Immigrant Voting Finds Support From Students

While some Harvard students have been occupied with this week's Undergraduate Council elections, others are already looking forward to the Cambridge School Committee elections in November of 1999.

A coalition of students formed this fall to support a Cambridge movement to grant legal immigrants who have resided in the city for at least 30 days the right to vote in School Committee elections.

Today, students representing the coalition are beginning a campaign to gather 2,000 signatures in support of the proposal. They will be tabling with petitions for two days in each of the dining halls until Dec. 15.

Minsu D. Longiaru '99, a founding member of the group, said the students have already gathered 700 signatures in three days of tabling outside the Science Center.

She also said the cause has been endorsed by at least 10 student organizations, including the Chinese Students Association, the Harvard College Democrats, Latinas Unidas, the Alliance for Social Justice and Education for Action, under whose auspices the coalition formed.

"It's gone well so far, but we could always use more support," she said, citing a need for volunteers and signatures.

Natalie J.J. Smith, a staff member at Eviction Free Zone (EFZ), a Cambridge community organization that seeks to defend the rights of the city's tenant and immigrant populations said as a matter of principle immigrant parents should have the right to vote in the School Committee elections.

"I understand that they're not citizens and so don't get the right to vote for president, but at least let them look out for the welfare of their children--their children are U.S. citizens who are being disadvantaged by this. It's a disservice to the parents, and a total disservice to their children," she said.

The current situation is especially detrimental because a large number of children in Cambridge schools are the children of immigrants, Smith said. According to EFZ materials, there are currently 2,925 children of immigrants in the Cambridge Schools, comprising almost one third of the school population.

Similar efforts by activists in other Massachusetts towns have not gone unopposed. Inan Oct. 31 editorial, The Boston Globe criticizedthe Amherst Town Meeting for passing a similarmeasure.

"If becoming a citizen seems too great acommitment, immigrants do not have to make it, butthey should not expect to be full partners in thedemocratic process until they do," the editorialsaid.

Longiaru said she first became involved in themovement in Cambridge this fall when she startedher community internship for Sociology 96,"Individual Community Research Internship," atEFZ.

The governing body of EFZ decided this summerto make immigrant voting rights its firstpriority, and Longiaru said she saw a lot ofopportunity for Harvard student involvement in theissue.

Judy B. Andler, one of EFZ's three part-timepaid staff members, said the Cambridge-widemovement for immigrant voting rights began in1992, when Komite Kreyol, a group of Haitianimmigrants, asked EFZ to pursue the issue. Thegroup did so for a while, Andler said, but soonhad to direct all its resources toward thecampaign to keep rent control.

EFZ decided this summer to take up the issueagain and in September used part of a $10,000Haymarket Fund grant to hire Andler as coordinatorfor the group's work on the movement.

The group has allied itself with otherCambridge groups representing immigrants to formthe Coalition for Voting Rights.

Andler said the movement is not a response toanti-immigrant sentiment in Cambridge.

"An elected School Committee feels accountableto the people who voted them in--it's not that theSchool Committee is anti-immigrant, it's just thatit doesn't feel the pressure of the immigrantweight in this community," she said.

Smith said voting citizens currently gain a lotfrom the presence of immigrants in the communitywithout giving them anything in return.

She referred to the example of the Amigosprogram at Cambridge's Maynard School, whereEnglish and Spanish-speaking elementary schoolstudents take part in a bilingual program in whichclasses are conducted in English one week andSpanish the next.

"The presence of the Spanish-speaking childrenbenefits the Anglo students because they learnSpanish so much more easily," she said, "and yetthe Anglo parents get a voice in shaping theschools while immigrant parents don't."

Smith also said she thinks giving immigrantparents the right to vote for the School Committeewould increase their participation in the schoolsin other areas.

"Even if the same people were [re]elected theywould have a lot more participation from immigrantparents in the schools and in their children'seducation because they'd feel they had somepower," she said. "What incentive is there go to aschool committee meeting if you really are allowedno voice?"

Thus far the coalition has tried to galvanizethe immigrant community in support of the movementthrough discussions with parent advisory councils,high school students, immigrant groups andactivists, Andler said.

She said the group's next goal is to presentits proposal to the Cambridge School Committee inFebruary after having gathered at least 2000endorsements by Cambridge residents.

If the School Committee passes the proposal,the coalition will bring it to the City Council inMay. Their goal, Andler said, would be to havecollected another 2000 signatures by then.

In the case that the City Council passes theproposal, the coalition will have to ask a memberof the Massachusetts legislature to introduce abill granting a home rule petition to Cambridge,giving the city the right to allow non-citizens tovote.

Andler said she feels confident that at leastone of Cambridge's representatives would endorsethe proposal and introduce the bill, but she saidit's difficult to know whether the home rulepetition will pass in the legislature.

Jarret T. Barrios '90, whose term as the 28thMiddlesex district representative to theMassachusetts legislature begins in January, saidhe has already expressed his interest in learningmore about the movement.

"It's very important to involve immigrantparents in their children's schools--what betterway of beginning their involvement than by givingthem the right to elect their School Committeemembers," he said

"If becoming a citizen seems too great acommitment, immigrants do not have to make it, butthey should not expect to be full partners in thedemocratic process until they do," the editorialsaid.

Longiaru said she first became involved in themovement in Cambridge this fall when she startedher community internship for Sociology 96,"Individual Community Research Internship," atEFZ.

The governing body of EFZ decided this summerto make immigrant voting rights its firstpriority, and Longiaru said she saw a lot ofopportunity for Harvard student involvement in theissue.

Judy B. Andler, one of EFZ's three part-timepaid staff members, said the Cambridge-widemovement for immigrant voting rights began in1992, when Komite Kreyol, a group of Haitianimmigrants, asked EFZ to pursue the issue. Thegroup did so for a while, Andler said, but soonhad to direct all its resources toward thecampaign to keep rent control.

EFZ decided this summer to take up the issueagain and in September used part of a $10,000Haymarket Fund grant to hire Andler as coordinatorfor the group's work on the movement.

The group has allied itself with otherCambridge groups representing immigrants to formthe Coalition for Voting Rights.

Andler said the movement is not a response toanti-immigrant sentiment in Cambridge.

"An elected School Committee feels accountableto the people who voted them in--it's not that theSchool Committee is anti-immigrant, it's just thatit doesn't feel the pressure of the immigrantweight in this community," she said.

Smith said voting citizens currently gain a lotfrom the presence of immigrants in the communitywithout giving them anything in return.

She referred to the example of the Amigosprogram at Cambridge's Maynard School, whereEnglish and Spanish-speaking elementary schoolstudents take part in a bilingual program in whichclasses are conducted in English one week andSpanish the next.

"The presence of the Spanish-speaking childrenbenefits the Anglo students because they learnSpanish so much more easily," she said, "and yetthe Anglo parents get a voice in shaping theschools while immigrant parents don't."

Smith also said she thinks giving immigrantparents the right to vote for the School Committeewould increase their participation in the schoolsin other areas.

"Even if the same people were [re]elected theywould have a lot more participation from immigrantparents in the schools and in their children'seducation because they'd feel they had somepower," she said. "What incentive is there go to aschool committee meeting if you really are allowedno voice?"

Thus far the coalition has tried to galvanizethe immigrant community in support of the movementthrough discussions with parent advisory councils,high school students, immigrant groups andactivists, Andler said.

She said the group's next goal is to presentits proposal to the Cambridge School Committee inFebruary after having gathered at least 2000endorsements by Cambridge residents.

If the School Committee passes the proposal,the coalition will bring it to the City Council inMay. Their goal, Andler said, would be to havecollected another 2000 signatures by then.

In the case that the City Council passes theproposal, the coalition will have to ask a memberof the Massachusetts legislature to introduce abill granting a home rule petition to Cambridge,giving the city the right to allow non-citizens tovote.

Andler said she feels confident that at leastone of Cambridge's representatives would endorsethe proposal and introduce the bill, but she saidit's difficult to know whether the home rulepetition will pass in the legislature.

Jarret T. Barrios '90, whose term as the 28thMiddlesex district representative to theMassachusetts legislature begins in January, saidhe has already expressed his interest in learningmore about the movement.

"It's very important to involve immigrantparents in their children's schools--what betterway of beginning their involvement than by givingthem the right to elect their School Committeemembers," he said