In recent months, Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC (CIS-NYC’s) Justice for Immigrants Program (JFI) has been actively engaged in advocacy and community-building initiatives.
Six JFI members successfully completed a four-part leadership training program, where they worked to develop skills, such as sharing personal narratives for media engagement. Following the first workshop, our members went to a rally where three members were interviewed by local press and PBS on the topic of right-to-shelter laws.
The second workshop focused on government structures and legislative influence, ending with a trip to Albany for the New York Immigration Coalition’s member congress, where JFI members spoke with state senators and assembly members on issues like language access and housing vouchers. One of our members spoke at the press conference, giving her testimony on the importance of passing the Working Families Tax Credit.
This month JFI also took part in national advocacy, visiting Washington DC to support asylum laws with twelve of our members.
JFI members have shown their commitment to community involvement through their participation in membership meetings and workshops, including a writing workshop with Uptown Stories where members shared immigration stories with their children. Looking forward, JFI has plans for two visits to Albany this month to advocate for campaigns that are important to our membership. We are excited to share more of our experiences and photos!