Immigrant Solidarity Team
The Immigrant Solidarity Team is concerned with helping immigrants and refugees to adjust to life in the United States. We work with local organizations to achieve this goal, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and RefugeeOne. We also engage in legislative advocacy and learning opportunities for the congregation. The IST welcomes all who are interested in working to build a better world for immigrants in the United States. We meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 4:00pm. At present we are meeting on ZOOM. Contact Maggie Wilson or Michelle Novak through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.
The Immigrant Solidarity Team (IST) works to establish and nurture long-term partnerships with local immigrant communities and organizations. UCE seeks to:
The IST has recently expanded its work to include the support of refugees as well. Here are some of our most recent projects:
Updates from Immigrant Solidarity Team
La Bestia Screening & Discussion: October 27, 2021
The Immigrant Solidarity Team will be showing the Movie La Bestia (2010) about the freight trains from southern Mexico to the US that refugees use to come north, at great peril to themselves. The film will be followed by a discussion with panelists Oscar Chacon and Charlotte Jones-Carroll to give an update to the migrant situation currently unfolding in 2021.
For over three decades, thousands of Central Americans have lost their dreams and lives trying to cross illegally the Mexican territory hanging from the cargo trains. They travel thousands of kilometers to get to the Mexico-USA border. ‘The Beast’ as this mode of transportation has become known, is the most viable alternative when crossing a country filled with immigration checkpoints, thieves, Mexican mafia members and authorities who often rob, rape and kill them. In order to film this documentary, Pedro Ultreras risked his own life by riding this cargo trains across Mexico with hundreds of Central American migrants for more than two weeks.
The Beast, is a heart breaking film that shows some of the most profound suffering a migrant can ever live.
When: October 27 at 7:00 PM
Where: Room 3 at UCE and on Zoom – Click here to join.
Panelists:
Oscar Chacon, Executive Director at Alianza Americas. Alianza Americas is a network of migrant-led organizations working in the United States and transnationally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.
And Charlotte Jones-Carroll, chair of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) which lobbies the Hill on social justice issues. She is a retired international development economist having worked for USAID and the World Bank. She is a member of the River Road UU congregation in Bethesda, MD.
Please RSVP to Lee Bannor at bannor@sbcglobal.net or Michelle Novak at michellenovak23@gmail.com
People who wish to attend in person must let us know in advance due to the need to keep social distance. A free offering will be taken to cover expenses.