Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition

2020 - Year in Review

To say 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed the ways that we understand public health, allocation of resources, individual and communal care, and our state of mind.

At Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition (PICC), we are honored to be a part of the movement for immigrant and refugee justice and the collective work that is needed to support and uplift our communities in today’s rapidly changing political climate. During the pandemic, we expanded our work to provide immediate support to our staff, coalition members, and community leaders, while continuing the long-term work of systems change. As we reflect on the past year, we would like to share with you some of our accomplishments.

Advocacy
Tuition Equity

In 2020, PICC brought together coalition partners, youth leaders, educators, and university representatives for monthly meetings, and developed a campaign structure, goals, and strategies to pass tuition equity legislation in Pennsylvania.
We are excited to fully launch the campaign in early 2021. 
Welcoming Schools

In April, PICC released the 2020 Welcoming Schools report outlining the experiences of immigrant and refugee students in schools, and conducted over 10 workshops with students and parents presenting information on how to pass welcoming policies in schools, access to higher education, and know your rights for young people.
Enforcement Resistance
 

PICC facilitated a series conversations with PICC members and partners on how to
coordinate the different levels of enforcement resistance work happening across the
state. Members identified three priorities that PICC will focus on:

  • Expanding municipal “sanctuary” policies across Pennsylvania,
  • Reducing the number of detention beds, and
  • Passing state policies to limit collaboration with immigration enforcement
Priority Campaigns
Driving PA Forward

The Driving PA Forward coalition introduced legislation to grant driver’s licenses to all,
regardless of immigration status in September 2020.

As a member of the coalition, PICC provided research and communications support to the campaign.
Shut Down Berks

PICC continues to actively support the campaign to Shut Down Berks. Highlights from 2020 include: a series of actions that generated hundreds of calls to Governor Wolf demanding freedom for immigrant families and children, car caravans outside the Berks Family Residential Center calling for children and families to be released, and socially-distant holiday vigil.
Capacity Building
Community Navigator Program

In 2020, PICC held 2 Community Navigator trainings series, including virtual training sessions on Know Your Rights, U.S. immigration laws and executive orders,
and basics of legislative advocacy and immigrant-led
messaging.
Educational
Webinars

PICC hosted over 10 webinars on topics such as Sanctuary Cities, Criminalization and
Immigrant Detention, Voter Rights, and Civics and Effective Advocacy.
Racial Justice Conversation

At the request of member organizations,  PICC designed and facilitated
a series of conversations on racial justice, systems of oppression, criminalization and immigration, and allyship.
Youth Organizing Project
 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, PICC shifted to a virtual Annual Youth Convening bringing together 15 young people between 14-25 years old from cities across Pennsylvania. Youth leaders focused on organizing, leadership development, education justice, wellness and community building.

PICC Youth membership grew to over 50 members in 2020. Youth members organized monthly membership meetings, hosted public meetings for all interested immigrant and
refugee youth, and led virtual education sessions after the June 2020 court decision reinstating DACA.
Civic Engagement

In 2020, PICC led a robust outreach, conducting a series of voter education for the primary and general elections. 

  • Registered over 16,000 new citizen voters.
  • Recruited over 50 volunteers
  • Hosted over 25 volunteer trainings
  • Over 42,200 voter education calls
  • Over 3,800 voter contacts
  • Over 20,500 voter education texts
PA is Ready!

In 2020, 37 organizations submitted proposals totaling over $640,000. PA is Ready! was able to provide $227,768 in grants to 22 groups communities across Pennsylvania. Funding expanded access to information, leadership development and legal assistance for immigrants and refugees, including those facing

PA Immigrant Relief Fund

In the first weeks of the pandemic, over 40 organizations came together to form the PA Immigrant Relief Fund, a  statewide fund that provided direct emergency assistance to people excluded from federal COVID-19 assistance programs due to their immigration status or the immigration status of a family member and were in need of immediate financial assistance.

Between April and October 2020, 33 organizations distributed $800 in cash assistance to 859 individuals across Pennsylvania. Recipients came from diverse backgrounds, with approximately 62% Latinx, 7% Asian, and 9% Black.
 
Thank you!

This strength, resilience, and growth would not be possible without our interns, volunteers, and coalition members and leaders who show up with unwavering dedication and compassion to build a statewide immigrant rights movement. We are also deeply grateful to our generous and loyal supporters as well as the Board of Directors for believing in this critical work.

- Anita, Prudence, Sayeeda, Sundrop, Yeny, Vlad

If you would like to read more about about PICC's work this year, please visit our 2020 Annual Report.

Please Donate to PICC!

PICC depends upon your support. Please donate to PICC today to support our work to mobilize the immigrant vote, build immigrant leaders, campaign for pro-immigrant policies at the local, state and federal levels, and support the effective implementation of pro-immigrant public policies.
 
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Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition

2100 Arch Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103

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