From the Blog
Immigrant rights is one of the defining civil rights struggles of our time. Our work at the Council focuses on providing faith-based resources for congregations to think and speak theologically about our encounters with our neighbors. At the same time, we are helping to mobilize people of faith, connecting them with grassroots movements and legislative efforts to empower immigrants here in North Carolina.
Background
Since its inception more than 75 years ago, the Council has been actively pursuing a platform of peace and social justice across the state. One of the founding issues for us in 1935 was opposition to segregation and support for racial justice; the Council has long supported the rights of vulnerable and excluded people.
Our commitment to the local immigrant community expands to advocating for the rights of farmworkers, refugees, asylees, and migrants from all over the world. This commitment remains consistent with our founding principles since current immigrants (especially those who are not documented) are a significant population of vulnerable and excluded people. Recently, we helped to organize the Ecumenical Immigration Alliance – a statewide, interfaith coalition of people of faith affirming hospitality over hostility when it comes our immigrant neighbors.
- American Friends Service Committee (statewide)
- Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (Newton Grove)
- FaithAction International House (Greensboro)
- Farmworker Advocacy Network (statewide)
- Centro La Comunidad (Burlington)
- Centro Latino of Hickory (Hickory)
- Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (CIMA) (Western NC)
- El Centro Hispano (Durham)
- El Futuro (Carrboro, Durham, Siler City)
- El Pueblo (Raleigh)
- The Hispanic League (Winston-Salem)
- Hispanic Liaison / El Vínculo Hispano (Chatham County)
- Latin American Women’s Association (Charlotte)
- National Farm Worker Ministry
- NC Justice Center (statewide)
- Siembra NC (Greensboro)
- Join the NC Sanctuary Coalition: contact Emily Rhyne at emily@solidaritycollective.org
- Become a part of FaithAction International House’s Stranger to Neighbor Program: The Stranger to Neighbor Congregations Initiative builds transformational relationships between theologically and culturally diverse faith communities through four steps – education, exchange, faith in action, and telling the story. With the help of a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., we pair dozens of diverse congregations together across North Carolina and the nation, providing training, consultation, and seed grants to faith communities interested in taking the stranger to neighbor journey. For more information please contact Rev. David Fraccaro at dfraccaro@faihouse.org or 336-508-8347.
Important Bills:
- HB 311: Safer Roads and Communities Act of 2021 : would provide drivers licenses to immigrants with limited or no status.
- SB 101 & HB 62: would require cooperation between NC Sheriffs and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and would punish cities who refuse to collaborate.
Calls to Action:
