This past June, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, announced by President Obama in 2021, reached its ninth anniversary. The most recent challenge to the program, which was established to protect young people from deportation, occurred last month when a federal judge in Texas ruled the program unlawful, renewing the urgency to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. Since the ruling, actions have started to spring up across the country, and the importance of DACA’s standing has even affected the Olympics.
Last year, Race Forward established the Butterfly Lab, which brought together pro-immigrant leaders to build power for effective narratives that honor the humanity of migrants, refugees, and immigrants, and advance freedom and justice for all. The lab created the space needed to develop, test, and scale immigration narratives that meet the political moment and advances a collective vision for the world we want to build.
Immigrants Are Essential
Artist and activist Paola Mendoza, in collaboration with #ImmigrantsareEssential co-founders Marielena Hincapie, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center, and Saket Soni, Executive Director of Resilience Force, created an art installation with a web component shining a light on the stories of seven undocumented “essential workers” that lost their lives to COVID-19.
The installation showcased larger-than-life, colorful portraits and were featured at two locations in Lower Manhattan. The portraits and their accompanying oral history can be viewed online. You can also read more about the art instillation and #ImmigrantsareEssential in this interview with Paola Mendoza.
#FreeThemAll
Detention Watch Network created #FreeThemAll: an art installation at the White House and a new animated video featuring six portraits of people directly affected by the immigration detention system. This project was created in direct response to the fact that the number of folks in immigration detention has substantially increased –– almost doubling under President Biden. Read more about #FreeThemAll, Migrant Protest at the White House Calls for End to ICE Detention.
To continue being a part of these important dialogues that have emanated from our Butterfly Lab work around #ImmigrantsareEssential and #FreeThemAll use the hashtags on social media and tag Race Forward on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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