Beaufort County made national headlines this year. They are a now a famous little corner of North Carolina - but like any rise to stardom - there was a price to be paid. In this case, the cost of headlines and head shots was paid by people. People who are marginalized, regularly defamed by politicians and whose very worth as human beings seems to hinge on the presence of a social security number. Open discrimination based upon country of birth is in direct violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The attacks for the sake of headlines effectively place the County of Beaufort in a precarious situation with regard to federal funding for programs like Women, Infants and Children, public health department funding, education nutrition programs, among others. Specific, targeted attacks on any ethnicity by political figures requires communities to rethink who they have elected and if those officials demonstrate the true personality of the place constituents call "home". Beaufort County realities are simple: The population is small - numerically insignificant compared to other counties in North Carolina; many of the immigrant population settled the area more than 10 years ago, have given birth, reared their citizen children, purchased and/or rented homes and added significantly to the local tax base. Testaments of Courage on October 17, 2008 give people a meaningful opportunity to learn more, hear from the immigrants themselves and experience the culture of neighbors - contributors and too often shadow-dwellers. Please consider joining us. We welcome your support, your willingness to volunteer, your physical advocacy. It is necessary to correct the idea that all of Beaufort County is in favor of the discriminatory reputation that serves only to ethnically segregate the community we love. Sincerely, Juvencio Rocha Peralta, AMEXCAN President Pat Seibert, AMEXCAN Testaments of Courage Chairwoman |
