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Guardian of Immigrant Rights by Laila Kazmi Photo by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon

One of the characteristics that makes Seattle a vibrant city is the diversity of its population. We have seen unprecedented growth in our foreign-born population since the 1980s, and the result is that we are an increasingly multicultural city with a large immigrant population. Writer and activist Pramila Jayapal is devoted to protecting the rights of these and all individuals, regardless of nationality, race or religion.

Jayapal is the executive director of the Seattle-based, immigrant rights nonprofit organization, OneAmerica (formerly known as Hate Free Zone). Indian-born, Jayapal is herself an immigrant who moved to the United States when she was 17.

“My parents believed that an American education was the best thing that they could do for my future,” says Jayapal. “So they scraped together what they could and sent me here.”
She earned a bachelor’s in literature from Georgetown University and entered the world of investment banking. After obtaining her MBA, she continued to work in the private sector, but began to feel unsatisfied with her career choice. In 1991, she took a job with PATH, a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to resolving major health problems, particularly those affecting women and children, in underdeveloped countries. She ran a loan fund supporting socially responsible health projects for four years.

In 1995, Jayapal was awarded a fellowship from The Institute of Current World Affairs to return to her native India. She spent two years there and chronicled the journey in her book, Pilgrimage: One Woman’s Return to a Changing India (Seal Press, 2000).

In 2001, Jayapal was consulting with immigrant refugee groups in Seattle and contemplating writing her second book. After the devastating events of 9/11, her plans changed.

She watched the televised images of the towers falling and the media reports that followed. As stories of hate crimes against Arabs and South Asians in different parts of the country began to circulate, her immediate thought was, “This is going to change everything for anyone who looks like me.”

At the time, Jayapal was the president of the board of the Seattle-based South Asian organization, Chaya, which supports victims of domestic violence. Within days of 9/11, she began receiving calls from people who were being harassed. Muslim women who wore hijabs (head coverings) were being heckled, some cab drivers were assaulted, a Sikh man was killed in Arizona, and at Seattle’s Northgate mosque a worshiper’s car was doused with gasoline.

These incidents prompted Jayapal to arrange a meeting with Congressman Jim McDermott. “I was really nervous,” she recalls. “I had never met with an elected official before.” At the meeting she urged the congressman to declare Seattle a “hate free zone.” Similar resolutions had been passed in other cities. On Sept. 18, 2001, a press conference was held, affirming that Washington state will not tolerate racial or religious hate crimes of any sort and declaring it a “Hate Free Zone.”

This marked the beginning of the organization, Hate Free Zone of Washington, which officially launched in November 2001. Headed by Jayapal, it was completely volunteer-run at the time. The organization’s initial focus was to advocate for the rights of Arabs, Muslims and other South Asians who were the most likely targets of hate crimes immediately after 9/11. However, the organization quickly adopted a broader purpose.

“Within a couple of weeks [of forming], the focus of the organization shifted from hate crimes by individuals to government targeting of people, and violation of civil rights and civil liberties of immigrants,” Jayapal says.

Hate Free Zone rallied community leaders, briefed the Seattle City Council, held educational events, and met with numerous public officials to address issues of government infringement on immigrants’ rights, as well as employment discrimination.

In 2006, the organization joined the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, composed of immigrant groups, faith-based groups, national policy leaders and other community members. The council was formed to campaign for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress. Hate Free Zone of Washington officially changed its name to OneAmerica: With Justice for All, to reflect more closely the mission of the organization.
In May 2008, OneAmerica was instrumental in the signing of the executive order by Gov. Chris Gregoire to establish Washington’s New Americans Policy Council on immigrant integration. Measures supporting integration are aimed at helping immigrants function and become acclimated to a new country. The aim of the council is to develop methods to help immigrants with a variety of issues, such as acquiring English language skills, transferring professional and education credentials, and helping them become citizens.

Earlier this year, OneAmerica released a joint study done with the Seattle University School of Law International Human Rights Clinic. The study, “Voices from Detention,” reported findings of human rights violations at the Northwest Detention Center, a facility that holds immigrants marked for deportation. The report received local and national media attention. Among the violations reported was a lack of due process, resulting in detainees being confronted with too many obstacles when trying to secure legal help.

Among the recent achievements of OneAmerica is the registration of more than 25,000 new immigrant citizens to vote. “We developed a program with the Immigration and Naturalization services and we registered people as they got naturalized,” says Jayapal. The organization also set up phone banks to call people and remind them to vote, providing information about the locations of voting booths. “We do not endorse or promote any particular candidate,” she says.
OneAmerica’s Policy Wire, published online at www.weareoneamerica.org, provides news and updates on immigration policy, as well as information on new legislation affecting immigrants. The organization, formed out of concern for the rights of Arab and Muslim immigrants, is now a recognized Northwest advocacy group for the rights of all immigrants.

As Jayapal likes to remind us, “Issues concerning civil rights and civil liberties that many of the immigrant groups are working to protect are just as important to non-immigrants.” For example, she says, “If we allow violation of civil rights of Arab Americans today, then who is to say that tomorrow the same thing won’t be done to Irish Americans, or Polish Americans, or any other groups of Americans.”

Laila Kazmi is a freelance writer and currently a J.D. candidate at the Seattle University School of Law.

©2008 Caliope Publishing Company