Wednesday, October 31, 2012

L'enquête Du Santé Sur Les Chauffeurs de Taxi Africains


Ce mois, UAO a lancé son enquête de la Santé pour les chauffeurs de taxi à Chicago. Cette enquête portera sur l'accès des chauffeurs de taxi Africains aux services des soins de santé à Chicago. UAO a identifié l'accès aux soins de santé abordables comme un problème important dans la communauté africaine. Cette enquête comporte 25 questions simples, qui mettent l'accent sur ​​la santé globale des chauffeurs de taxi.

Cliquez sur ce lien pour remplir le questionnaire: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDhXUmlUNDU4QnJkenBmT0d3dmJpdkE6MQ#gid=0

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

African Cabdrivers Health Survey

UAO has started its African Cabdrivers Health Survey in Chicago this month. This survey will examine African cabdrivers’ access to health care services in Chicago. Our organization has identified access to affordable health care as an issue of particular significance to the African community at large. In an effort to examine the particular effects of this issue, UAO has chosen to focus this study on the African cabdriver segment of the community.

This survey includes 25 simple questions, which focus on cabdrivers’ overall health. However, the survey also explores other issues including their educational background, working hours, and county of birth. These questions will allow UAO to gain a comprehensive understanding of the population’s make-up and needs and use this information to advocate on their behalf.

If you or anyone you know is currently working as a cabdriver, please fill out or ask them to fill out the survey online by clicking on this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dERGLXptYkxPeTA1YVlUN3VMYUhhd2c6MQ

Monday, October 29, 2012

Join UAO & Allies to Get Out the Vote!!

Join UAO and Allies for Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Rally to Protect Families, WIN Immigration Reform and Driver’s Licenses for ALL!!

WHERE: Teamster Local 705 Auditorium, 300 S. Ashland, Chicago, IL 
WHEN: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 6:00PM

Come Celebrate with UAO and allies who:
  •  Broke a *NEW* record registering 26,488 new voters (42% suburbs, 58% city) in 20 different immigrant communities in Chicago and its suburbs .
  •  Contact over 159, 885 immigrant voters for GOTV with door knocks, mail and phones calls
  •  Activate thousands of GOTV volunteers in more than 450 precincts on election day
Check out this short GOTV video made by ICIRR!



We Hope To See You There!

Free Informational and Screening Session for Diabetes!

African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. In addition, they are more likely to suffer complications from diabetes, such as end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations. Although African Americans have the same or lower rate of high cholesterol as their non-Hispanic white counterparts, they are more likely to have high blood pressure.

African American adults are twice as likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician.
  • In 2008, African American men were 2.7 times as likely to start treatment for end-stage renal disease related to diabetes, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
  • In 2008, diabetic African Americans were 1.7 times as likely as diabetic Whites to be hospitalized.
  • In 2009, African Americans were 2.2 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.

The Thapelo Institute, Inc. invites you and anyone that you may know who may be at risk for diabetes to a free informational program and screening on

Saturday, November 3, 2012
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
809 East 42nd Place

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Diversity Lottery Registration for 2014 Has Opened

Online registration for the Diversity Lottery 2014 Program started on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4).


The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the US Department of State and conducted based on United States law, specifically Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This law provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants,” with visas made available to persons from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For Fiscal Year 2014, 50,000 diversity visas (DV) will be available.

The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random drawing chooses selectees for DVs. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, and within each region, no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year. Visas are allocated to natives of countries with historically lower rates of U.S. immigration. Natives of countries who have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years are not eligible to apply for the Diversity Visa program.

Any African is eligible to apply for the Diversity Lottery if they have either a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.

For more information, visit the official Diversity Lottery website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html#

To apply for the Diversity Lottery go to: www.dvlottery.state.gov.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Extended Deadline for Western Union Scholarship

The Western Union Family Scholarship Program helps immigrant/migrant fathers and sons, mothers and daughters and brothers and sisters move up the economic development ladder through education. Scholarships can be used for college tuition, language acquisition, technical training and GED classes, with two family members receiving a scholarship to help achieve the type of education they need in order to create a brighter future for their entire family.





Eligibility requirements:
All applicants for scholarships must be age 18 or older.
Both applicants are members of the same family.
Applicants must have been in the United States for 7 years or less.
Both applicants must have been born outside of the United States.
Both applicants must be living in the United States currently.
Applicants must reside in one of the following U.S. locations: Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Washington, DC; Miami, Florida
The educational institutions for both of the family members must be in the United States.
The application must include educational institutions for both the primary and secondary award recipients (the two family members).
Scholarships may be used for tuition for college/university education, language acquisition classes, technical/skill training, and/or financial literacy.
Scholarships may not be used for advanced degrees (such as Masters, PhD).
Scholarships will only be made to nonprofit accredited higher education institutions and nonprofit training/educational providers.
Western Union employees, Western Union Agents and dependents are not eligible to apply for these scholarships.

Process for Selection

Scholarship recipients are determined in a selection process independently managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE), an international non-profit educational exchange organization. All scholarship awards will be paid directly to the educational providers. No payments will be made to individuals.

Timeline

August 27, 2012: Application open and available
October 19, 2012: Application due date
November 26 - 30, 2012: Notifications made




Contact Information

For questions related to this scholarship program, please contact the administering organization, Institute of International Education (IIE) by phone, fax, or e-mail at:

Institute of International Education
1400 K St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202)326-7861
Fax: (202)326-7696
Email: wufoundation@iie.org

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Institutions, Party Politics, and Private Sector Development in Africa


What: "Institutions, Party Politics, and Private Sector Development in Africa" lecture by Anne Pitcher

When: Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM  

Where: 620 Library Place, Conference Room Evanston, IL 60201

For more information please contact Kate Dargis at 847-491-7323 or african-studies@northwestern.edu.

 

Professor Anne Pitcher from the University of Michigan will be holding a lecture on October 23rd discussing, "Institutions, Party Politics, and Private Sector Development in Africa." Drawing on the theory developed in her recent book, Party Politics and Economic Reform in Africa's Democracies, Anne Pitcher offers an explanation for the different outcomes of neoliberal economic reforms adopted by African countries over the last two decades. Pitcher argues that patterns of private sector development depend not only on the kinds of institutional arrangements adopted by states in order to create or expand their private sectors, but also on the nature of party system competition and the quality of democracy in particular countries. After discussing the institutional choices made by African governments to create or expand their private sectors, the lecture will demonstrate how party politics shaped the privatization process in Mozambique and Zambia. 

Property and Political Order in Africa: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics


What: Property and Political Order in Africa: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics

When: Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 4:30 - 6:00 PM  

Where: Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies -1902 Sheridan Road 
Evanston, IL 60208

For more information you can contact Elizabeth Morrissey at e-morrissey@northwestern.edu


Dr. Catherine Boone of the University of Texas- Austin will be talking about "Property and Political Order in Africa: Land Rights and the Structure of Politics" at Northwestern University. This lecture is part of the EDGS Speaker Series on Property Rights, Power, and the Rule of Law. Boone specializes in comparative politics, with an emphasis on theories of political economy and economic development. She has conducted research on industrial, commercial, and land tenure policies in West Africa and East Africa, with research funding from the Social Science Research Council, Fulbright, the World Bank, and the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the University of Texas. Her current research focuses on territorial politics and rural property rights in contemporary Africa.

Chinese in Africa, African Responses


What: "The Chinese in Africa, African Responses" Lecture By Yoon Jung Park

When: Thursday, October 18, 2012 from 6-7 PM  

Where: DePaul University, Arts and Letters Hall, 2315 N. Kenmore Ave., Room 410, Chicago, IL

For more information please call Kate Dargis at (847) 491-7323 or african-studies@northwestern.edu

                


Dr. Yoon Jung Park will be discussing "Chinese in Africa, African Responses." Recent headlines from Africa would lead readers to believe that Africa has a huge problem with Chinese workers, traders and criminals. Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Angola have recently featured in articles covering incidents involving Chinese in their midst. Based on both quantitative and qualitative research in southern Africa carried out over several years, Dr Park argues, however, that African responses to Chinese migrants are wide-ranging, varying from country to country (and even within countries) and change rapidly in response to local circumstances. African perceptions of and responses to Chinese migrants must be seen as socially embedded and historically rooted. She illustrates some of the different responses with stories of encounters from Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Dr. Yoon Jung Park is currently a freelance researcher. She has affiliations with the Sociology Department at Rhodes University (Grahamstown, South Africa) and the African Studies Department at Howard University (Washington, DC). She also serves as the convener/coordinator of the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China (CA/AC) Research Network, an international network of scholars, researchers, graduate students, journalists, filmmakers and practitioners, which she helped to establish in 2007.

Widely considered an expert on Chinese in South Africa and Chinese migration in Africa, Dr Park is currently working on a new book on Chinese migrants in Africa for ZED books. She is the author of A Matter of Honour. Being Chinese in South Africa (Jacana/Lexington Books) and dozens of articles and book chapters in scholarly publications including Les Temps Modernes, African Studies, African & Asian Studies, Transformation, and the Journal of Chinese Overseas. Her current research interests include Chinese in southern Africa and perceptions of Chinese by local communities; migration; race, ethnicity and identity; race, class and power dynamics; affirmative action and Chinese South Africans; and xenophobia.

Between Heaven & Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt



What: Gallery Talk: Between Heaven & Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt

When: Wednesday, October 17 at 12:15 pm

Where: The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago 
1155 East 58th Street Chicago, IL 60637

Price: Free


The University of Chicago's Oriental Institute will be holding a gallery talk entitled, "Between Heaven & Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt" on Wednesday, October 17th. Exhibit curator Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer will show visitors how the millions of migratory birds that filled the skies every spring and fall influenced all aspects of ancient Egyptian life and culture.This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Oriental Institute's Public Education Office at 773-702-9507. 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

African Forum & Film Series 2012

The Kemetic Institute presents: "African Forum & Film Series 2012" - This film series will feature four films on African issues. 

What: The Gullah/Geechee Nation

When: October 12

Where: 700 East Oakwood Bvd. Chicago, IL 60653

Price: Free with a suggested donation of $5


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

TPS extended for Haitians


The Department Homeland Security (DHS) recently extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians for an additional 18 months. They also extended the suspension of certain requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant Haitian students.

The extension of TPS for Haiti will begin Jan. 23, 2013, and end July 22, 2014. DHS first designated Haiti for TPS on Jan. 21, 2010, after major earthquakes devastated the country.

Current Haitian TPS beneficiaries, who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011, and seek to extend their TPS status, must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs through Nov. 30, 2012, if they wish to maintain their TPS. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible within the 60-day period. USCIS will accept applications starting now through Nov. 30, 2012. Individuals who have not continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011, will not be eligible.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible Haitian TPS beneficiaries who timely re-register will receive a new EAD, if requested, with an expiration date of July 22, 2014. USCIS recognizes that all re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current EADs expire. Therefore, USCIS is extending currently valid TPS Haiti EADs bearing a Jan. 22, 2013, expiration date for an additional six months, through July 22, 2013.

DHS also suspended certain requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant Haitian students. The extension will enable these F-1 students to continue to obtain employment authorization, work an increased number of hours while school is in session, and reduce their course load, while maintaining their F-1 student status. The suspension of the regulatory requirements will remain in effect for an additional 18 months, through July 22, 2014.

For information on the TPS application process and eligibility requirements, go to www.uscis.gov/tps.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Happy Nigerian Independence Day!



To all those wishing to celebrate with the Nigerian community in Chicago, the Nigerian Community of Chicagoland will be holding a Nigerian Independence parade on Saturday October 6th starting at 11am. The parade will be held on Sheridan Rd. from Foster Ave. to Sunnyside.