
Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: The Historic Eldorado Ballroom,
2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004
Enjoy socializing during the complimentary Cocktail Reception... Indulge in Chef Yo's exquisite Southern Creole Cuisine at the lavish luncheon.
Begin with your photo to capture your memories with a special photo taken to mark this historical event.
Then...be inspired by the day's Awards Program and join us in celebrating the patriots whose remarkable contributions were the backbone of what made Houston great!
Round out the day, tapping your toes to a captivating musical tribute by the Count Basie Orchestra as you browse and explore the rich stories of Houston's almost-forgotten history from the archives of the Houston Informer and Texas Freeman.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,,,
September 19, 2023:
Naturalize Now, Houston! Citizenship Day at Houston City Hall
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“As a broadcast owner for 35 years and as a publisher for the last 30 years, I have never seen this much ethnic media in one room.”
- Lorenza Butler, Publisher,
Southern Chinese Daily News and Houston Informer newspapers
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HOUSTON – Nearly three dozen journalists and media professionals from multiethnic, multi-language outlets gathered Tuesday at Houston City Hall for a Houston Ethnic Media news briefing on the launch of “Naturalize Now, Houston!”, a campaign by the National Partnership for New Americans to promote naturalization by eligible immigrants. NPNA cohosted the briefing.
The City of Houston, Harris County, Houston Endowment, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) and other nonprofit organizations are also a part of this unprecedented public-private partnership. According to NPNA, there are 300,000 lawful permanent residents in the region who are eligible to apply for citizenship.
Houston Endowment is funding this initiative with a $2.13 million grant to NPNA to strengthen and expand naturalization programming, along with $1.65 million for “Give Citizenship A Boost,” a program to fund application fees for eligible immigrants. Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative is leading that project. “When eligible individuals become naturalized citizens, they unlock opportunities for greater stability and prosperity and make our region stronger as a whole,” said Ann B. Stern, President and CEO of Houston Endowment. “Houston is home to 300,000 legal permanent residents who add to the rich diversity of our city. We want to ensure these individuals are equipped with the information and resources they need to become full and active participants in our community.”
National Citizenship Day brings out Houston Ethnic Media, community partners
Organizations are collaborating with the City of Houston and Harris County to hire an official in each office to expand the role local governments play in promoting citizenship.
A JOINT EFFORT
Through Naturalize Now, Houston! NPNA will train teams of Citizenship Community Navigators, together with local partners Mi Familia Vota, Woori Juntos, OCA-Greater Houston, and SAAVETX Education, to reach the eligible-to-naturalize people across greater Houston.
The Citizenship Community Navigators are trusted leaders within their communities, many of whom have personal experience with the naturalization process. Their job is to address language barriers, help community members navigate the naturalization process, and connect them to low-cost legal services as well as financial assistance for application fees.
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Nicole Melaku,
Executive Director of National Partnership for New Americans:
“No one should be priced out of participating in our democracy.”“We know that community-based media are the most trusted sources of information for people across greater Houston, and that local governments play a critical role in advancing citizenship initiatives for their residents. Citizenship opens the door to opportunities for immigrants, to the benefit of entire communities. If we are going to reach 300,000 eligible people with information, tools, and help so that they can become full U.S. citizens, we need everyone’s help.”
Terence O'Neill, Division Manager,
Office of New Americans & Immigrant Communities:
"We are very committed to this goal. Thank you to the Houston Endowment who planted the seeds. This is going to be a really powerful initiative that's going to make some significant changes and help the community that we've been really wanting to target for a long time. We've been doing citizenship forums, but I think this is going to help enhance that and help us move forward to a new direction we want to go into."
Zenobia Lai,
Executive Director of Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative:
“We understand that the citizenship application fee of $725 is a significant financial burden for families with limited means. Through the ‘Give Citizenship A Boost’ project, we will help individuals overcome this barrier by covering the application fees.”
“Looking at the federal minimum wage. In 1993, it was $4.25. It was still pretty terrible. Right now, it’s $7.25. So back then, if you wanted to save money to pay for the fees, you’d save a dollar. It’d take a month and a half - it's still a long time - but it's attainable by 40 days, you’d get to save $40 to pay for the fees. Right now, if you save a dollar a day, you'll have to save for two years in order to save up for the for the application fees. And it's a hundred times of our minimum wage. So, think about that.”
“Together with our eight project partners serving diverse immigrant communities, we will make citizenship attainable.”
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CONTACT: Sandy Close: sclose@ethnicmediaservices.orgNguyen Lee: nlee@ethnicmediaservices.orgNakia Cooper: ncooperHEM@ethnicmediaservices.org
These double-sided posters, honoring Fort Bend and Harris County African American Leaders
are being distributed for FREE at local businesses, festivals and other major events.
WANT A POSTER MAILED TO YOU?...
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..or WANT YOUR POSTER FRAMED AND DELIVERED?
Framed prices (with/without mat) range from $60-$120 + (s/h)
Final price is based on the type of frame you choose. Contact.. butlerwiseman@gmail.com
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Houston Informer Advertising
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As our photojournalists move around at each event taking photos, hand cards are passed out directing attendees to scdaily.com, voa.com, itvhouston.com, websites to see their photos from the event within 48 hours. Many of the attendees of all events covered will go to freedmenspublishing.com Social Media websites to view their pictures following the event, thus generating a great number of A-List impressions during that time.
E-Blast
The Houston Informer, Southern Chinese Daily News, Voice of Asia, (Daily)News & Review E-blast 20,000+ Professional Adults (21 – 60), C-level executives, influencers, community leaders, young professionals and executives, small business owners, all ethnic cultures, males and females, with a disposable income (avg. income: $75,000 +/yr).
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