Subscribe to this blog's feedEach year, Liberty Hill recognizes members of our extended community as “Leaders to Watch.” In January 2011, we interviewed our 2011 Leaders to Watch about their goals and concerns, then checked in with them throughout the year. In late December, we caught up by phone and email for their year-end reflections.
In 2011, the Leaders to Watch were: Tammy Bang Luu of Bus Riders Union/Labor Community Strategy Center (LCSC) Ari Gutierrez and Eddie Martinez of Latino Equality Alliance, Gloria Walton of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), Isella Ramirez of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and Xiomara Corpeño of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).
Not long after being named a Liberty Hill Leader to Watch, Xiomara became National Campaigns Director for CHIRLA. Here are her reflections on the year.
"Faced with the largest numbers of deportations ever in the history of our country and the 2012 Presidential Campaign starting early in 2011, we rolled up our sleeves and continued to press the President Obama and Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security to keep families together and to intervene in the absence of just and humane immigration policies. In California, we continued to fight and win local and statewide policies to further support immigrant families, like the California Dream Act and the Car Impound Law.
Nationally, one of CHIRLA's proudest moments has been fighting back Alabama's anti-immigrant law, HB 56. Because of our long experience working directly with immigrant communities, CHIRLA was asked to work with immigrant communities in Alabama, training over 1,000 people on Know Your Rights using our DVD. I spent two weeks in Alabama helping leaders develop their skills and have continued to give technical support over the phone as needed. Everyday people have self-organized in different parts of Alabama in order to repeal HB 56. African American, White and Latino community leaders have put together community forum, protests, and legal clinics; farmers have spoken out even while the state-wide farmer's association has remained silent. It is an honor for me to be able be a part of the great victories in California, but also contribute to the immigrants rights movement nationwide.
We supported the California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, which passed in the State Assembly and is poised to pass in the State Senate in 2012. Two members of the CHIRLA Household Worker Committee were selected to represent CHIRLA at the national level in the Coordinating Committee of the National Domestic Workers Association. 250 Members and Leaders of CHIRLA’s Household Worker Committee played an active role in the 2011 campaign to pass this Bill, including educating lawmakers to pass a Resolution in support of Household Workers in Summer 2010, creating language for the bill and mobilizing for its passage. During the grant period, CHIRLA Household Worker members have visited Sacramento 36 times, visited local legislative offices 11 times, participated in 24 planning sessions, testified 3 times and served as spokespeople for the media 87 times..
CHIRLA and the California Dream Network’s Light the Torch for the California Dream Act Campaign mobilized thousands of youth to generate 12,000 calls the Governor; 12,405 online signatures; and 73 actions across the state. CHIRLA participated in more than100 media interviews about the California Dream Act and, since the bill passed, has educated over 2,000 students, parents and counselors about what it means for them."
Comments