Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Friday, Oct. 8 3:45 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Friday, Oct. 8 4:45 PM (Eastern)
The immigrant justice movement hasn’t had a big win in 30 years. But now we have a White House and Congress positioned to make bold immigration policy changes to transform millions of lives. We Are Home is a new collaboration of immigration, civil rights, faith, and labor organizations, representing millions of immigrants, union members and workers, faith leaders, Latino, AAPI, Black, Indigenous, and workers. Activists with We Are Home will discuss what they’ve learned from work in this policy area, where they see opportunities, and the theory to win legalization for the 11 million undocumented immigrants enduring the cruelty of our interior enforcement system.
Bridgette Gomez is a daughter of Colombian immigrants and the first generation in her family to attend college. She started her career as a math teacher and began community organizing in Arizona when SB1070, an anti-immigrant bill, passed in the state. For more than a decade, she has helped serve and empower the Latino community as a teacher, organizer, community engagement manager and director. She currently serves as the Director of Latinx Outreach and Engagement for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Before joining Planned Parenthood, she served as the Latino Engagement Director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Giev Kashkooli is the political and legislative director for the United Farm Workers of America. Giev represents the UFW as a co-chair in the We Are Home campaign.
He has worked with the UFW for 25 years throughout California, Arizona, New York, Washington, D.C., and Florida.
Among highlights from Giev’s years as union political director is leading the campaign and managing the political work that has won equal overtime pay and heat illness protections for California workers, produced changes to California’s collective bargaining laws for farm workers, winning a national pesticide protection standard for farm workers, and strengthening farm worker health care. Giev currently coordinates the UFW’s efforts to make sure our nation’s immigration laws honor the farm workers who feed us.
Patrice Lawrence is the recently appointed Co-Director for the UndocuBlack Network.
Patrice leads the work of those who Black, currently or formerly undocumented and are steadily leading the charge on what they need to thrive by making their demands clear on a local and national level. Her work includes asserting power in issues like Liberian DED, TPS, Dream, Diversity Visas, Decriminalization and fighting against the attacks on the health of immigrants. Originally from Jamaica, Patrice is a graduate of Hollins University and firmly believes that the sum of one’s experiences makes them whole regardless of their immigration status.