Message from the Founder

It was with special pride and hope for the future that the Upwardly Global team and I celebrated the inauguration of President Obama, our first globally diverse president. How can we not feel a special affinity for a man who grew up, in part, in Indonesia and whose father was a Kenyan economist? We always tell our jobseekers that anything is possible in America, for them and their children, and that their global backgrounds are a strength and asset. Now they have President Obama as a living example of that possibility.

Last month, we officially launched our Chicago office and received an incredibly enthusiastic and warm welcome from employers and volunteers who turned out in great numbers to get involved, to support our jobseekers and to embrace our mission.

As a rule, we seek to dwell in the possibility and potential of an upwardly global America and not to dwell overmuch on the considerable challenges immigrants face in this country. I am going to break with that today. In the same period during which we rejoiced in barriers being broken down and a new office launched in the Midwest, I have been disheartened and embarrassed by the blatant rise in xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment in America. A board member circulated an interesting online article about immigrants and new Americans and their career contributions to the US. Posted below the article were nearly 500 racist, venomous, ignorant and disgusting comments, urging immigrants to "stop having children" and "go home". (If you need to see it for yourself, click here.)

Since mid last year we have seen anti-immigrant sentiment rise as the economy sinks. I understand that we live in a time of crisis, unemployment and uncertainty. Was that created by immigrants? No. Was our prosperity and country built on the backs of immigrants, by our families who came here generations ago, in the last decade or last year? Yes.

If you are reading this newsletter, you probably already believe that our immigrant tradition is one of the finest things about our nation. I need you to act. I'm not asking you to march on Washington or even write to your congressperson, I'm asking you to act in your own workplace, home, school and community.

1. Call them out. Xenophobia is unacceptable. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word xenophobia consists of two parts: xeno, a combining form meaning "guest, stranger, person that looks different from you, foreigner", and phobia, "fear, horror, or aversion. Like racism, xenophobia is unacceptable in that it pre-judges people. You probably wouldn't let people make racist remarks in your midst, call them out when their remarks are xenophobic.
   
   
2. Make it personal. If you are involved with Upwardly Global, you are an immigrant yourself or closely connected to many people with recent immigrant stories. When faced with anti-immigrant sentiment disparaging whole groups of people, put a face on the issue by sharing stories of real immigrants you know - intelligent, law-abiding, ambitious, generous professionals. It is also helpful to make it personal for the detractor. "And where is your family from originally?" can be a useful starting point for dialogue. Few among us do not have an immigrant story in our family history.
   
   
3. Inform with the facts. Every year the US invites more than 1 million people to lawfully come to the US to stay permanently, to work, join families and escape persecution. Immigrants are more likely to be college-educated than Americans. Immigrants have started 52% of Silicon Valley's technology companies and contributed to more than 25% of our global patents. Arm yourself with the facts so you can educate others. The Migration Policy Institute is a great source of facts and data.
   
   

Thank you for your help. We welcome your comments.

Together, we have the power to combat the rising anti-immigrant sentiment and to preserve our proud immigrant tradition for this and future generations. Who knows... one of Upwardly Global's current jobseekers may be the parent of a future American president!