Description
Book SynopsisImmigration Stories–A Fight for Justice and FreedomDiscover both triumphant and painful real life tales of immigrants who blazed trails and broke barriers in the fight for fundamental human rights.
Positive and heroic stories. Far too often, immigrants are demonized and scapegoated, when they should be celebrated as heroes and revolutionaries.
Unsung heroes. Learn about the trials and triumphs of ordinary people fighting for citizenship as immigrants in a new land. Each uses different strategies and tactics; what works for one does not work for another. They all have one thing in common, however—a desire for racial and social justice.
Unsung America may change the way you view immigrants and refugees. Prerna Lal, who penned Unsung America, is a naturalized United States citizen, born and raised in the Fiji Islands with roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. A clinical law professor, Lal is a frequent writer on immigration, racial justice, sexual orientation, and how these forces intersect. She is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School, and works as an immigration attorney.
In this celebratory book discover:
- Powerful theories of social change, and how what seems radical in one era can be normalized in the next
- How the fight for citizenship is interconnected and interrelated to other struggles such as the civil rights movement and the LGBT movement
- Stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and how you, too, can be a force for good in the world
If you liked The Book of Awesome Women by Becca Anderson, Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas, or American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrara, you’ll love Unsung America.
Trade ReviewOver the years, Prerna's role in "the movement" has changed. They were an organizer and activist who fundamentally changed how undocumented youth organized to fight deportations online, and now they're an immigration attorney and author. But no matter their role, they have been a thorn in the side of anyone who expects tidy, flattened narratives about immigrants. Unsung America, like much of Prerna's other work, pushes us to interrogate our violent immigration system and also uplifts the people whose contributions are too often erased. This is the book we all need to be reading right now." -Tina Vasquez, Senior Immigration Reporter at Rewire News
“Deeply insightful and intentionally detailed — Prerna Lal has conceived a text that breaks down the inner workings of the United States immigration system and the impact it has had on the lives of countless immigrants and families. Lal lays out a timeline both old and new, that vividly chronicles the birth and impact of certain policies, views, and opinions within the realm of immigration policy.” -Juan Escalante, Digital Campaigns Manager at FWD.us
Table of ContentsI. Acknowledgements II. Foreword (Allegra) III. Citizenship – Defining Who Belongs a. Dred Scott b. Wong Kim Ark c. Bhagat Singh Thind IV. Creating Exclusions I: “Give Us Your Huddled Masses” with Notable Exceptions V. Deporting Dissent VI. Deportation As Punishment – The Marriage of Crime and Immigration VII. Queering Immigration: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, and We aren’t going anywhere” VIII. Contemporary Immigrant Rights Heroes IX. Conclusion
