Media Contacts: Lesley Crosson/CWS/New York, (212) 870-2676, lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin - 24/7- (781) 925 1526; jdragin@gis.net
MEDIA ADVISORY
May 7 Miami Interethnic Dialogue Event Bringing Diverse Community Voices Together on Immigration Issues Miami-Dade Event One of National Dialogue Series
EDITORS NOTE: MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE CONCLUDING PROCEEDINGS OF THIS EVENT, AT APPROXIMATELY 11 AM; INTERVIEWS WITH PARTICIPANTS AVAILABLE BY ARRANGEMENT AND AS MAY BE AGREED TO BY INDIVIDUALS ATTENDING.
MIAMI, FL - Fri May 4, 2007 - Against a backdrop of heightened debate on Capitol Hill around immigration and refugee issues, global humanitarian agency Church World Service will host an Interethnic Dialogue on Immigration in Miami, Monday May 7.
The event is one of a national series of interethnic dialogues scheduled nationwide through mid-July, intended to give a broad cross section of participants from immigrant and U.S.-born communities and the business, labor, social services, government and faith communities a forum in which to speak out, listen to each other, and generate unified community action on this critical topic.
One of ten agencies that work with the Department of State to resettle refugees in the U.S., Church World Service and its Immigration and Refugee Program office in Miami have invited South Florida-area dialogue participants with a variety of ethnic backgrounds and diverse opinions on U.S. immigration and refugee policies to attend and share their experiences and concerns and to find the common ground around immigration issues and policy reform.
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN: Interethnic Dialogue on Immigration Church World Service Miami Office 1924 NW 84th Avenue, Building 10, Beacon Centre Office Phone: (305) 774-6770
Monday May 7, 2007 9:00 AM - Noon
An Interethnic Dialogue in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 28 was the first of ten forums scheduled by New York-headquartered Church World Service, which will culminate in a July 18 national dialogue event in Washington, D.C. Upcoming local dialogues are also scheduled in:
â Boston, Massachusetts (Saturday May 12) â Omaha, Nebraska (Wednesday May 16) â Syracuse, New York (Thursday May 24) â Atlanta, Georgia (Friday June 1) â Columbus, Ohio (Wednesday June 13) â Chicago, Illinois (Friday June 15) â New Haven, Connecticut (Thursday July 12) â National Interethnic Dialogue, Washington, D.C. (Wednesday July 18)
âPeople who have come to the U.S. as immigrants and refugees have important perspectives to share in the current immigration reform debate,â says Virginia Coto, who directs the Church World Service Miami office.
âThe interethnic dialogues are for newcomers and U.S.-born alike to consider together the policies and practices that are best for their communities,â Coto said. âWeâre urging members of the immigrant community, as well as civic and faith leaders, to join us for the upcoming Interethnic Dialogues.
âToo often, different ethnic groups are pitted against each other as potential winners and losers in the immigration debate,â says Jamie Pitts, dialogue coordinator, with CWSâs Washington, D.C., offices. âAnd too often, the debate seems to forget that immigration policy affects everyone.
âYes, Latinos are at the forefront of our current debates, but itâs time to recognize that the immigration issue is far broader,â he said. âFor instance, few of our debates take into account the impact of immigration policies on our Asian and African populations. And few of our discussions on undocumented immigration talk about the thousands of Irish and other European undocumented people.â
Dialogue organizers are inviting a cross-section of each host community - between 40 and 100 organizations and individuals, including people from immigrant and refugee communities, community advocates, businesspeople, and government officials - to each dialogue. Participants are asked to come with the one immigration-related issue that is most important to them or their organization.
For more information in both English and Spanish: www.immigrationdialogues.org
For other questions, contact Jamie Pitts, (202) 544-6775, cell phone (626) 823-1371, jpitts@churchworldservice.org