Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee joined civic, cultural, and philanthropic leaders to announce the Northern California launch of “Am I Next?,” a groundbreaking public art and solidarity campaign designed to make visible the real people, families, and communities impacted by unjust federal immigration enforcement and the erosion of our constitutional rights.
Launched by California Community Foundation, the campaign’s Northern California expansion is also supported by the Rosenberg Foundation, among other philanthropic entities.
“As our immigrant neighbors face the terror and disruption of ICE raids, we refuse to look away. ‘Am I Next?’ asks a vital question that demands our collective courage,” said Mayor Lee.
“When they come for one of us, they come for us all,” said Tim Silard, President of the Rosenberg Foundation. “Our immigrant friends and neighbors are essential members of our communities, and their rights and dignity are inseparable from our own. This campaign calls on each of us to speak out, join together, and stop the racial profiling and terrorizing of immigrant communities. In the Bay Area and in California, everyone belongs.” For more information, visit the campaign online or join the movement using the hashtag #AmINext.
Pro-immigrant organizations across California are actively mobilizing to protect vulnerable community members as ICE launches a 45-day crackdown in the state ahead of the midterm election. Power California is among the groups ramping up efforts to protect voters. “Families in the Central Valley are struggling to afford rent, utilities, gas and grocery prices. Young people and our families are asking for relief from rising costs, not unjustified and manufactured immigration raids supported by wealthy interest groups,” says Luis Sanchez, President of Power California. Learn more in this CALO news article.
“We don’t win every time, and change does not come easily. But we don’t have to accept powerlessness as the truth about who we are. The question I keep coming back to is: Are we claiming our power?” Pastor Todd Benson, Executive Director of Akonadi Foundation’s grantee partner Faith in Action East Bay, speaks on how organizing helps people find their voice and sense of belonging in Akonadi’s latest community organizing blog: Hope Is a Discipline: Building Power Through Faith and Organizing. Read more on why Pastor Todd believes hope is a discipline and why sustained investment in grassroots leadership is essential to building the communities we all deserve here. Also, read more about the welcome ceremony for La Catrina de Oakland and its significance in Akonadi’s blog Welcome Home, La Catrina.
This week, our partners at the California Donor Table (CDT) officially launched their Substack: The New Progressive Era – a space to share analysis, stories of impact, deep dives on money in politics, and what it really takes to build a government that works for all communities in California and beyond. By pooling their resources, CDT believes they can counter right-wing pushback and corporate greed while safeguarding the dignity, well-being, and opportunities of our communities. Subscribe today and read their first installment here.
As you prepare to vote in-person or by mail, it’s essential to make sure you’re fully informed about what’s on your ballot this year and what that means for you, your family, and your community! Head over to our Black Futures Lab Election Action Center where you can find voting tips to assist you in making a plan before heading to the polls. Also, check out CDT’s voter ballot guide, which offers a snapshot of their official positions on statewide candidates and propositions and explains the rationale behind their support or opposition.