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Agenda
The North Carolina Latino Coalition develops its agenda through hundreds of individual and small group conversation which occur among the leaders of member institutions. Leaders of the NC Latino Coalition are currently working on:
Comprehensive immigration reform: Current immigration policies are completely out of sync with the U.S. economy’s demand for workers who fill less-skilled jobs. Our broken immigration system doesn't work for anyone, immigrants or native-born Americans. The system provides so few legal channels for foreign workers that it all but guarantees an illegal flow. Businesses can't find the labor they need. Entire industries operate on the wrong side of the law. Millions of foreign workers live in the country illegally: a nightmare for them, an affront to the rule of law and an unacceptable security risk for all Americans. No wonder the public is upset.
We believe we have to replace our unrealistic laws – laws so out of sync with reality that we can hardly enforce them. Then, once we have built a new, more honest system based on laws that allow us to meet our labor needs, we must enforce these new limits to the letter. In the age of international terrorism, we have no choice: we need a realistic system – and we need to enforce it so it’s airtight.
Full implementation of Title VI: Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d, provides that no person shall "on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. In late 2001, the state of North Carolina underwent a compliance review conducted by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), Region VI in Atlanta. In May of 2002, a “preliminary assessment” was issued by the Office for Civil Rights, which stated that the state of North Carolina would most likely be found out of compliance with Title VI. The Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on August 8, 2002 requested a “voluntary compliance agreement (VCR)” between the department and the USDHHS based upon the “preliminary assessment” letter.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services signed a voluntary compliance agreement with the USDHHS in 1994, which included monitoring the compliance of Title VI within the department and counties that received federal funding. After signing the agreement, the Secretary signed the Department’s Title VI Language Access Policy, which was offered to the counties to adopt or use as a template for their own plans prior to signing the required compliance agreement with the state. Unfortunately due to lack of resources assigned to the effort and lack of public accountability the process of bringing the state into compliance is far from over. Adequate staff resources and public accountability is needed in order to save the state millions of dollars.
Decent Housing for Farmworkers: North Carolina Farmworkers are a very important part of the agricultural economy of the state. Unfortunately, many agricultural workers live in substandard housing conditions with poor sanitation, structural problems, without locks on windows and doors and mattresses and telephones. It is a moral obligation and an economic imperative to improve the health and housing conditions of those that harvest the food that we eat every day in North Carolina.
Access to educational opportunities and Training of Latino labor force: Community Colleges play a major role in improving the access of Hispanic students to the American system of higher education. Roughly 56% of all college-going Latinos attend community colleges, largely because they are inexpensive, offer pertinent instruction, and have close ties with the community. In North Carolina de Community College System has launched incredible partnerships involving community organizations and even the Mexican educational system. Enhancing and deepening creative partnerships between North Carolina Community Colleges and Latino leaders in all corners of the state are critical in preparing tomorrow’s labor force for the economic challenges of the future.
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