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This may look like an ordinary stop sign.

However, for residents of Southeast Fresno, it represents a hard-fought victory in making their community safer.

Before this week, the intersection along South Avenue—a busy road cutting through city and rural farmland—was only a two-way stop. It was a dangerous crossing, and last summer, Alex Burgos, a young parishioner from St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic church, learned that firsthand when his car was T-boned by another vehicle.

“At first, I thought it was just bad luck,” Burgos said. “Then I started talking to other people in my church, and I realized I wasn’t the only one....”

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St. Francis Xavier hosted the first of several “Know Your Rights” sessions in January. These sessions, facilitated by VIP, empower immigrants by helping them understand their constitutional rights. VIP also ran a session to provide more information on immigration policies that are unfolding. 

Ildefonso Magaña, a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier, shared that his involvement in VIP has given him a new wave of hope as it provides crucial help to the Hispanic community. He also greatly appreciates the support of pastor, Fr. Bob Fambrini, SJ, whose involvement in these efforts has inspired him.  

“I have hope because the Church and different organizations [like Valley Interfaith Project] are activating themselves to help us..., shared Magaña."

Local Parishes Partner with Valley Interfaith Project to Support Parishioners on the Margins, The Catholic Sun [pdf]

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The city still hasn’t briefed Commissioners Court on their plans for Project Marvel, [Bexar County Judge] Sakai said. “That is another part of due diligence...What exactly is this thing called Project Marvel, and who's going to pay for it?...”

In 2023, leaders from COPA congregations, schools, and nonprofits spoke with over 400 families, hearing dozens of stories about families that had paid thousands of dollars in unnecessary application fees just to apply to live in an apartment. Sometimes, families learned later that the apartments they had applied for didn’t even exist.

In response, COPA leaders reached out to member institutions, building a powerful constituency across Central California. Leaders at Holy Cross engaged leaders at Temple Beth El and Mujeres en Acción, who in turn reached out to other institutions as the team grew. All in all, 13 institutions joined the process and, together, built a relationship with Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin.

COPA leaders:

• researched the issue with state policy experts and attorneys - worked with Assemblywoman Pellerin to craft new legislation, 
• testified in both the Assembly and State Senate (in 3 different languages!) and 
• overcame vested opposition by crafting a compromise with power groups.

Over the last two years, faith, labor and civic institutions across Louisiana have built the largest network of solar-powered resilience hubs in the world, in partnership with the Industrial Areas Foundation.  With a fresh investment of $500,000, they launched their 17th community lighthouse. 

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Two more Shreveport churches now have the financial support needed to transform themselves into solar-powered disaster shelters after a Caddo Parish Commission vote. 

The Commission at its Thursday meeting approved using $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to make Galilee Baptist Church and Willow Chute Baptist Church into "Community Lighthouses," doubling the number of solar-powered neighborhood hubs set to be operating in Shreveport in the coming year...

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The Trump administration has expanded immigration enforcement to include schools and places of worship, reversing long-standing guidance.

This policy change has prompted...Valley Interfaith Project in Phoenix to take action, educating religious congregations about their rights and protections under the law.

"They've definitely ratcheted up in intensity," said Mike, a board member of the Valley Interfaith Project, referring to the increased urgency felt by the community.

Valley Faith Leaders Collaborate to Safeguard... Immigrants in Places of Worship, ABC 15 Arizona [pdf]

“We were told there will be jobs for the communities, hotels, restaurants, stores — empty promises,” said Darīus Lemelle, a leader with St. Paul United Methodist Church - COPS/Metro.

“That we see leaders continue to allow these developers to take our tax dollars for private investment, I say no more.”

The meetings follow a public call by Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai for more clarity on what the project will cost and how it will be paid for before he could agree to a venue tax election requested by the San Antonio Spurs’ basketball team owners....

[T]own hall attendees... frequently expressed their ire for a proposed new stadium after several said the arena failed to deliver in terms of economic development for the East Side.

Many said they oppose any new taxes to pay for it.

“Our tax money is better spent on what the East Side needs — more green spaces, workforce development and opportunities, and affordable housing and access to healthcare facilities and quality health care,” said Stewart Blanton, also speaking on behalf of COPS/Metro Alliance.

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Omaha Together One Community (OTOC) leaders conducted more than 100 meetings over the past three years with Nebraska agricultural, health-care, labor, education, hospitality, philanthropic, faith, construction, immigrant, legal, banking, and community leaders to learn more about our workforce needs.

We learned [for example] that an owner of a dairy farm had been awake for almost 48 hours milking his cows because his short-term immigrant staff had to leave Nebraska when their work visas expired. We heard of immigrants with work visas who can come to the U.S. with their families, but their spouses and working-age children are not allowed to work....

According to a recent study funded by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 'There is universal and widespread business support for immigration reform as a means to address the workforce gap in Nebraska....'

As result of these meetings, a statewide non-partisan alliance has formed. The Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities includes leaders from across the state. This 70-member Alliance agrees on a common-sense set of immigration priorities to enrich our communities and address Nebraska’s workforce shortage.

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In December, more than 1,000 people packed an athletic arena at St. Mary’s University to launch a yearlong celebration of the organization’s 50-year history — and to plan for its future. Sitting with their churches amid the electric energy of a political rally, the crowd cheered as their pastors and lay leaders secured commitments from the city’s political and business leaders to work together on a variety of initiatives.

They are also the leading example of a movement that has revitalized a strategy of community organizing that originally spread throughout the U.S. at the tail end of the Great Depression....Led by Ernesto Cortés Jr., COPS revised [Saul] Alinsky’s tactics to push more deeply into congregations, especially Catholic parishes, developing the organizing skills of their lay members, particularly women, and turning them into community leaders….

His “genius” was seeing “the potential in people that others overlooked, even that they couldn’t see in themselves” and “working patiently with them,” said Joe Rubio, who took over Cortés’ position as West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation co-director in 2021….

COPS/Metro is the founding member of the West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation, a regional affiliate for the IAF, where Cortés’ model of empowering lay members of congregations has spread to its chapters from California to Nebraska to Louisiana.

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"More than 1,100 community leaders of COPS/Metro gathered at St. Mary’s University’s Bill Greehey Arena on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the launch of its 50th anniversary celebration, and to chart a path forward for their organizing plans for the coming year to invest in job training, quality schools, better healthcare, gun safety, and protection for immigrants through a parish ID program.

“We believe that investing in buildings is not going to bring about economic development,” Drennan said. “You all, everyone in here, is worth more than any building ever built in the city.”