Today is International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. We recognize and thank our heroic immigrant women who are the backbone of the immigrant rights movement. Your sacrifices, courage and strength build our families and our communities. Today, we honor YOU! #WELead #Cities4Citizenship
Last year, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and Jones Day Law Firm partnered to launch the innovative and transformational Women Empowered to Lead program, WE Lead, in the 7 cities of New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles. The WE Lead program is a women’s empowerment training and workforce development initiative that trains immigrant women to be Navigators to provide community based immigration legal services in their communities; create new professional opportunities for immigrant women in the legal field; develop leadership skills; and, build trusted community cohorts that support one another to pursue their professional goals.
The WE Lead program expands and deepens the Community Navigator training model, which has trained over 10,000 Community Navigators across the country to provide immigration legal services and information such as Know Your Rights, Citizenship, Deportation Defense, and DACA. Today on International Women’s Day, the WE Lead Navigators will be celebrated and recognized for the tireless work they do to bring change their communities, families and themselves.
Andrea, WE Lead Navigator, Global Cleveland
My name is Andrea, I’m from Monterrey, N.L., located on the Northeast of Mexico, I was graduated from the University Autonoma de Nuevo Leon with an International Relationships Bachelor Degree and studied a specialization in Foreign Trade. I was relocated to the United States back in 2012. I work as a Trade Compliance Professional and Global Team Lead of the Hispanic Employee Resource Group with a Manufacturing Company based in Cleveland, OH. My goal to join as a Community Navigator with Global Cleveland is because it is one of my personal values and responsibility to actively participate and volunteer in the Community, for me it is very important to exercise my civic engagement and contribute to help others in the society, at the same time to develop multicultural awareness and leverage inclusion.
Nara, WE Lead Navigator, Michigan United, Detroit
“I decided to become a WE Lead Navigator because I aspire to be on the front lines of positive change for my immigrant community. I know what it is like to need help, therefore it is with great happiness and understanding that I lend a helping hand. Too often, the immigrant community consults with attorneys who lack personal experience in the very issues for which they advocate. I am uniquely positioned to be responsive to this sensitive issue because there are no better advocates than those who are living this urgency every day. I know how unjust immigration laws are and I do not want anyone to go through what I, and millions of others, have gone through. I am living the injustice that I am trying to change. Therefore, I am pursuing a legal education because I want to be the lawyer I wish I had.”
Julieta, WE Lead Navigator, The Resurrection Project, Chicago
Julieta is a navigator who has been active with her community for many years. She is currently staffing a day at the Mexican Consulate where she is able to reach about 100 plus people a day with information about know your rights. Through the partnership with Jones Day she had the opportunity to participate in the Laredo Project where she interpreted for the Jones Day attorneys at the Laredo detention center. This opportunity reaffirmed her desire to become a DOJ accredited representative. The Resurrection Project will continue to support Julieta to reach her goals.
Bethzy, WE Lead Navigator, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) – Los Angeles, California
Bethzy was born and raised in Mexico. She came to the United States at age 15. She is the first in her family to finish high school, graduate from college and attend graduate school. Bethzy graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. Working for CHIRLA gave Bethzy the opportunity to help thousands of Dreamers to apply for DACA. Bethzy is currently working on her College Counseling certificate at UCLA in order to better help the student population that she works with. As an immigrant, Bethzy understands the struggle that many undocumented and first generation students endure while attending school. Bethzy joined CHIRLA because she believes in giving back to the community and helping others to accomplish their dreams.
Gaelle, WE Lead Navigator, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) – New York City, NY
I am a Community Navigator because I want to help my community, give them first-hand information and guide them through my community. I want to help my community with their fears. I want to teach them how to speak up even if they are immigrants; they need to know about their human rights but also their 5th amendment. Through this program, I want to become a DOJ accredited representative and also improve my public speaking skills by giving workshops and trainings.
Cinthya, WE Lead Navigator, Michigan United, Detroit
I decided to become a WE Lead Navigator because I have a deep interest in legal matters and legal practice. I’d like to continue learning about solutions and helping people find the resources they need to fulfill their goals. I have been able to refer people to the services offered at Michigan United. I would like to start grad school and continue helping people reach their objectives and improve my community.
Danielle, WE Lead Navigator – Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC) – Pittsburgh, PA
As an immigrant, I have seen the necessity of having information about our rights, trusted resources, and services that immigrants can obtain. As a WE Lead Navigator, I would like to share the information about our rights as immigrants. I want to share information of how to learn English. I want to learn English and become accredited by DOJ.
Como inmigante que soy, he visto la necesidad de tener informacion sobre los derechos, los recursos con los que cuentan, los servicos a los que se pueden acceder, siendo inmigrantes. Como Promotora de WE Lead, quiero hacer del conocimiento de los derechos que tenemos en este pais, aunque seamos inmigrantes. Quiero llevar facilidades para que aprendan el idioma ingles. Me gustaria aprender el idioma ingles y ser acreditada por el departamento de justicia (DOJ).
