difficult to achieve the same level of success in the workforce. Part of the American

dream is to move up the ladder.

However, many women, especially women of color, never get the same access to opportunities and face unseen obstacles that prevent them from achieving the same level of success. In the long and 14 DEC 2020 We The People complicated history of our

country and the world, women were considered the inferior sex and, until 1920, weren?t considered legally equal and therefore, did not have the same rights as men. Landmark decisions such as The Equal Pay Act of 1963 have helped move women forward but these issues

are far from being resolved.

Women still face many gender based challenges in the workplace such as discrimination, income inequality, and lack of access to affordable healthcare coverage.

Throughout history, legislative reform has improved women?s lives on many levels. The 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, was the first in a long chain of legislative reform leading women towards equality.

This continued in the 21st century as many laws and societal practices are being re-evaluated in order to combat oppression and work towards equality. ?It?s interesting because it?s really coming out about who is better at advancing women?s causes than others,? said Dr. Liesl Nydegger, a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, the Director of the Gender Health Equity Lab and a researcher of HIV prevention among women of color. ?The people who may think that they?re culturally sensitive and doing things the right way are actually oppressing people. I would say that the oppression hasn?t changed, but there?s been this shift that?s not going very well or smoothly, but there?s definitely a much bigger focus on it,? said Dr. Nydegger.

Despite women making up 50.8% of the United States workforce, women make on average $0.81 for every dollar a man makes. ?The pay gap is definitely an

UT Pr of essor , Dr . Liesl Nydegger (r igh t ) r eceives an aw ar d f or h er HIV pr even t ion r esear ch . issue,? Nydegger said. ?I was told my salary was non negotiable so I didn?t negotiate it. It turns out my male colleague did negotiate it, and he did get more. Women are not taught to go up against things like that like men. When the big voice says, this is non negotiable, women are just not going to be as pushy, so that's a huge issue. I think that our work life balance is disproportionately more difficult than men?s because we often have to work more, and we?re getting paid less,?

Income inequality is not just an issue specific to a certain profession or industry, but rather to the workforce overall. ?Even if you look at women on the high end of the spectrum, like national sports, these superstars, still disproportionately underpaid compared to men,? Richards said. ?I do think that this Covid relief that the new Biden administration is promoting is going to be really important in

terms of getting women some economic stabilization, and of course, there are efforts around the country.? said Cecile Richards, activist, former president of Planned Parenthood, and founder of Supermajority.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, women paid disproportionately, but many have had to leave their jobs and give up hard earned careers to take care of their families.

According to The New York Times, women will be set back 10 years in the workplace due to carrying the responsibility of taking care of family at the expense of their careers. With the balance of familial duties and workplace needs, women face a difficult choice. ?Definitely women are in the workforce now, in a way in the US like never before. Although the pandemic of course has meant

We The People DEC 2020 15

more women, and more women of color have lost their jobs than any other segment of society. It?s going to be a much tougher road.

We made incremental progress on equal pay but still it?s just unconscionable how much less women make than men, particularly women of color.

Again, the statistics are abysmal.

A large part is reflected in the fact that women continue to be in jobs that are underpaid and undervalued.? said Cecile Richards.

One of the most prominent issues facing women is healthcare and childcare access. Many women have quit their jobs in order to take care of their children during the Covid-19 pandemic. But even before the pandemic, a lack of childcare access has prevented women from having the same opportunities as their male counterparts. ?If you want to be a mom, then generally that's going to be a ton of your responsibility. Then you have to juggle work on top of that. In places like not having child care.? said Dr. Nydegger.

unfair amount of money for basic health needs but many states have been trying to fight and undermine the ACA protections for women.

up.? said Dr. Nydegger. ?But it?s more than that. I think we?ve come up against a bunch of these societal norms and issues that are not going away.?

?We made a lot of progress on healthcare with the Affordable Care Act and women finally not having to pay more for health insurance. More women are getting covered, but we kind of have stalled out under the last (Trump) administration, so

Part of why women face these legislative issues?

?What I would tell young women and girls is to learn how to ignore that and go after what ou want" - Dr. Liesl Nydgger Professor at UT Austin there?s a lot of work we have left to do.? said Richards.

Discrimination has long been rooted in our society, whether it?s in the form of societal norms or Women?s healthcare is a basic legal prejudices. Title VII of the human right but oftentimes fails Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that to cover the most basic needs discrimination based on sex, (re-word). ?Healthcare is very national origin, race, or religion unfair, and the policies in general is stirtcly prohibited. ?The are created by men, and they makeup of men and women favor men.? said Dr. Nydegger. throughout the country, and people who identify as other Under The Affordable Care Act, genders, is definitely not women may not be denied reflective of how our medical insurance or charged an administration, legislature, 16 DEC 2020 We The People and judicial system are made

?Women were never actually thought of when we created the economy in this country. Women have been an afterthought, obviously we didn?t even have the right to vote when the country started. Women keep trying to fit ourselves into systems that were not built for us. I think the area that I feel like is most pronounced is the fact that we have no plan in this country for childcare. That?s what we are seeing now in this pandemic, so many women leaving the workforce because they have no way take care of their kids and that has fallen on women. It shouldn?t, it should fall on everyone in society but it hasn?t.

Attitudes and systemic change for universal child care and moving away from the idea that maternity care, leave, benefits are a nuisance when in fact they are a vital part of our workforce.

If we could address those two things that would really help level the participation of women in the workforce.? said Cecile Richards.

Discrimination is not always obvious, sometimes it is subtle and difficult to detect, but it affects women nonetheless. ?I feel like there?s a lot of gender undertones and language

whether it?s in the media, teachers, parents, even family members.? said Dr. Nydegger.

important because women can't fight this battle one by one.? said Richards, and

It is important to have an open mind and understanding of the effects of discrimintion. ?I think it?s always important to have a lens that recognizes the complexity and the entirety of how discrimination has kept people from being able to live their lives.? said Richards.

We have seen throughout history that when the disadvantaged unite, they are stronger in the face of adversity. ?I think there are so many women now that are realizing their own experiences are not unique, they are

?The expectations about how we look, how we perform, what we do, there is a double standard. On the optimistic side, I?m so excited that we elected a woman to the executive branch. I think Kamala Harris is the kind of leader we need in this country to demonstrate to any young girl that they can achieve anything.

But it?s hard to be it, if you can?t see it. Incoming VP Harris is going to be an important role model for a whole generation of young women.? said Cecile Richards.

Although these issues might seem unbeatable at first, all hope is not lost.?On the upside is, there are more women in the workforce.

Women are not going to not be in the workforce. We just haven?t done much as a society to catch up with that idea by making it possible for women to get paid what they?re worth. That means that entire sectors of our society that are primarily held by women and women of color that have been undervalued and underpaid.

I think that?s something this administration seems to be focused on and that is really

According to Dr. Nydegger, perseverance is key. ?We frequently get told that we can?t accomplish things as well as men.

What I would tell young women and girls is to learn how to ignore that and go after what you want because society is not going to lift you up.? said Dr. Nydegger.

As for addressing these issues?

Dr .Liesl Nydegger pr esen t s h er r esear ch . Cou r t est y of Dr . Nydegger .

Ph ot o t o com e f r om su per m ajor it y t o replace with.

systemic.? said Cecile Richards.

Many people believe systemic change is necessary progress for women?s equality in order to reconstruct how our society works. ?There needs to be a systematic shift of who?s in leadership, and breaking these barriers of certain people who can?t advance like that. There needs to be a complete utter shakeup with how Universities are led and how decisions are made.? said Dr. Nydegger.

Bit by bit, and just doing what you can no matter how large or small, matters. Cecile Richards said, ?I?m a big believer that change happens because people get together and want to make the world better, different and that collective action is really the only thing that does make a difference. In organizing there are a lot of really

We The People DEC 2020 17

Wom en t aking place in prot est defending Hispanic cult ure

T h e Fl u i d i t y of I m m i gr at i on

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population.

countries. According to the

20 DEC 2020 We The People

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rate or that it reduces the

fundamental understanding of

PayPal, Tesla. At their core,

crime rate. Research has

physics, we are vastly

they're all created by foreign

found extensive evidence of

Group of people part icipat ing in a prot est against ICE

We The People DEC 2020 21

discrimination against foreign

abuse, bullying, opression,

affects the U.S in a negative

born and minority population

ethnic cleansing,genocide,

way. When people are moving

in criminal justice, business,

tand risk to civilians during

away from their home

the economy, housing, health

war. On the other hand, some

country, oftentimes they are

care, and politics in the united

migration is for personal

not economically stable. A

states.

reasons, based on a

popular reason people

relationship, such as in family

immigrate into the United

One theory of immigration

reunification or transnational

States is for the reason that

distinguishes between push

marriage.

they are looking for a better life, and a better job. Because

and pull factors, therefore making up a significant

Along with the positive

of this, the numbers of people

amount of the labor force.

impacts immigrants have,

in poverty increases, these

Non-economic push factors

there are various things that

immigrants are coming into

include persecution, frequent

immigration can do that

the U.S essentially without any

Poc protests for respected immigration

22 DEC 2020 We The People

money, this puts the competition for jobs in the

?w e don't need to have politics involved in im m igr ation, im m igr ation is r eally a labor issue. It's not an enfor cem ent bill.?

- Immigration lawyer in Austin, Texas, Kevin Lashus Im m igrat ion lawyer in Aust in Mr. Kevin Lashus

United States at a higher number. To work ?overseas? they are often referred to as

people born in

Recent research has found

the U.S who

gender, age, and cross-cultural

typically equal to or better

already in poverty and looking

differences in the ownership

than those applying in the

for a job, are at a lower chance

host country., Therefore,

of finding available jobs.

?expatriates?, and their conditions of employment are

of the idea to immigrate.

Emigration and immigration are sometimes mandatory in a contract of employment, religious missionaries and employees of transnational corporations, international non-governmental organizations,

and

the diplomatic service expect,

by

definition.

"Immigration is beautiful" sign being represented during a peaceful protest

.

We The People DEC 2020 23

Prot est ers prot est f or Transgender Right s out side t he Whit e House Court esy of Ted Eyt an

The Uphill Bat t le of Black Transgender Com m unit ies

By Est ef an i a Sor i a

O

ver t he cent ur ies, Black Americans have been aimed to be the victims of violent acts and hate crime due to their race.

We have seen how the Black Lives Matter protest raises awareness over this matter and many other everyday events that happen to Black Lives. From the unfair

death of Breonna Taylor to the horrible death of George Floyd.

This brought light to the brutality that Black Americans face everyday. Not only that but it also brought light on transphobia.

We had the pleasure to interview Carbon Ratchford, an assitant for the Exuctive Director of Brave Space Alliance. Brave Space Alliance is a non-profit 26 DEC 2020 We The People orginazation for queer and

trans people, especially those who are people of color, to provide comfort and help in Chicago. They explained the injustices the Black Transgender community face daily, and it?s more than what the media shows.

As Carbon Ratchford said: ?Right now just the average murder rate being solved in Chicago is 25% that means murderers have a 75% chance of getting away and it?s

even more so if you are black and brown. So if you add being trans or being queer on top of that geting justice is quite negligible.?

It has been reported that 350 Transgender people were killed during 2020 globally, 331 more deaths than last year. Most of which were mostly Black Transgender people.

Carbon Ratchford also pointed out another factor put into this unfair practice,.

"There's data here in Chicago that if you are black or brown, your murder is way more unlikely to get solved than if you were white and if you were to have money. It?s not only a race issue, it's a class issue," Ratchford said.

Not only does a Black or brown person have a disavantege due to their race and gender identity but also due to the fact that they may be financially unstable.

Pew Reasearch Center researched the economic, educational, health, political, and social problems that affect the income of each during these past decades. According to Pew Research Center, white families' household median income is $67,175, while black families? median income $39,760 and hispanic familes median income $40,007.

Not only does the black community have a disvantage due to their income, but many black people face the unnecessary but

common occurrence of harassment.``I have been randomly harassed in the streets for being black...This has not been the first time since I've been called the N-word and it's not going to be the last. '' said

14th of the U.S constitution it stated people born here are guaranteed security and equal protection of the laws.

?It impacts our lives where we are constantly on guard because we know that the world we live in is not a world that is safe for us" - Carbon Ratchford, a Personal assitant for the Exuctive Director of Brave Space Alliance.

Ratchford. According to The office of Policy develpement and Reaserch (PD&R) they stated that in 2014 22.5% of the Black people were victims of violent crimes and 10.1% were victims of serious violent crimes.

They not only face harassment but they constantly feel unsafe in a place that should guarantee their safety. In Admendmant

?It impacts our lives where we are constantly on guard because we know that the world we live in is not a world that is safe for us,? said Ratchford.

They have lived in constant fear to the point they take extreme measures. Ratchford compares living life as a black transgender person as to being like a woman in society. ?I would say that it would be similar to how you socialize females.? said Ratchford.

Ratchford countiues on listing out extreme mesures women go through that black transgender people practice too. ?When they go running in the mornings they pack mace, they carry their keys sticking out of

We The People DEC 2020 27

their hand, they wear brazz knuckles, they have a little whistle... it?s very much like that. So being queer and a person of color, you learn to have similar safety mechanisms in your day to day life.? said Ratchford.

Ratchford then starts telling a childhood memory that was very traumatic to them. ?When I was 7 my dad got pulled over because he had just bought a Lincoln Car. He was dropping me off at my mom?s house in the suburbs and the police stopped him.

He was a black guy driving a

?...The most depressing and most disheartening part, is where you?ve been queer for so long and you lost so many trans siblings you just can?t cry anyomore."

- Carbon Ratchford, a Personal assitant for the Exuctive Director of Brave Space Alliance.

Group phot o of Brave Space Aliance employees.

Court esy of Brave Space Alliance

28 DEC 2020 We The People

really nice car at the time so they had thought he had stolen it.

That really affected me because I was with him when he bought the car. How could they think that he stole it when he has all the paperwork for the purchase. It was so traumatic to see my dad apprehended and just thrown across the back of the car and treated so meanly and inhumanily. All because he was a black guy driving a nice car? said Ratchford.

The fact that Ratchford was able to talk ablout their trauma so casually goes to show how normalized this injustice is in

A 'Black Trans LI ves Mat t er' sign held by someone prot est ing in New york cit y Cort esy of Alec Perkins

America.

November.

Novemebr 20th was Trans rememberance day and Ratchford expressed their deep sadness of the day. They explained that this year was not like anyother due to the excessive amount of deaths.

?You have a choice of being in a constant state of mourning or you can do it all on trans rememberance day. Which makes November really heavy, it makes November a dark and difficult time. Which is already difficult because Trans people and Queer people are pre-desposed to have Mental health issues especially depression. ? It?s a lot of pain, sufferig, sadness and crying? said Ratchford.

?Next week on Friday is trans day of remembrance. So there is a lot of sorrow being in the trans comminity, because you know that you lose people, and even though you don?t know them personally, just having the deaths and the constent attacks on your comminity mean that it could be you.? said Ratchford.

Ratchford continues on sharing what the community goes through during the month of

Ratchford then continues going more in depth of how some people have coped with this pain about the community. ?At some point, not due to calousness, you just run out of

tears and that part is probably the most depressing and most disheartening part, is where you?ve been queer for so long and you lost so many trans siblings you just can?t cry anyomore.?

The black trans community face all these problems from racism, and transphobia, to their mental health and finance. Media has spread many recources in how to help black trans lives and more, but it soon then gets swept under the rug by other news. We as Americans need to hear the voices of the people in need such as Black Trangesder people so we could unite as one.

We The People DEC 2020 29

TH THE EIM IMP PO OR RTAN TANC CE E O OFFPR PRO ON NO OU UN NS S USINGCORRECT PERSONAL PRONOUNS IS A WAY OF RESPECTINGTHEM AND ANDTHEIRIDENTITY He/ hi m She / Her t hey/ t hem Ze/ Zi m and mor e...

INSTEADOF ASSUMINGTHEIRPRONOUNS

ASK : WHAT PRONOUNS DOYOU USE? ORWHAT ARE YOURPRONOUNS?

USINGPRONOUNS ANDASKINGFORTHE PERSON'S PRONOUNS ALSONORMALIZES THE USE OF THEM ANDBOTH TRANSGENDERAND NONCONFORMINGPEOPLE WOULDFEEL SAFE AND UNDERSTOOD.

AMERICANS IN 2016 ARE ESTIMATED TOBE TRANSGENDER.

0.6% T

HE AMOUNT MAY HAVE INCREASED

SINCE THEN.

- 60%of Trans and Non Binar y yout h engage in self har m - 44%Transgender people who are current ly wor king are underemployed In 2020, 7 st at es are consider ing t o prevent t ransgender children accessing healt hcare relat ed t o gender t ransit ion.

Graphic designed by Estefania Soria

M ayor Pr o Tem gar za spek in g.

Cou r t esy of Lau r a William son .

T h e Pl i gh t of t h e Poor

By Andrew Brotherton

R

esour ces available for low income families and people exper iencing homelessness

ECHO is the lead agency for the Austin/ Travis County Continuum of Care (CoC), lots of direct service groups like Caritas of Austin, Front Steps, Integral Care, Family Eldercare, the Other Ones Foundation and many others are also part of the CoC. These community partners offer a wide

range of services, including employment, emergency shelter, mobile showers, food and hygiene supplies, case management, mental health services, clothing, and permanent housing, to name just a few.

Right now, an important resource for low-income families who might be struggling due to COVID-19 is the City of Austin?s RENT program, which provides up to six months of rent payments for families impacted by the pandemic. This rent relief is 32 DEC 2020 We The People critical to ensuring people are

not evicted due to back rent when the eviction moratorium ends.

Mass evictions will lead to a wave of homelessness, and a community, like so many others around the country, that needs more support from the federal and state government to avoid a crisis on top of a crisis.

How to alleviate/ end homelessness and balancing the economy Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to live because housing is a human right and shelter is a basic

need of all humans. By providing housing to everyone in a community without preconditions, people are providing a foundation for everyone to improve their well-being.

It is more cost-effective for the public to provide people access to housing than to provide the emergency services (like shelters, hospitals, and jails) the homeless rely on to survive. Permanent Support Housing (PSH) programs, the most intensive permanent housing intervention, are expensive, but they reduce overall public costs by thousands of dollars per person per year. Terrace at Oak Springs, a Permanent Supportive Housing program opened by Integral Care last year, is a good example.

Integral Care analyzed data for 50 clients from the six months before they moved into the program and the six months after, and found the following: o Over 70%reduction in arrests. o Over 60%reduction in medical inpatient admissions. o Almost 90%reduction in medical inpatient bed days. o Integral Care compared the six months prior to move-in to the Terrace at Oak Springs development to the six months after for 50 people. Reducing the number of hospital stays, nights spent in jail, EMSencounters, and

other measures cut the cost to the public by more than $330,000 over the course of six months.

Permanent Supportive Housing projects in Austin are also very effective at keeping people housed. In 2019, 97%of people connected to a PSH program remained housed or exited the program successfully. Nationally, research shows PSH and Rapid Re-Housing programs (another, less-intensive permanent housing intervention) using the Housing

First model are between 75%and 98%effective at keeping people housed over a two-year reporting period.

Impacts of covid and the pr oblems caused

hygiene necessities the CDC recommends, like running water to wash your hands and a place to self-isolate. Fortunately, Austin City and community stepped up in a big way to help people experiencing homelessness stay safe and healthy. o The City of Austin opened several protective lodges (prolodges), using hotels and motels as non-congregate shelter.

People experiencing homelessness who are at high risk of negative outcomes from COVID-19 have been able to stay in a personal room to practice social distancing.

Hundreds of people have used these resources to protect themselves from the virus. o Community partners teamed up with the City of Austin to deliver bags of shelf-stable food directly to encampments around Travis County. People didn?t have the same access to food when providers started closing down due to the pandemic, and the Eating Apart Together (EAT) Initiative filled that gap while also allowing people to remain socially distanced in their encampments. As of October, the EAT Initiative had delivered more than 500,000 meals to people experiencing homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness are particularly at risk of severe outcomes associated with COVID-19. Many people experiencing homelessness are older and live with chronic health conditions. They also don?t We The People DEC 2020 33 have the same access to basic

wikimedia commons

o Outreach teams have been distributing tents to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness so they have a place to isolate themselves from their neighbors. Especially as the cold winter months arrive and people are understandably uneasy about utilizing shelters (where lots of people gather) to stay warm, these tents and sleeping bags are essential.

Experts expect to see an increase in homelessness as a result of the economic effects of the pandemic.

According to modeling produced

by ECHO and a City of Austin consultant, more than 53,000 households in Austin/ Travis County will need some kind of rent assistance to remain stably housed. Governor Abbott has billions of dollars in federal coronavirus aid that Texas has to spend by the end of the year. Echo

34 DEC 2020 We The People

says they are hopeful he will commit those funds to rent relief to prevent a wave of homelessness.

"The most important for ECH O is safe, stable housing, an evidence-based national best practice."

- Chris Davis ECHO Communications Manager

What aver age citizens can do to help with homelessness There are two things that are most important for every

Austinite to do to make an impact: advocate for evidence-based solutions and practice compassion. o Advocate: know what works to end homelessness: housing. There is continued success locally and nationwide in low-barrier Housing First programs. What?s missing right now is the ability to scale up the resources needed to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. Call your elected leaders and tell them you support Housing First programs and want to see the level of investment in these programs match the need. o Practice Compassion: ECHO and other non-profits hear from people experiencing homelessness that they feel forgotten, that society ignores them. Change that.

People experiencing homelessness are still neighbors, and they deserve the same respect and compassion people should show to everyone their lives. Take some

time to stop and have a conversation with someone you see on the street (while wearing a mask and at a safe distance, please!); ask them how they got there and what they need to end their homelessness. You?ll gain a whole new perspective and realize that many of us are a lot closer to experiencing homelessness than people like to believe. Also the homeless have basic human survival needs that include food, water, sufficient rest, clothing, and shelter.

The impact of income inequality in education

disproportionate impact of homelessness.

Inequity in a lot of different systems ? education, healthcare, criminal justice, housing ? leads to disproportionate risk of experiencing homelessness, especially for Black/ African American Austinites. About 1 in 3 people experiencing homelessness in Travis County is Black/ African American, compared to less than 1 in 10 in the population as a whole.

Racism across countless systems, social services included, plays an undeniable role in the

Wikimedia commons - socks are important

We The People DEC 2020 35

Resources f or th e Economi cal l y Di sadv antaged

Homeless shelters Front Steps is running the ARCH homeless shelter in Austin. There are also many other shelters Courtesy of Tiffany

Food banks The food bank in austin does a Mobile Food Pantry where people in need can pick up food website at centraltexasfoodbank.org FoodBankCENC.org

Permanent Support

What a lot of people don?t realize is it?s actually more cost-effective for the public to provide people access to housing than to provide the emergency services.

The U.S. National Archives

Homel essness Di v ersi ty

S S pp ee cc ii aa ll ChrisDavis

Kevin Lashus

Carbon Ratchford

Miranda Roberts

TT hh aa nn kk ss :: Mayor ProtemDelia Garza

Dr. Liesl Nydegger

CecileRichards

JacquelineWatson And ecial , p a s i c r r e a p a su Kevin G azine mag s ksto

Hey! Hey! Di Didd You You K Know now??

1.

2.

Th e Un it ed St at es doesn't pr ovide an y legal assist an ce t o asylu m seek er s, bu t it w ill spen d m on ey on det ain in g t h em .

Asylum seekers have one year to apply for asylum when they enter the US, and they are responsible for obtaining any legal assistance or representation. Asylum seekers face detention while waiting for their green cards, and sometimes even after they do receive sufficient legal documentation. As of December 2018, 47,486 people were detained, and 29,753 of those had no conviction. 11,000 had minor convictions.

Source: Wikipedia

Graphic by Lucy Loehr

Graphic by Lucy Loehr