The Aztlan Center
PC students and community members working together to confront social justice issues in Prescott
Mission:
- Foster communication, understanding, and trust between all Prescott residents
- Act as a safe resource for Prescott's immigrant community
- Goals:
- Cultivate a safe, inclusive community
- Include everyone, regardless of language or citizenship
- Educate local communities about immigration reform and social change
- Bridge the Prescott College community with the local Hispanic community at large, as well as with the migrant community in particular
- Defend and expand the rights of migrants and their families
 The Aztlan Center provides students with the resources and learning opportunities to think critically and address issues of social justice, racism, violence, and discrimination in Prescott. The work of the Aztlan Center carries out the College's mission to improve social conditions in our community for everyone.
Get Involved!
During the fall and spring semesters,
- Weekly meetings are held on Thursdays, from 6-7 pm, in Ironwood C.
- The Toilet Paper newsletter is usually posted in bathrooms across campus every Monday.
- See the weekly Toilet Paper for upcoming activities, actions, and events.
On Saturday mornings, bilingual members prepare and serve breakfast for the day laborers who wait for work at the corner of Lincoln and Grove. E-mail aztlancenter@gmail.com for more information.
Current events sponsored by the Aztlan Center can be found on the college's Events Calendar
To learn more or get involved, email aztlancenter@gmail.com or ATTEND A MEETING.
Aztlan Center Events and Actions
 To cultivate an inclusive atmosphere of education and social justice, the Aztlan Center regularly offers English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) classes, publishes a newsletter called the Toilet Paper that is distributed in bathrooms across campus, and advocates for human rights.
By sponsoring community-wide dinner-dances, hosting speakers, and co-sponsoring the Wednesday Film Series with the Center for Peace and Justice, we strive to create a community that transcends national lines, cultural differences, and language barriers.
In the past, the Aztlan Center has educated the city council about border issues and held benefits for Costa Rica and Mexico.
The Aztlan Center works to provide the migrant community of Prescott with a resource to aid in their transition into a new culture, creating a sense of community between the town of Prescott and the migrant community. The Aztlan Center sponsors free immigration workshops, teaches English classes, and provides support to day laborers.
The work that the Aztlan Center does has improved the lives of many people within the Prescott community, and the positive effects of this work can be seen through the changes in community dynamics that have occurred since the creation of the Center.
The Necessity of the Aztlan Center
According to their website, "US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States of America. [They] establish immigration services, policies and priorities to preserve America's legacy as a nation of immigrants while ensuring that no one is admitted who is a threat to public safety. To accomplish this, [they] "adjudicate" (decide upon) the petitions and applications of potential immigrants."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to their website, is "an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, [which] protects national security and upholds public safety by targeting criminal networks and terrorist organizations that seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our immigration system, in our financial networks, along our border, at federal facilities and elsewhere in order to do harm to the United States. The end result is a safer, more secure America."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)" is one of the Department of Homeland Security's largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws," states their website.
Unfortunately, USCIS is currently underfunded and ineffective while ICE and CBP are heavily staffed and well-funded. The effects of this imbalance are widespread.
Within Arizona, state laws and ballot initiatives have been created that foster a hostile attitude toward undocumented migrants. Specifically, undocumented workers are denied access to social welfare programs, childcare, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and in-state tuition at public universities. Within the past few years, employer sanction laws call for severe punishment if employers hire undocumented workers.
Prescott had been a safe haven for migrants because of its distance from the border; an influx of migrants farther north has made people more aware and less tolerant of their presence. Yavapai County and Prescott City Police are now being trained as ICE officials and have also paired with ICE officials to raid neighborhoods that are known to house undocumented migrants. Constitutional and Human Rights are regularly violated.
Current events sponsored by the Aztlan Center can be found on the college's Events Calendar
To learn more or get involved, e-mail aztlancenter@gmail.com or ATTEND A MEETING.
Contact: Office of Student Life, 928-350-1005
|
