From The Peopling of New York City
Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM) is a community organization that organizes the South Asian immigrant community around issues of immigration status and deportation, youth empowerment, and workers rights. On their website, it states that their “long-term vision is to build the power of immigrant workers in the U.S in unity with all low-wage workers and communities of color to win rights and dignity.”
DRUM conducted a panel at the South Asia Summit hosted by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). This panel addressed community organizing and what methods DRUM uses. DRUM defines community organizing as the empowerment of the people who are directly affected fighting for their own rights and sitting at the decision-making table.
There are various aspects of community organizing:
1. Base building
2. Leadership development
3. Alliances and partnerships
4. Organization building
The facilitators of the workshop mentioned how the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) has a membership of 14,000 taxi workers. DRUM is aspiring to grow from the current 500 families who are members to 14,000 low-income South Asian families. The facilitators repeatedly emphasized that it is important that the people with the problem are fighting the problem and winning for themselves. The steering committee of DRUM plans and votes on what actions the two full-time and four part-time staffmembers should undertake.
The organization actively fights deportation issues. Many of the members leave their home countries, often Pakistan and Bangladesh, and come to this country because the situation back home is terrible. Throughout the panel, the members told the audience to call their representatives and elected officials and support the DREAM Act and other pro-immigration, pro-legalization issues. They were very politically aware and charged. The panelists recounted their immigration stories, but also told the audience of their empowerment process.
DRUM uses all four methods of attacked a social injustice in their organization: organizing, activism, advocacy, and services. These are common and best practices across the board. DRUM organizes its own members and gets them to the decision-making table. It brings allies and supporters to be activists on the part of the cause. When the contingent from DRUM came down to Washington D.C., they met with various senators and congressmen to talk about issues they faced. This is direct advocacy. While many services are not formally provided, DRUM members host other immigrant families and help each other out informally in other ways.
Back to Immigrant Workers