Taking our direction from immigrants directly impacted by injustice, AFSC Colorado organizes immigrants and allies to support immigrant justice by resisting deportation, lifting up positive narratives, and successfully advocating for policy change through providing leadership development. We believe our immigrant leaders are experts on the causes of inequality and the transformative changes most needed for liberation. Our work is rooted in an allyship and accompaniment model which leverages the privilege of our citizen members and our organization to effectively partner with immigrant leaders.
We have taken major steps recently towards realizing our vision of a Colorado where policy is defined by those directly impacted, and all people are valued and encouraged to contribute to their communities. AFSC is a leader in promoting intersectional approaches to organizing that recognizes, for example, the many connections between racial justice, labor rights, farmworker rights and immigrant rights. This intersectional approach contributes to major policy wins and cultural shifts.
Deportation and Community Defense
- 14 Know Your Rights Trainers - offering interactive, skilled trainings in Spanish
- Our staff train and support the dispatchers of the Colorado Rapid Response Network, offer Nonviolent Direct Action and security/marshalling trainings
- Community Family Preparedness Planning, Monthly meetings for people in deportation or their loved ones, and support on accessing legal support
Accompaniment Network: our citizen members accompany people to court, appointments with Immigration and supervision appointments. We offer moral support and witness, educating our own community on the impacts of our immigration system.
Narrative Change
- In October we placed billboards across the Metro area, Greeley and Sterling in support of immigrant rights
- This year we developed messaging research and offered trainings on the results
- Our members spoke for themselves in dozens of interviews, sharing immigrant analysis and story with the media outlets like the Associated Press and Colorado Public Radio.