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	VIEWS MAGAZINE ARTICLES

	SUMMER, 1999 - VOLUME 19
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	Organizing’s New Arrival: Building political power for immigrants and refugees In the Seattle school district, students from immigrant backgrounds who speak any one of over 100 different languages are threatened by an attack on bilingual education. In northern Nevada, Latino immigrants from countries where open political affiliation could result in repression often avoid electoral politics even after becoming U.S. citizens. Throughout the West, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) selectively raids Latino communities, creating a climate of fear and often splitting families and communities apart. These are only some of the problems faced by immigrants and refugees today in the western states, in a political climate in which the Right, nationally, is whipping up anti-immigrant sentiment as one of their prime organizing tools, particularly against people of color.


	Hog Invasion Heads West: Family farm advocates fight to restrict corporate agriculture Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin all have laws that try to protect family farming by curbing corporate agriculture.



	Rural Isn’t What You Think: Demographic changes in the West challenge progressives Rural communities changed dramatically, especially during the 1990s. The demographic and economic trends that are changing rural life — particularly in the West — are already changing the political landscape.



	Where There’s Smoke ... Incinerator closure a victory for environmental justice When the Seattle Veterans Administration hospital shut down its medical waste incinerator last September, public relations director Jeri Rowe insisted that it was for economic reasons. She also denied that the facility posed any "significant risk to the community." Behind this smokescreen the hard facts were clear to anyone who bothered to look: The VA incinerator had posed a dire health threat to the residents of Seattle’s Beacon Hill (between 1996 and 1997 alone the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency cited the facility three times for exceeding toxic emissions limits); and the incinerator was shut down in response to community pressure organized by the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ).



	Race, Class & Sprawl: An interview with Carl Anthony Carl Anthony is the founding director of the Urban Habitat Program, the former chair of the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission, an architect, and a former associate professor at UC Berkeley. Founded in 1989, UHP is dedicated to building a multicultural majority for urban environmental leadership, in order to create socially just, ecologically sustainable communities in the Bay Area. Julie Quiroz, former associate director of the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant Rights, joined UHP last year to develop a leadership training program for community leaders concerned about the intersection of race, class and urban development.



	Transporation Reform - Progressive highway commissioner unseated by pro-development Republicans Mandating bike lanes on new thoroughfares was taken as a challenge to the policies that create sprawl.



	Right Wing Derails Light Rail - The region’s leader in urban planning loses a major battle The defeat of Portland’s South /North light rail bond measure at the November ballot ended a long series of local electoral victories for the region’s highly regarded light rail program. With their success in spearheading the opposition, the libertarian right gained new credibility in this area of politics.



	"English Only" Battle in Utah First they ban your language ... The Right attempts to mask its racism by using people of color to front "English - only" and anti-bilingual education initiatives.



	War of Words: Language rights and the battle against a multi-cultural America Momentum is building at the federal level to declare English the official language of the nation.



	Staff and Board News With this issue, Western States Center has several staff changes to announce. We welcome Alanna Moore as our new Training Coordinator, David Rogers as Field Organizer, and Kevin Harris as Co-coordinator of the Advanced Leadership and Mentorship Project. We asked these new additions to tell us about themselves as they come on board.



	Statewide Organizing with Pride Eight things I learned as we created the Pride Statewide! Network Pride Statewide! has faced many challenges during its short history. The principles described in this article have helped them overcome some of the most difficult challenges, and move forward with their work. Throughout the program’s history, the learning and organizational change prompted by the inclusion of new voices has been powerful and rewarding. We hope these strategies will be useful to others in building a powerful movement for social change.



	Nightstand Book reviews written by Western States Center friends, board and staff.



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