As the country moves towards addressing immigration reform, an affinity group of funders supporting faith-based organizing hosted an eclectic mix of scholars, funders, researchers, and others who are actively organizing on the issue of immigration. What is the state of organizing by faith-based organizations? It’s all about opportunities and hope.
The session, “Building Bridges, Building Power: Race, Immigration, and Faith-based community organizing in Post-Prop 30 California,” was hosted by Interfaith Funders and focused on the latest research, trends, and organizing strategies. (Download a copy of Building Bridges, Building Power: Developments in Institution-Based Community Organizing, a just-released report published by Interfaith Funders.) The San Francisco Foundation hosted the meeting; we are proud of our 20-year partnership with the faith-based community through our FAITHS program, which has built a network of over 600 bay area congregations and faith-based organizations.
Amidst the researchers, faith leaders, and organizers, Rev. Deborah Lee noted that immigration detention centers are quietly located in many communities where the surrounding neighborhoods have little or no knowledge of their presence. Rev. Lee, Director of the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, hosts a monthly vigil where a dedicated group of up to 100 community members bear witness to the activities at the immigration center located in Richmond, California.
Why does the faith community continue to focus on immigration? Because there are tragic implications of our immigration policy, such as dividing families via deportation and addressing these “is another step in the long history of humanization.”
“There is a deep generational struggle involving race and class,” says Dr. Manuel Pastor of the University of Southern California, pointing to California’s election results as an example of how younger voters and people of color are making their votes count.
Dr. Pastor, a national expert on equity issues and community-based advocacy, shared observations on “Big Changes in Organizing” that have occurred over the last twenty years, leading to the recent passage of California’s Proposition 30 that was largely driven by people of color and younger voters. He highlighted that:
- Organizing strategies have shifted from interest-based to values-based. People share many values— think security, education, democracy. However, there are many ways to meet those values. For example, education can occur by resourcing the public school system or by removing your children from that system to a private school. By focusing on values, organizers can appeal to similarities in values rather than the interests that often separate us.
- There has been a shift from focusing on issues to focusing on a vision. Whether it’s the DREAMERS or the push for marriage equality, focusing on the vision of what’s possible helps build momentum.
- In the past, organizing strategies focused largely on identity, such as race; more recent strategies focus on a common frame, such as who we are as Californians.
- Strategies have also shifted from focusing on what makes people angry to building on aspirations. Dr. Pastor observes that younger people are very hopeful and both younger folks and many people of color feel that government can help them reach their dreams, so an aspirational approach is a very effective organizing strategy.
Erika, a 14-year-old immigrant who is also a remarkably seasoned organizer with a PICO affiliate, drove home the message of the power of organizing: “When you go visit your representative and you can say that you turned out 60,000 votes, you’re no longer powerless.” Amen.