Law firm sponsoring contest for undocumented immigrant workers

CLEVELAND — For the chance to win $1,000, Cleveland law firm Herman Legal Group is asking undocumented immigrant workers to answer the following question: What do you think of when you hear the word immigrant? Richard Herman, the law firm's founder, has many thoughts on the subject. Herman has practiced immigration law for 25 years, and as the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, he's noticed a familiar pattern. Undocumented workers are being overlooked. "it just seems grossly unfair that we have so many undocumented people that are doing essential work in health care and the food supply chain, and yet we're not giving them even a modicum of respect," Herman said. "They're putting their safety at risk, but they're not getting supported with stimulus checks and with PPE and all this kind of stuff." Those injustices inspired Herman's law firm to sponsor the essay contest. While the reward will not solve the issues the authors face, Herman hopes the contest itself can contribute to the dialogue surrounding undocumented immigrants. "Obviously $1,000 is a small gesture to one person," Herman said. "But the larger impact we're hoping for is to stimulate the conversation. By publishing these essays, Undocumented immigrants themselves can voice how they're feeling." Herman plans to publish some of the essays on the Herman Legal Group website to promote awareness for the issues immigrants are facing, including unfair perceptions that paint them as criminals and the lack of immigrant-friendly legislation passed by Congress in recent years. Herman understands that one contest alone cannot change those issues, but maybe it could inspire someone to do something similar, which could inspire someone else. "I think it takes thousands of little projects and conversations around the country like this to move the needle," Herman said. "Maybe corona is a time where we get back to who we are as a nation, as compassionate people, as an immigrant-friendly nation." To enter the contest, all applicants must provide something with their essay to prove they are undocumented. Herman promises to keep all information confidential unless an essay's author decides otherwise. Essays can be written in any language but must be at least 300 words. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 1. The winner will be chosen on Sept. 1 based on originality, responsiveness to the question asked, quality of writing and substantive content. When posed with his own contest's prompt, Herman paused. He thought of his wife, now a physician, who was once an undocumented immigrant. He thought of friends, too. After about 30 seconds of reflection, Herman answered. "I think of the word hero," Herman said. "I see my family, I see my friends that are immigrants, some without papers, and I see a trend in almost all of them. They're working extremely hard to create something for their children. They're heroes because they've sacrificed a lot. This is not easy. "I live in Cleveland, and a lot of people in Cleveland don't even go across the Cuyahoga river, let alone across 12 time-zones where you land in a place where you don't speak the language and are treated with hostility. And someone's trying to create something out of this. And to me, that's heroic." You can enter Herman Legal Group's essay contest here.