NOW Shares Leadership Role at Meeting of the National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights

June 17, 2008

By Pat Reuss, Senior Policy Analyst

The National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights (NCIWR) held its first face-to-face meeting on June 12 in Washington, D.C. NOW is one of three members of the coalition's steering committee, with the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

Twenty of NCIWR's 40 member organizations from across the country gathered to reaffirm the coalition's commitment to protecting the rights of and promoting fair and equitable treatment for immigrant women and their families, and to lay the groundwork for the coalition's efforts regarding upcoming federal immigration legislation and other matters relating to immigrant women and children.

Part of the day was spent reviewing the progress of immigration legislation during the 110th Congress and sharing concerns and support for many important pieces of legislation, including an anti-shackling bill, the DREAM, STRIVE and SAVE Acts and the Health Equity and Accountability Act.

The group was briefed by our congressional and coalition allies, including Noelle Lee, health staffer for Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), Michelle Brane from the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and Pabitra Benjamin from the Rights Working Group. NCIWR members listened in horror to Branes' recounting of visits to detention centers and reports of sexual assault and harsh treatment of pregnant detainees.

The coalition also agreed to support the "Night of 1,000 Conversations," which strives to open up a dialogue about the rights and dignity of immigrants and the cruel intrusion of the Department of Homeland Security into the lives of hard-working immigrant women and men. And finally, the group began planning for NCIWR's "Immigrant Women's Liberation Project" to expose the inhumane treatment of women during raids, detention and deportation procedures.

NOW representatives included Executive Vice President Olga Vives, Senior Policy Analyst Pat Reuss, Field Director Jan Strout and Policy Assistant Susan Stanton. The Ms. Foundation and the Ford Foundation provided modest seed money for scholarships to allow coalition members to attend the convening session.

Participants were excited about the ability to connect with and learn from so many wonderful, insightful, and diverse people. One participant, when evaluating the day, said: "I have finally seen how important it is to have people working for immigrants, for women's rights, for stopping violence and for civil liberties to all be in the same room sharing information and working together." That is in fact the mission of the National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights.

More information about this important issue and how to join the coalition or receive updates and the newsletter is available online at NOW's immigration website, or by contacting Priscilla Huang of NAPAWF.

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