And today, his thirteenth birthday, we are honored to have helped him witness his own success at this ceremony. One of our young leaders, José Luis, made sure that he not only made it to the school but that he looked sharp.

José Luis has been helping kids like Luis from his neighborhood his whole life.

In an essay Luis presented he said,”If you don’t try, you will never succeed.” Even though he faces the hardships of living in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Phoenix and his family is torn apart by our broken immigration system, he manages to look at the world with hope and fights along side José Luis to build a better future for his community.

He is proud to be a rising leader at Promise Arizona.

Kids like Luis struggle through these experiences everyday in Arizona and across the U.S.

We need more people like José Luis to step forward and make a real difference in the lives of our young people.

Every Sunday, starting May 6, until the Supreme Court Justices of the United States reach a resolution, members of the vigil will meet at the State Capitol from 3:00 to 8:00 pm to continue the fight against anti-immigrant laws in the same place where the “Arizona Law” was born.

Petra Falcon, Executive Director of Promise Arizona:

SB 1070 has done great harm to our community, it has separated many families and caused fear… our goal is to put an end to the damage done to our community and to avoid new anti-immigrant laws in the Arizona Legislature and the United States.

We believe in the power of prayer, because we believe that faith moves mountains and through prayer we can change the hearts of our politicians… But we don´t leave everything to the divine intersection, we are doing our part to take action, get out the vote of minorities and to inform people of what is happening in their community.

“The Supreme Court has in their hands the moral standards for our country. Latinos and immigrants are proud to be members of the American community”, said Petra Falcón, director of Promise Arizona.

“SB1070 will not give the opportunity to embrace the diversity of that community. SB1070 is wrong for the United States. The civil rights movement was right for the country. SB1070 is going backwards.”

In his 35-year pastoral career, Dr. Stewart has focused on issues of justice, including efforts to establish a Martin Luther King Jr. state holiday in Arizona. Drawing parallels between the 20^th century Civil Rights Movement and today’s efforts to recognize, celebrate, and build consensus about the contributions of immigrants in America, Dr. Stewart is perfectly poised to lead the Forum forward.

“To advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to our nation is to fortify a pillar of America’s history, heritage and hope,” Dr. Stewart said. “After all, immigrants—voluntary and involuntary—founded and built the United States. The demographics of our country are changing, but our differences and diversity make our country stronger when we recognize one another’s contributions.”

“Arizona has long benefited from the Pastors fierce advocacy for human rights. He has a rich history of working with Immigrant Rights groups including being a founding advisory board member of Promise Arizona” commented Petra Falcon, executive director for Promise Arizona. “We believe the pastor has the vision crucial to move the national dialogue in the right direction.”

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By streamlining the bureaucracy involved, this common sense solution can save time and money for the U.S. tax payers.

As Americans, we believe that the government should not put road blocks in the way of family unity and preservation.

There is no excuse for putting wives and children in violent, dangerous and extreme hardship situations as a punishment for trying to do things the right way.

We applaud the administration for making the push for these changes, but ask for the changes to apply to the immediate relatives of documented permanent residents.

Promise Arizona lauds our government to start 2012 with this critical step in the right direction for comprehensive immigration reform and family unity.

Read more at The New York Times: Tweak in Rule to Ease a Path to Green Card

PAZ

Grateful to the community that has been there in the movement
– lots to be thankful for
– more to to do the coming year together

paz

As the holidays come fast, and many people are getting ready to celebrate with their dear ones, we are continuing to expose the myriad of abuses the MCSO has inflected on the Hispanic community, in particular the culture of hate and discrimination that is promoted under Sheriff Jose Arpaio’s leadership.

But many of our people continue to face other authorities, regardless of what the DOJ announced, including Phoenix Police Department officers and other uniformed policing forces. Now more than ever is important that our community continues to report abuses and that we open communication with the Hispanic families in the Valley to make sure we remind them of the existence of organizations they can trust.

The forum “Recontruyendo la Confianza” (Rebuilding the Trust) will take place this Wednesday December 21st at 6pm at the Faith Lutheran Church on 7th street and Camelback, 801 E Camelback Rd. in Phoenix. The goal is to let people know that Arpaio’s DOJ investigation included a lot of detail on abuses thanks to the reporting of people in the community. We want them to know there are organizations such as the ACLU and Respect-Respeto that are willing to listen and take reports, but there are also departments such as the Phoenix Police Department that are willing to partner with us and push for people to report any abuses or discrimination they see in their communities.

This forum comes at a really important time, and it is crucial that you help us promote it as well. We have confirmed the participation of the ACLU, Respect-Respeto, an immigration attorney and the Phoenix Police Department, including the attendance of Chief of Police Joe Yahner. We also have hundreds of brochures with information on know your rights, and the administration’s announcement on prosecutorial discretion.

Univision has agreed to promote the forum on TV and radio, but we will need more help with the promotion of the event. Please make sure you share this e-mail with others and invite organizations and individuals accordingly.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing you this week,

Luis Avila

WE CANNOT LET ANOTHER DREAMER BE DEPORTED!! IF YOU ARE A DREAMER, THIS COULD BE YOU!!! PLEASE MAKE A CALL, IT TAKES LESS THAN 2 MINUTES TO LEAVE THE VOICEMAIL. 
–

Sincerely,

Reyna Montoya
Arizona DREAM Act Coalition
S.U.F.F.R.A.G.E Representative
www.theadac.org
480.430.9025

Humor about electrocuting human beings?  Then, I guess it’s o.k. to make jokes about the lynching of countless African-Americans during slavery and the ugly era of Jim Crow laws in America!

As a longtime advocate  of just, humane and compassionate comprehensive immigration reform and an advocate of environmental and energy stewardship, I am outraged that a “legitimate” candidate for the highest office in the land could propose such deadly and insane method for securing our borders.  Moreover, to read that that outrageous plan came from “a man of the cloth” makes it even more detestable.

Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr., Senior Pastor

FIRST INSTITUTIONAL BAPTIST CHURCH

Phoenix, AZ

Tomorrow, Tuesday June 7th 2011
5:30PM Reception, 6:00PM Program

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral: Olney Room  Gallery
100 W. Roosevelt St. at Central Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85003

RSVP Here

Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the following courageous leaders who helped pave the road to justice.

Carolinan ‘Curly’ Rosales de Hernandez

Curly devoted her life to advancing social change in Arizona, and we mourn her passage last July. She fought side-by-side with Cesar Chavez to establish the United Farm Workers in Arizona, helped build Chicanos Por La devoted 22 years of service to the Head Start program at Catholic Charities. She is sorely missed

Monsignor Antonio Sotelo

Msgr. Sotelo is a long-time advocate for the rights of immigrants and the poor and served as a vicar for Spanish-speaking Catholics for the Phoenix Catholic Diocese. Before retiring in 1999, he spent three years as pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish and 14 years as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. He still offers weekly masses and works daily in prison ministry offering sacraments and spiritual counseling.

Dr. Warren Stewart Sr.

Dr. Stewart is the Senior Pastor of the First Institutional Baptist Church of Phoenix. He is a true solider for justice and equality, having led the fight for Arizona’s recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday as a paid state holiday. Dr. Stewart is a champion for the rights of all people, including immigrants, in our state. He is a founding board member of Promise Arizona.

Neighborhood Ministries

Neighborhood Ministries is a 30-year-old faith-based organization committed to seeing God’s justice in our community and lifting up the voices of those who are silenced. They offer pre-school classes, a health clinic, college scholarships, and youth leadership development. Neighborhood Ministries is the first institutional member of Promise Arizona and was a leader in our 2010 “Faith, Hope, Vote” voter drive.

Host Committee

Olga Aros
Jan and Ed Booth
Joya Kizer Clarke
Petra Falcon
Jerri Pastor, Chair
Hilda Ortega Rosales
Ray Rosales
Billy Shields
Guadalupe Sosa Valencia