Author Archives: lul-admin

LUL Stands With DACA Recipients

Nationwide — September 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Our Hermandad is deeply concerned with the decision of the current administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. We empathize with the sadness, fear, and anxiety this causes Hermanos and members of our community. There are an estimated 800,000 undocumented persons who would be deeply affected by such an action.

The provisions within DACA allow for undocumented persons to remain positive contributors to our society. Our Hermandad seeks to provide greater opportunity for all persons to pursue an education and advance our communities. To remain silent in the face of looming threats to our community would be an affront to stated values.

We are frustrated with the inability of our elected officials to propose and adopt a more permanent solution to the issues facing undocumented members of our communities. We, alongside peer organizations, invite them to the table so that we may collectively address the challenges we are facing.

To our Hermanos and community members who are DACA Recipients, we want to affirm your positive contributions to our communities. While your existence within our community is threatened, please know that we stand with and will fight for you. Please review the resources below regarding the navigation of your current circumstances:

  1. Immigrant Legal Resource Center
    Information regarding work permits, social security numbers and driver’s licenses.
    Click For English
    Click For Spanish
    Click For Chinese
  2. Ten Practical Steps for Immigrants Post-2016

To allied Hermanos and community members we ask that you engage in this work. You can contact your United States Representative and Senator. You can urge Congress to support the 2017 DREAM Act (S. 1615) and create a comprehensive immigration plan. We have a responsibility to one another as Hermanos and community members.

In moments like these La Unidad Para Siempre extends well beyond the confines of La Fraternidad. It serves as a reminder that there is strength and hope in unity. As La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. we support our undocumented community members and those affected by their circumstances.

Hermano Eric Contreras Named Principal of Stuyvesant HS

New York, NY — July 2016

The new principal of the elite Stuyvesant High School will be Eric Contreras, a former teacher and head of the city Department of Education’s effort to revise its social studies curriculum.

Eric Contreras, 43 years old, has been tapped to lead the elite lower Manhattan public school. Credit: New York City Department of Education

Eric Contreras, 43 years old, has been tapped to lead the elite lower Manhattan public school. Credit: New York City Department of Education

Department officials plan to announce Monday that he will lead one of the city’s most competitive schools, which admits students based on a single exam score. Mr. Contreras, 43 years old, can approach the job with a parent’s perspective; his daughter graduated from Stuyvesant last month.

Raised by an immigrant single mother who worked as a housekeeper, Mr. Contreras spent his early years in Guatemala and started first grade in a Queens public school speaking little English. He said his mother took him to the library on Saturdays and once bought him a science encyclopedia she could barely afford to nurture his appetite for books.

“She put education first,” he said in an interview.

Mr. Contreras will take over a lower Manhattan school that faces criticism for its lack of diversity—only 4% of its students were black or Hispanic in 2014-15, according to city data. He said he would consider starting an intensive summer program on campus to prepare aspiring applicants, recruiting alumni as mentors and developing partnerships with middle schools that haven’t sent many students to Stuyvesant.

Before making changes, Mr. Contreras said he plans to consult with students, parents, staff and graduates. He alluded to the ancient philosopher Epictetus, who once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

He also wants to make sure that Stuyvesant students get enough emotional help. “It’s a feverishly intellectual, ambitious environment and kids are excited to explore the possibilities,” he said. “It’s equally important that we provide the right supports when they find it overwhelming.”

With a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University and a graduate degree in school administration from Long Island University, Mr. Contreras was a social studies teacher in the Bronx and Queens, and principal of the Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences. City officials said he expanded Advanced Placement courses there, built partnerships with colleges and enhanced SAT preparation.

As executive director of social studies for the city Department of Education for the past two years, he led a team updating the curriculum to meet the state’s new expectations. With two sons in public schools in his Queens neighborhood, he said, he saw the results of that work “coming home in their backpacks, and that is deeply satisfying.” His wife is a school psychologist.

Mr. Contreras’s new salary of $149,604 will mark a pay cut from his previous one of $163,878, according to the education department. He succeeds principal Jie Zhang, who left this month after four years to become head of New York Military Academy, a private boarding school.

The article originally appeared on http://www.wsj.com. Written by Leslie Brody, leslie.brody@wsj.com.

Hermanos Serve As First Responders In A Time of Crisis: Statement On Bronx Park BBQ Shooting

Bronx, New York — May 2016

 

First, we would like to say that our hearts and sympathies go out to all the victims of the shooting incident at Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday May 28th, 2016.

There have been various reports linking our fraternity to this incident. After an internal investigation, we would like to clarify a few of the facts regarding this unfortunate event.

It is our understanding that:

– The shooting in question did not occur during our cookout, but rather at an adjacent cookout a few hours after our event had officially ended.
– No fraternity member was involved in triggering the altercation that led to the shooting.
– No fraternity member was injured at any point.
– One fraternity member on the scene was an off-duty Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and provided first-aid to the injured in the immediate aftermath until more help arrived.

Several news outlets have attributed the events of that evening to our organization. Based on multiple eye witness accounts, we believe this to be incorrect. We are, however, thankful the aforementioned brother was on the scene to provide aid in such a tragic situation. We celebrate his potentially life saving actions, and believe he represented our fraternity’s values in the best possible way.

As an organization that strives to advance the communities we represent, it is our duty to provide safe environments for our events. Therefore, we have informed all of our members to fully cooperate with the authorities during their investigation, and ask that anyone with information about what transpired to please step forward and contact the appropriate authorities.

We Stand In Solidarity With Mizzou

Nationwide — November 2015

 

The Hermanos of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. are grateful for the student activists who continue to raise their voices and take action in pursuit of true equality. In solidarity, we offer our support to all students of color as well as all underrepresented groups across campuses nationwide who are making their voices heard.

Since our inception as an organization, we have been committed to unifying the Latinx community #LambdasWithMizzouwhile standing for all communities of color and underrepresented groups who we believe to have every right to celebrate their cultural roots. We also believe all students should have the freedom to express their individual beliefs while pursuing an education in absence of fear and without compromising their identity.

Students of color are integral to the future of this country as voices for change, and key components in the nurturing of education for future generations. Our goals mirror those expressed by the students at the University of Missouri, Yale University, Ithaca College, and others.

We stand with you and your resolve.

Hermano Dr. Cesar Cabrera Receives NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award

Buffalo, NY — September 2015

Cesar CabreraThe Buffalo Bills have selected Dr. César Cabrera as the recipient of the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award.

The NFL and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) have partnered for the fifth annual NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Awards during the 2015 celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The awards recognize the contributions of Hispanic leaders in each NFL market.

The Bills honored Dr. Cabrera on Sunday, September 20 at their Hispanic Heritage game as they faced the New England Patriots.

Dr. Cabrera was born in the Dominican Republic and moved with his mother and two sisters to the United States when he was eight years old. Dr. Cabrera has held many roles in the political realm including his most recent appointment by Governor Andrew Cuomo as the New York State Department of Labor’s Commissioner’s Regional Representative. He has served as a director on numerous boards including Los Tainos Senior Citizens Center and the Hispanics United of Buffalo, and is one of the founders of La Prensa Hispana, a Hispanic monthly newspaper. The Buffalo News voted him one of Ten Emerging Twenty-Something Western New Yorkers in 1995 and he was named to the “40 Under Forty” honor roll by Buffalo Business First in 2002.

Each award recipient will select an organization of their choice that serves the local Hispanic community to receive a $2,000 donation.

Dr. Cabrera has chosen the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County to receive this donation.

The NFL celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month during week 3 of the season. A national spotlight was shone on the NFL’s celebration during Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football.

About the Hispanic Heritage Foundation

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is an award-winning nonprofit which inspires, identifies, prepares and connects Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce to meet America’s priorities. HHF also promotes cultural pride, accomplishment and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions. For more information on the year-round, high-impact programs and work of HHF, including the Hispanic Heritage Awards, visit www.hispanicheritage.org.

This article originally appeared on http://panoramahispanonews.com/.