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GCIR recently commissioned a study to analyze how philanthropy worked to support immigrant communities via relief funds. Join us for a dive into the findings and discussion on how foundations can prepare for future relief efforts.
U.S. deportation and expulsion practices are recklessly exposing an entire region to increased risk of COVID-19.
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.
The COVID-19 crisis has heightened the consequences of recent policies that have deterred immigrants from receiving federal safety net assistance and other supports.
As Californians we know that our own well-being is tied to everyone else’s. California’s Immigrant Resilience Fund is making headlines demonstrating that we are standing together to make sure each and every one of us—native and newcomer—has resources to prevail through the outbreak. No one stands alone. We are one beloved community. Kathleen Kelly Janus, Senior Advisor to the Governor, and Daranee Petsod of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees joined NCG’s Emily Katz to explain how the fund came to be, some surprising new supporters, and what it means to have a ‘Si Se Puede’ moment (Yes, We Can!)
Every day when Carmelita finishes her shift in the strawberry fields of California’s central coast, she sprays herself down with Lysol, takes off the handkerchief she uses to protect her face, and tucks it in a plastic bag before getting in her car. She’s the sole provider for her two young sons and can’t afford to miss a day on the job.
Even as the coronavirus sickens Americans by the tens of thousands—and roughly 29,000 DACA recipients risk their lives as healthcare workers—the Supreme Court may still render a decision on the Administration’s ability to terminate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
In these tumultuous times when people the world over are experiencing fear, distress, and uncertainty in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, GCIR is leaning into our core values to guide how we mobilize philanthropy to support immigrant families and communities in the United States. We believe this moment calls for philanthropy to lead with courage to advance an inclusive, equitable, and holistic response. Philanthropic action must not only address urgent needs but reflect a vision that all Americans, no matter where they were born, are united with one another in the face of this devastating public health crisis.
COVID-19 lockdowns make it even more challenging to ensure hard-to-count populations are accurately represented in the 2020 Census.