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COVID-19 has destroyed the livelihoods of many in our community. But whereas those with status can rely on unemployment benefits, medicare, and any forthcoming federally funded COVID-19 relief programs to get them through this crisis, our undocumented community members can only get help from us.
Somali Family Service of San Diego seeks to meet the urgent needs of refugee and immigrant families in San Diego impacted by COVID-19. The communities that we serve experience housing and food insecurity, are often from low-income households, and have difficulty navigating systems and resources due to cultural and language barriers. Therefore, they are hit particularly hard by the current crisis.
As COVID-19 fears rise and communities face growing health and economic concerns, local nonprofits are stepping up to fill the gaps in our social safety net while trying to protect our families and communities. Public schools are closing from Washington to Arkansas, and children are losing school meals, safe space, and basic medical care—putting an even bigger strain on the limited childcare and healthcare infrastructure in the U.S.
Census Consultant and GCIR's 2020 Convening Emerging Leader scholarship recipient, Juan Galeano sheds light on the intersection between the Movement for Black Lives and the immigrant rights movement, and calls philanthropy to action to with the shortened deadline we have to complete the census.
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 we face one of the worst pandemics of our lifetimes, we know that our best chance of weathering the storm is to pool our resources and help the people in our communities that need it most. APEN is organizing a COVID-19 Emergency Community Stabilization Fund to make sure that the working class Asian immigrants and refugees in our communities have what they need to stay home and stay healthy during this pandemic.
The Second Quarterly President's Message from Marissa Tirona, GCIR President.
As we recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, many of the essential workers who put food on our tables, keep us healthy, and care for our loved ones continue to be at risk of exploitation. Many foreign-born essential workers, particularly those on temporary worker visas or those lacking work authorization, are victims of wage theft or survivors of human trafficking with few options for leaving those abusive circumstances. Perpetrators traffic individuals into agriculture, restaurant, factory, construction, domestic, and other work, industries in which enforcement of labor protections needs vast improvement.
In January 2019, I reflected on the extreme anti-immigrant policies that have come out of the White House over the past two years, the resulting human devastation, and the attacks that are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. I called on philanthropy to dream big and act with courage because we can only combat these injustices if we have a vision that surpasses the opposition’s in ambition and scope.
For more than three years, Patricia cleaned homes in the Bay Area for a living. But as the coronavirus pandemic ramped up and shocked the California economy, she — like many others in the state — lost her job.
Private fund will support undocumented California families ineligible for federal and state relief in midst of coronavirus crisis in partnership with public fund announced by Gov. Newsom.