#ImmigrantVoices #Nō Studios #TIMTV #Immigration #MULTIRACIAL #FROMFAIRNESSTOFREEDOM #justice #freedom #representation #universalrepresentation #theimmigrantmagazinetv #theimmigrantmagazine From fairness to freedom. Universal representation and the fight for justice. Nō Studios Social Justice Summit 2022
For several years now, communities across the country have successfully organized for and won expanded access to legal representation, giving thousands of families and their loved ones a powerful weapon to fight against detention and deportation. Local victories for publicly funded deportation defense have also coincided with victories to end detention, limit immigration enforcement, and expand protections for all communities during the pandemic, showing the power that this collective organizing can achieve. This growing movement has galvanized over 100 organizations, local elected officials, and their partners to call for federal action to establish legal representation for all. A panel of experts from national, legal services, and field organizations will explore this development and discuss its implications for the immigrant rights movements’ overall agenda.
Panelists
Nicole Melaku- Moderator Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) Nicole brings over a decade of experience working on immigrant and refugee issues at the local, state, and national levels. As NPNA’s Executive Director where she works to harness the collective power of NPNA’s 41 member organizations across 37 states to advance immigrant integration efforts through advocacy, organizing campaigns, and policy initiatives.
Kica Matos, UWD Vice President of Initiatives, Vera Institute of Justice Kica Matos is the Vice President of Initiatives at the Vera Institute of Justice. She joined Vera in 2019 as Director of the Center on Immigration and Justice. Kica has been a national advocate for immigration reform and coordinated the work of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the nation’s largest network of immigrant rights organizations.
Alicia Olivarez Managing Attorney, Community Immigration Law Center (CILC) Aissa Olivarez is the Managing Attorney at the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC). She joined CILC in August 2017 and as a part of the organization provides deportation defense on a universal representation basis for detained Dane County residents.
Nicole Melaku Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans Nicole brings over a decade of experience working on immigrant and refugee issues at the local, state, and national levels. As NPNA’s Executive Director where she works to harness the collective power of NPNA’s 41 member organizations across 37 states to advance immigrant integration efforts through advocacy, organizing campaigns, and policy initiatives.
Murad Awawdeh Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) Murad is a strategist, organizer, and advocacy expert currently serving as the Executive Director at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). The son of Palestinian immigrants, Murad has dedicated over two decades of his life fighting for low-income communities of color across the State of New York.
Laura Martin Executive Director of PLAN Action, The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund
