Welcoming the Stranger: Taking Action Together for Immigrants’ Rights
Thursday, January 24, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
at the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive
This conference has now passed — deepest thanks to all our partners, presenters, and participants!
Cosponsored By:
Since the 2016 election, diverse congregations and faith-based organizations have stepped up to defend the newest New Yorkers – advocating for immigrants’ rights and immigration reform. New York’s immigrant communities are still under threat, but recent changes in Albany offer an opportunity for real and lasting change. The time for action is now. This conference will support the work of faith leaders and immigration activists, through civic engagement and advocacy training. Please join us for:
- keynote address by Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
- best practices for action, shared by diverse faith leaders working for immigrants’ rights
- hands-on workshops, with practical training for community organizing, policy advocacy, ICE accompaniment, and other immigration actions
Following the conference, participating congregations and organizations will organize their own programs, events, or campaigns for immigrants’ rights or immigration reform. ICNY and our partner organizations will offer technical assistance to support these efforts in whatever ways we can. Working together, across faith lines, we will catalyze a city-wide wave of multifaith action for immigrants’ rights.
Each participating congregation and organization should be represented by two trainees, to build momentum for action following the conference. A suggested donation of $30 per person is requested to help pay for meals and conference expenses, but cost should not be a barrier to participation.
Conference registration has now closed.
Sorry, but we’ve reached capacity for our space.
Questions? Please contact Hanadi Doleh, ICNY’s Program Associate for Community Partnerships, at hanadi@interfaithcenter.org or 212-870-3547.
Click here for directions to the Interchurch Center, at 475 Riverside Drive, between 119th and 120th Streets, in Morningside Heights.
Conference Program:
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Opening Prayers/Reflections
9:15 – 10:30 Keynote Address by Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
Commissioner Mostofi will survey the needs of New York’s diverse immigrant communities, including pressing advocacy issues like “public charge” and more enduring structural concerns. Why, she will ask, is faith-based action for immigrants’ rights so important today? What are the priorities for organizing and advocacy?
Commissioner Mostofi’s address will be followed by a brief response from Ruth Messinger (former President of American Jewish World Service, Manhattan Borough President, and City Council member) as well as questions and conversation with conference participants.
10:30 – 10:40 Coffee Break
10:40 – 12:00 Panel Discussion with Faith Leaders Working for Immigrants’ Rights
Religiously diverse congregational leaders will share lessons from their work for immigrants’ rights and immigration reform. How did they they develop new actions and programs? What challenges did they face and how did they overcome them? Speakers will include:
Imam Dr. Ahmet Atlig, Peace Islands Institute
Sapthagiri Iyengar, Ma Yoga Shakti International Mission and Sadhana Coalition of Progressive Hindus
Rabbi Marisa Elana James, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
Catered lunch for all conference participants — an opportunity to break bread and build relationships with your diverse colleagues. We hope these conversations will lead to enduring partnerships and collaborative projects.
1:00 – 2:20 & 2:30 – 3:50 Hands-On Workshops
Small group workshops will help conference participants develop practical organizing skills, while learning about pressing issues for immigration activism. Each 80 minute workshop will repeat twice, so participants can take two. Workshop topics will include:
Fundamentals of Congregational Organizing. How do you create momentum for action in your congregation or community? How do you build consensus about collective goals and priorities? How do you overcome obstacles to action? Led by Rabbi Salem Pearce, Director of Organizing at T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
Using Social Media for Social Justice. How do you use online platforms like Facebook and Twitter to organize actions, build community, and engage with broader audiences? How do you create real-world impact with online organizing? Led by Kevin Childress, ICNY Social Media Manager and Founder of SocialNet Works.
Building a Network of Active Volunteers. How do you recruit and organize volunteers for tasks like supporting immigrant families living in sanctuary? How do you build community among volunteers, to keep them engaged in their essential work? Led by Tara Geer, Founder and Director of Action Potluck.
Advocating for Policy Change with State and Local Government. How do you make your voice heard on immigration policy issues? Who are the key decision makers in New York City and Albany, and how can you reach them? Led by Carlene Pinto, Founder of NYC Action Lab and former Immigration Campaign Manager at the New York Immigration Coalition.
Accompaniment Training and Legal Services. What are the best ways to support both documented and undocumented immigrants as they navigate today’s legal landscape of draconian immigration enforcement? Led by Minister Heaven Berhane, New Sanctuary Coalition.
Navigating Cultural Conflicts in Immigration Activism. How can you work effectively across racial, ethnic, and religious lines? How do you best address tensions within an activist coalition, as well as the sometimes fraught relationships between immigrant and non-immigrant communities? Led by Jade de Saussure, Sanctuary Neighborhoods and Fordham University.
What can Faith Leaders do at the US-Mexico Border? What is happening to the caravan in Tijuana and how are faith leaders from around the country making a difference? Why travel so far when there are so many struggling people in our midst? What does it mean to bear witness in a time like this? Led by Ravi Ragbir, New Sanctuary Coalition and Reverend Kaji Dousa, Park Avenue Christian Church.
We will do our best to place all participants in their first two workshop choices, but we cannot guarantee placement.
3:50 – 4:00 Coffee Break
4:00 – 5:00 Closing Discussion and Next Steps
Reflection on the day’s conversations, and above all next steps toward action in the coming months. First in small groups defined by common interests, and then with conference participants as a whole.
And the following evening, an opportunity to build spiritual solidarity across faith lines:
At 6:00 pm on Friday, January 25, all conference participants are warmly invited to attend Kabbalat Shabbat Services at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, 257 West 88th Street. Come together in prayer, song, and reflection as we work together for immigrants’ rights.
Thank you to our partners at the Micah Institute, New York Disaster Interfaith Services, The Synagogue Coalition on the Refugee and Immigration Crisis, New Sanctuary Coalition, New York Immigration Coalition, NYC Action Lab, Action Potluck, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Majlis Ash-Shura, Jewish Theological Seminary, Sadhana and Holyrood Church.
