News

As Covid-19 vaccination rates increase and infections plummet, our society is reopening and a feeling of normalcy is returning for many of us. But those hit hardest by the pandemic, including immigrants and people of color, are returning to communities devastated by a disproportionately high death toll, rampant job loss, and the compounding traumas of the past four years, including hostile immigration policies, toxic rhetoric, surging hate crimes, and a massive racial reckoning. Not everyone has the privilege of returning to normal, and, even before the pandemic, “normal” was not working for everyone.

 In partnership with California philanthropy, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) today announced the launch of the California Dignity for Families Fund, seeking to raise $20 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of migrants at the southern California border, ensure due process for asylum seekers, support their integration into receiving communities, and restore dignity to the asylum process.

The mass shootings in Atlanta on March 16 that took the lives of eight individuals—six of whom were Asian women—drew national attention. These senseless murders and the surge in anti-Asian hate incidents during the Covid-19 pandemic are the latest attacks in a long history of discrimination, harassment, scapegoating, and violence against Asian immigrant communities—particularly women and the elderly—that dates back centuries and is rooted in white supremacy and misogyny. Yet, much of this history has been rendered invisible, along with the pain these communities have suffered and the remarkable resilience they have shown. 

As an organization dedicated to advancing justice and equity for all, we at GCIR are appalled at the insurrection, violence, and rioting we witnessed earlier this week, which were direct consequences of the divisive rhetoric and oppressive policies promulgated by Trump and his enablers over the past four years.