Only a certain type of kettle corn reminds me of my kids– it has to pour out of a self-generating metal bubble, salted, hand-scooped and warm, in a sunlit, open air market filled with people originating from many countries, eaten by people from every stripe, sexual orientation and color.

I bring both my children: one talkative young lady, one video-game playing boy. Sometimes their friends join us. To be healthy, I make sure we share the kettle corn with whichever friend we see next. I’ll even justify bringing more people to the market to counterbalance the buttery goodness.

I want them to remember this luxurious crowd of ordinary people where they got the kettle corn: a special treat we concocted just for them. Min and Jin, share this. A brew of American kettle corn, amidst the freshest bundles of vegetables in the city, in a place that anyone can access and everyone is welcome.

It is this belief that America is stronger when we share what we have that took my children and I, along with swap meet workers, retired teachers, and others, on a journey almost three thousand miles away to our nation’s capital; and that led us to say that the proposed exchange that will serve as the marketplace for health insurance options should be open and affordable to all in America.

I urge you to read The Choice Before Us: Letters to President Obama, by writers ranging from a sixth-grader in Los Angeles, to a farm owner in Missouri, tackling one of the toughest issues in American history: health reform.  We went to Washington, DC, to satisfy the spirit, and define our character, by giving our all to a difficult task – the action that President Obama said is the promise of citizenship.

This post was originally published at APA for Progress and reposted on MomsRising.

www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/opinion/ci_13678032

WHAT DOES citizenship mean to you? To me, citizenship is more than a piece of paper. Citizenship means giving back to our communities. It means that when systems and policies are harmful to people in our communities, we voice what is wrong. It means working together to find solutions that work for all us.

This year I celebrated Citizenship Day, Sept. 17, by traveling to Washington D.C.
I met Diane from Washington whose daughter died from hypertension-related issues because she couldn’t afford health care to see a doctor for routine visits that would have saved her life.

I met a young college student who has “aged off” of his parent’s health insurance plan and worries daily about becoming injured or sick while juggling work and school.

In all, there were 300 of us from 26 states. We shared stories of how the current health care and immigration systems have failed our families and our communities. I shared my own.

I almost lost my mother when she was being treated for her aggressive liver disease. As a Korean immigrant who struggles with speaking English, she was unable to communicate with the doctors and nurses. She did not understand the diagnosis. She did not understand her options for care. In the end, she was forced to have a liver transplant that could have been prevented had she fully understood her condition.

My mother was one of the lucky ones. Her transplant was successful.

But she is not the only one now trying to rebuild her life post-illness.

When my mother became sick, my sister went on leave from work to be my mother’s caretaker. She eventually lost her job and cannot find another one that provides health benefits. She cannot afford health insurance on her own, remains uninsured, and runs the risk of becoming seriously ill herself.
Illnesses have widespread impact. Families, support networks, and communities all carry the burden of one person’s illness. I have learned that when the system fails one of us, it fails all of us.

Currently, legal immigrants have a five-year waiting period before being able to access health care that they actually support by paying taxes. I shudder to think if my mother became ill during the first five years of coming to this country. I am an American citizen and would have lost my mother, the one who raised me to become a contributing member to this country.

The Senate Finance Committee bill bars undocumented immigrants from buying insurance even if they have the ability to pay for it themselves. If someone is able to pay for health care, why would we keep them from accessing life saving treatment?

This is especially problematic for the Korean American community, which has the ignoble distinction of having the highest rates of uninsured among any racial or ethnic group.

We must make sure families do not fall apart because of harmful health care policies. We all know of someone who has suffered from this broken system. We eventually will know of someone who may die because it. We need health care reform that leaves everybody in and nobody out. We owe it to our communities. We owe it to our families. We owe it to ourselves.

Unity In Movement was a national mobilization held Sept. 16-18 and organized by the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium and its affiliates in the spirit of citizenship on Citizenship Day. Catherine Pyun is associate director of the Oakland-based Korean Community Center of the East Bay.

www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_13619363#

When his mother told him that he and his family are undocumented immigrants, Ju Hong was devastated.

The East Bay teen’s seemingly normal childhood had been darkened overnight by a sad fact of which he had been blissfully unaware. Like millions of American immigrants, he learned, his mother fled economic desperation in her country for the United States. Like many others, she overstayed her visa with the hope of attaining citizenship for herself and her children. She never reached that goal.

Today — nearly a decade after settling in the Bay Area — Hong is a productive, law-abiding resident who desperately wants American citizenship. But until he gets it, he will be pushed — like other undocumented immigrants — to live in the shadows. He also risks deportation.

“I have a life that’s a daily lie,” said Hong, a student at a Bay Area college. “Emotionally, I’m drained because any day anything can happen to me.”

But instead of playing the victim, Hong is actively trying to find a solution. The answer, he believes, lies in improving immigration laws. With that goal in mind, he spoke last week at a Santa Clara rally, telling the crowd his life story and why the need for immigration reform is greater than ever. He then joined nearly 1,000 people in a march that ended at Santa Clara University.

Hong also joined more than 300 people from nearly 30 states last month in Washington, D.C. There, he attended a Citizenship Day rally. He also met with congressional aides, asking them to support the Dream Act, proposed federal legislation that would ease the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

It was Hong’s first trip to the nation’s capital. He made the journey with the help of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), a national cultural and civil rights organization, and the Los Angeles-based Korean Resource Center.

Sookyung Oh, a NAKASEC official, said she hopes the students’ experience improves their understanding of what citizenship really means.

“Not just the legal definition of citizenship, but also the idea of giving service to a community and making it a better place,” Oh said. “We want to redefine citizenship as an action rather than a status.”

Some critics of undocumented immigrants argue that their illegal status undermines the regular citizenship process, and that they take jobs that legal citizens might hold.

However, Hong said all he wants is the freedom to give back to the country he calls his true home.

“My intention is to contribute to society, to work to boost the nation’s economy,” he said. “We’re not criminals; we’re striving to get an education and to make contributions to society.”

Hong is hopeful that the proposed Dream Act one day will provide him a path to citizenship, removing the biggest obstacle to him reaching his full potential. In the meantime, Hong hopes to use his new leadership role to help find solutions that benefit the country and its immigrants from all backgrounds.

“I want one day to get my law degree and maybe work in government,” he said. “I’d like to help others like me. I’d like to help those who are in my situation.”

When you were a kid, did you think the goverment was being fair to your family? If not, do you think you and the government are being fair to everyone including the immigrints. Lots of people living here came from different countries and sometimes, not everyone is fair to them.

For example, my parents are from Korea and so my dad works everyday for long hours but we don’t earn enough money and my dad doesn’t get much vacation. Also, lots of people living here doesn’t have health insurance so some kids who are sick can’t afford to pay for bills. I hope you’ll reconsider and change some rules.

Sincerely,

Joanne (5th grade)
Los Angeles, California

Dear President Obama,

I am here today because I almost lost my mother because of the lack of access to quality health care.

My name is Catherine Pyun and I am a 4th generation Korean American, born and raised in California. My great-grandfather was one of the first Korean immigrants to this country.

Currently, I am actively working with the Korean community in the Bay Area. I have been involved for many years in nonprofit work because to me, giving back is an important part of being a citizen of this country.

Because my family has always been a guiding inspiration in my life, I jumped at the chance to work for the Korean community when the opportunity arose. I wanted to help others who are in similar situations as my mother.

In her case, my mother almost passed away because of the lack of language access and cultural competency in the treatment of her aggressive liver disease. The inability to effectively communicate with the medical community caused barriers to appropriate care.

My mother was one of the lucky ones: she was able to receive a transplant. But stories like hers don’t only impact those who are sick. They affect the families and support networks of those who become ill.

When my mother became sick, my sister went on leave from work to be my mother’s caretaker. She was out for so long she eventually lost her job. My sister can’t find a job now, let alone one that provides health benefits. Because of a pre-existing condition, she cannot afford health care on her own. She remains uninsured and runs the risk of developing a serious health condition herself. We have learned that when the system fails one of us, it fails all of us.

President Obama, I strongly urge you to work with Congress on a health care plan that provides quality care that is accessible and affordable to all because good health is the right of all people.

Sincerely,

Catherine Pyun
California

Dear President Obama,

My name is Alexander Tsao and I am a 2nd generation Asian American college student in Missouri, where I have lived for the past 12 years.

My parents are small business owners in Sedalia, Missouri, who have had trouble navigating the public health care programs as first generation immigrants. When I turned 19, I was no longer eligible for insurance under my parents. Since then, I have actively sought health insurance coverage, but significant obstacles leave me uninsured today.

At college, the insurance plan requires up-front payment and I did not have enough money to afford that coverage. I tried to work, but being a full-time student leaves little time for a job that might offer health insurance. The university provides one check-up per semester, but that doesn’t cover any needed follow-up treatments.

Without insurance, I am pressured to take extra care in all of my activities. Often, I need to do self-diagnoses and just hope for the best. I know I am among millions that have the same worries as I do, and I think this is wrong – I think everyone should have the peace of mind that they can afford to be healthy. President Obama, I urge you to remember that health care is a basic right, and that everyone should have access.

Sincerely,

Alexander Tsao
Missouri

Opening remarks delivered by Deepak Bhargava at the Unity in Movement Citizenship Day, September 18, 2009:

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

Unity in Movement is a beautiful, joyous sight. We are gathered here today as diverse community members from all parts of this country joined in common purpose to celebrate Citizenship Day and reflect on the meaning of citizenship at this crucial moment in our nation’s history when not just public policy but the values and character of our country are at stake.

I know that many of you, like me, have been shocked and saddened by the anger, the name calling, the racism, and the hate we have seen in recent months – at town hall meetings, in the media, and even in from our elected representatives in Congress. We should remember that the anger and hate we are seeing in the national debate is not new.

American history at its core been a struggle between two visions of citizenship: one that would restrict citizenship to a few – those with enough property, white people, men, and the native-born – one that seeks to expand citizenship to include everyone. Many of us would not be here today were it not for people like Frederick Douglas who fought to abolish slavery and Susan B. Anthony who marched to give women the vote, and in so doing to make our democracy real. Those incredible Americans and millions of everyday people faced opposition and hatred and violence that was even more intense than what we are facing today. We are the ones who carry the torch for those values of inclusion and democracy for this generation of Americans. It is the highest of all calls that we have answered, and no one said it would be easy. We must take heart in the fact that though there are very difficult moments in our journey, as Martin Luther King said, “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.”

For those of us gathered here today, citizenship is not just a piece of paper. It is about the contributions we make in our communities every day to make the lives of our neighbors better. It is about community values of caring and inclusion. It is about our character. As I look around today, I see leaders who embody the values that define citizenship.

• Adán Ramírez, a retired sheep shearer, now lives in senior housing and registered over 100 people to vote in 2008. Just as importantly his community knows to drop off broken bicycles at his house because he rebuilds them for the neighborhood children.

• Tu Thomas Hoang, a graduate student in political science is a member of Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association and volunteers in his community in Louisiana to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

• Charles Yun immigrated to the United States from Korea in 1975, joined the United States Army, and served in the military for 20 years. He has helped many immigrants navigate the immigration system, get health care for their children, and help their families become economically secure.

These are only a few stories of the hundreds I could have chosen to read today. We are Korean and white and Latino and Vietnamese and African American and Native American. We are immigrants and native-born. We are women and men, from the north and south, the east and the west. We are Republicans as well as Democrats. What unites us is a common idea of what it means to be a citizen. The remarkable people here today hold in their hearts and express in their actions every day a generous vision of what citizenship means. Citizenship is about our responsibility to care for one another. It means living with the deep knowledge that our fates are linked, that we cannot succeed or find happiness or fulfillment while our neighbors are suffering. We acknowledge that we rise or fall together as one people.

This community-based vision of citizenship, elevated by President Obama again and again, is once again under attack. Some are bringing guns to town hall meetings to intimidate others. Others engage in hate speech that targets members of our community and incites violence. Many are fanning flames of hate and undermining the civility and respect that are so essential to a democratic society.

What is underneath all this anger and this hate? A vision of society in which we are all on our own and have to fight to protect what little we have because there isn’t enough to go around. It is a vision which says that our neighbor is not only not our responsibility, but she is our enemy. It is a vision grounded in fear, isolation, and yes – grounded in racism.

Brothers and sisters, this is once again a time for choosing in America. Not just between one health care plan over another, but also what kind of country we strive to be. Which vision of citizenship do we embrace? A vision that excludes or one that includes? A vision that says that we are all on our own, in a constant state of war with one another or one that tries to build a beloved community in which each of us has a place of respect and dignity?

This is a time for choosing in America. We are at a crossroads as a nation, and today WE choose the path of justice, community, and love.

Closing remarks delivered by Deepak Bhargava at the Unity in Movement Citizenship Day, September 18, 2009:

Brothers and sisters.

I am moved by what I heard today – the inspiring words of our President, but also YOUR words, the hardship and suffering of our nation’s failure to live up to these ideals.

What I heard is a vision of citizenship that speaks to a vision of our history in which we have come together time and time again as one people to redress the great wrongs of our time to make a more perfect union. We embrace a great moral vision that calls upon us to lift up and embrace those who are oppressed, exploited and suffering. Today, we affirm those values and we make that tradition of collective struggle for justice our own.

What I heard is a vision of citizenship that says that we are NOT a series of competing interest groups clamoring for our piece of the pie at the expense of others. We are NOT individuals who live in our private pain, or in fear of our neighbors. We do not feel better about ourselves by tearing other people down. When we live according to those values, we see the suffering, the pain, and the death that we have heard about that is pervasive in our broken health care system.

We are a FAMILY that cares for each other. WE can cross boundaries that divide and take the leap of moral imagination to understand each other and feel empathy for one another. We will not stand silently by while others are in pain. We will not allow politicians to demonize anyone, and we will hold them accountable to our American values when they try to score cheap political points by attacking the weakest among us.

What does this mean? It means that if we are not an immigrant, justice for immigrants is OUR issue and we will speak up. If we are not poor, justice for the poor is OUR issue and we will speak up. If we live in an urban area, what happens to our rural neighbors is OUR issue and we will speak up. We do this because we recognize that, as Martin Luther King said, we are bound up in a single garment of destiny, and that when injustice affects one directly, it affects all of us indirectly.

The truth, brothers and sisters, is that the vision we have heard today of a beloved community is not a dream. It is not unrealistic. It is not naïve. It is the only possible path forward. Our presence here today renews the true meaning of citizenship, and the work of our hearts, our minds and our hands will give it life. And because of what I see today and what I have heard, I have no doubt that our values and our vision will ultimately triumph.

Thank you very much.

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