Over the last few weeks, the United States has witnessed the devastating mass shooting in El Paso and Dayton along with the ICE raids at a poultry plant in Mississippi, where nearly 700 undocumented workers were detained, leaving their children alone without knowing where and when they would see their parents again. 
 
The rhetoric of hatred and division continues to ring loudly from the current administration. We know that, tragically, these hateful messages often incite violent action. Let’s call them by their names: the incidents in El Paso and Dayton were domestic acts of terrorism and the ICE raids in Mississippi were the latest illustration of the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in this country. 
 
Each new act of violence and each new story of loss can amplify our hopelessness and fill us with dread. However, we know at the core of any tragedy is also a story of resilience and there is always a bright spark in the darkness.
"The function of freedom is to free someone else."
-Toni Morrison, beloved Black writer and activist
Across the U.S., UAF has been honored to support organizing and mobilizing of communities at the intersections of multiple oppressions. Organizations and communities who are demanding not just their human rights, but peace, justice, and love. Just to name a few examples:
 
● The Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) is building the power of a nationwide network of Black LGBTQIA+ migrants through community-building, political education, and access to resources.
● An Indigenous Mexican WHRD who hosts a radio show called A Mexican Crossing Lines faces harassment for her broadcasts that lifts the voices of marginalized communities in a conservative rural area between Minneapolis, MN and Spokane, WA. We have supported her in a lawsuit fighting for her freedom of speech.
● Mijente has organized rapid response actions in Texas and California to the current Administration’s agenda of surveillance, incarceration and detention of immigrant families. 

We have a lot to do, not just as a nation but as humanity. For those of us who have the power to mobilize, we must not lose hope in these bleak times. In the words of the beloved Black writer and activist, Toni Morrison, “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
 
One way to take action is to call your Senators today by dialing (202)-224-3121. Tell them that enough is enough, that you want to see action on gun control and immigration reform. Tell them that you want justice for everyone in our country. Tell them that you’ll be watching and that their votes on gun control measures and immigration reform will impact how you vote in the upcoming elections.
 
Unity is what we need more than ever. Sincere thanks from all of us at Urgent Action Fund for standing by us.

In solidarity, 

All of us at Urgent Action Fund

P.S. - P.S. For more stories of hope and inspiration, please check out our 2018 Annual Report.
 
Copyright © 2019 Urgent Action Fund. All rights reserved. 

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