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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.
With the shift in our nation’s presidential administration and promise of tougher enforcement, organizations across the state of Florida are mobilizing and organizing to defend immigrant and other marginalized communities. Florida has been among the battleground states in the fight for immigrant rights with recent passage of SB 1718 and other harmful policies aimed to curb migration into Florida and stoke fear within communities.
Find all program-related materials for GCIR's webinar "Beyond the Border: How Receiving Cities are Welcoming Asylum Seekers" here, including the session recording and transcription of the meeting.
In her second quarterly message of 2022, GCIR president Marissa Tirona shares some of the highlights of GCIR’s recent work, including GCIR’s national convening in Houston in May, grantmaking and learning through the California Dignity for Families Fund, developing a theory of change though the strategic planning process, and partnering with Upwardly Global to advance the economic power of immigrant and refugee women of color.
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.
Building on the legacy of Queer and Trans elders and pioneers, LGBTQ immigrant and refugee leaders continue to lead the fight for societal transformation. For years, these leaders have advocated for increased funding to support LGBTQ immigrant communities, particularly to address lack of access to medical care and asylum and detention issues (including sexual assault). A 2017 Congressional inquiry found that LGBTQ immigrants are 97 times more likely to be sexually victimized than non-LGBTQ people while in ICE custody. However, LGTBQ immigrant issues continue to receive less funding when compared to overall dollar amounts invested in LGBTQ communities.
Join this webinar to learn more about pressing state and federal immigration policy issues from campaign leaders and to explore steps funders can take to support their efforts.
In the wake of last night’s presidential debate, with its divergent and often troubling messages about the future of our country, it is essential that we double down on our commitment to honoring the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their country of origin.
A pledge from California philanthropic organizations:
The COVID–19 public health and economic crisis and the murders of Black Americans by police, have laid bare the deep inequities across our state. We need bold steps to ensure a future based on economic inclusion, racial equity, and compassionate humanity.
Philanthropy has often conflated narrative change work with strategic communications, one-directional communications campaigns, or story projects that may have short-term effects but fail to transform cultural norms. Instead, narrative change means shifting our world view. As Pop Culture Collaborative’s Bridgit Antoinette Evans shares, narratives are all around us, “influencing everything about how we live, see, and think about ourselves in the world.” Narrative change involves the creation of a new story and communicating that story to audiences in ways that resonate with them, putting the new narrative into practice, and evaluating the efforts of that narrative shift and adapting it accordingly. The goal is to transform “the ecosystems of narratives, ideas, and cultural norms that shape the behaviors, mindsets, and worldviews of millions of people” – to transform “whole narrative oceans.”
In this rapidly changing policy landscape, GCIR will hold a community call to facilitate joint sensemaking, funder mobilization, and collective action. This meeting will be open to GCIR members and non-members who are part of the philanthropic sector and want to stay up to date on philanthropic efforts to defend immigrants and refugees, and who would like to come together with peers to learn and connect across geographies.
This funder briefing will contextualize state and federal tax policy shifts, provide lessons learned from the field, and offer opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and action planning.