A Year in Review - 2016
“There is a lot of fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities right now,” said Chad Baker, director of community partnerships for CALA. “The fear has manifested in a lot of ways, like undocumented folks being afraid to even drop their kids off at school or leave their house.” (WTTW News, Maya Miller)
This month, we highlight 2016, which was a turning point in Beyond’s history. We would be honored to have your support for our 10-year anniversary campaign to help us commemorate the achievements in a tumultuous and painful 2016.
November 8, 2016 was a devastating day not only for Beyond, but more importantly the communities we work alongside, which would soon be targeted. In the face of the extreme adversity, Beyond and its community partners directed our anguish towards protecting and supporting those threatened by the Trump administration’s brutal policies. That’s how several of Beyond’s longtime programs were originally created.
Just days following the election, we announced the creation of an immigration helpline. This helpline, which continues to operate today, is open to all immigrants across the country and provides free legal screenings and attorney consultations. Chad described the helpline as, “primarily an advice service, but if we find an immigrant is able to apply for something, we check to see if we can serve them through any of our existing clinics.” (WTTW News, Maya Miller)
Beth Inbinder and Nancia Shawver, Beyond volunteers since 2016 and current Helpline Coordinators, answer a call from an immigrant through the CALA Helpline.
Shortly afterwards, we launched our family emergency preparedness workshops. The FEP workshops facilitated undocumented immigrants to create plans to ensure their children and families have a safety net in case they are detained or deported. These workshops enabled the families to prepare power of attorneys, guardianships for their children, and emergency immigration packets.
Twenty-seven families gathered at the John Hancock High School to attend a Beyond family emergency preparedness workshop.
The final two pieces of our response were our activist defense project, which provides free representation to activists who have been arrested or face prosecution, and our know-your-rights workshops, presentations regarding what to do and say when in contact with immigration and police officers.
Beyond Legal Aid community empowerment supervisor, Saul Brand Padilla, reflects, “Looking back to 2016, as the presidential administration shifted, it created a sense of danger and urgency. Our community partners’ support was crucial to overcome the devastating uncertainty that people felt.” We could not have gotten through those dark times without the guidance of our community partners.
Keep an eye out for 2017’s highlight, another monumental year in Beyond’s history, coming next month! Be sure to also compare each month’s “Year in Review” graphic (below) to see how much we’ve grown over the years.
We could not have had 10 years of success without supporters like you, please make a contribution to and spread the word about the campaign.
