Almost a year after Hurricane Beryl and a derecho windstorm made thousands of homes inhabitable, TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) leaders and allies persuaded the City of Houston to boost funding for home repair from zero to $50 million, using federal disaster recovery dollars. 

After California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to drop undocumented immigrants from the state health insurance rolls, 120 California IAF leaders and allies traveled to the capitol by bus and persuaded legislators to restore access to the program.

“Immigrants pay taxes. They work in our communities with no safety nets," said COPA (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action) Leader Mary Litel Walsh. “We came hundreds of miles from all over the state...took time off of work and away from our families to be here today. Why?

Because we need our legislators to fight for us.

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From KSAT:

“Many of our families are experiencing layoffs from their jobs. And families are being squeezed with cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. And here you are proposing a venue tax for yet another arena?" said Debra Garrett, a COPS/Metro leader with Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, who urged the county to spend money on raising county wages, affordable housing and infrastructure.

Written by Rabbi Katie Mizrahi and Reverend Sheri Fry

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Many of our sacred texts and traditions, including Jewish and Christian, call us to protect the vulnerable, liberate the oppressed, and respect the dignity of workers. Gov. Jared Polis had the opportunity to live out the spirit of these traditions when the historic Worker Protection Act came to his desk last week. Unfortunately, he sided with corporate interests and a broken status quo.

In the final days of May, AMOS gathered 100 Iowans from 24 communities across the state for a seminar at Iowa State University focusing on the 1980s Farm Crisis.  The seminar was organized by AMOS leaders from 17 member institutions and 3 rural communities currently exploring AMOS membership.  

The daylong event focused on the research of Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg and her book "When a Dream Dies."  In small groups, urban and rural Iowans shared powerful stories from the Farm Crisis and re-imagined how local institutions organizing together could impact the pressures impacting families across the state today.  AMOS' next steps include 3 summer training opportunities in Northeast and Central Iowa towards the launch of local house meeting organizing campaigns this fall. 

Omaha Together One Community (OTOC) and allies held a Stand in Solidarity Event to show broad support for immigrant and refugee families, who have long been a part of the fabric of their Nebraska community.

The action featured a powerful lineup of speakers, including OTOC faith and labor leaders and key allies: the president and CEO of Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, president of Nebraska State AFL-CIO, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, co-founder of the Afghan American Foundation, and the CEO of the Latino Economic Development Council. 

Last week, Central Valley IAF Sponsoring Committee (CVIAF) drew a crowd of leaders to Fresno City Hall to oppose the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) —a massive, 9,000-acre housing proposal that would redirect billions in taxpayer dollars away from Fresno’s existing neighborhoods. If approved, the project could saddle current and future residents with higher taxes and service rates for generations.

Nearly 300 leaders and guests of Central Valley IAF gathered at Westside Church of God for an impressive Community Assembly rooted in democracy, solidarity, and action.

After nearly three years of organizing, EPISO-Border Interfaith leaders from Bauman Rd celebrated a major victory Wednesday: the City of Socorro revised its “Arterial 1” proposal, renouncing its initial plan to build a major road through the heart of their neighborhood. The move would have impacted over 100 families and displaced dozens of longtime residents—many elderly and living on fixed incomes—who had spent decades building their homes.

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As the first-ever American pope takes to the throne of St. Peter on Sunday, immigration advocates in the Valley hope his past can bring change to the future.

“As we’re beginning to learn more about Pope Leo, we have someone who understands the American context and the Latin American context,” said Joe Rubio, the director at Arizona Interfaith Network.