2008 Koshland Connect - The San Francisco Foundation

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2007 West Berkeley alameda Lamont Snaer Lamont Snaer is the director of the Family Resource Center at Rosa Parks Elementary School and coordinator for the Rosa Parks Collaborative. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Lamont came to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley and began to do activism on campus. He also volunteered as a mentor for low-income children in Berkeley and Oakland, which eventually led him to Rosa Parks Elementary. He has worked for the Collaborative for six years at the school, at first coordinating afterschool programs for students and their parents, and then directing the Family Resource Center that provides individual and family counseling, case management, dental, and vision services. He works closely and tirelessly with the principal, the PTA, and counselors to address the issues of poverty, drug abuse, domestic violence, and immigration issues that the Rosa Parks’ families face. Ana Traylor Ana grew up in West Berkeley, attended Berkeley public schools, and completed both her Bachelor’s in Social Welfare and Master’s of Public Policy degrees at UC Berkeley. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Public Policy at UC Berkeley with research focusing on racial and ethnic health and education inequities, while working as a research and evaluation consultant for Kaiser Permanente. Ana has remained involved in West Berkeley and passionate about the youth and families of her community. She is currently board president of Stiles Hall, a community service organization that provides long-term mentoring, tutoring, and college outreach to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ana is also chair of the Alameda County Public Health Commission and a member of the West Berkeley Foundation board. 10
Neighborhood and Faith Leaders Focus on Reforms and Stronger Collaborations at Immigration Symposium Built by the sweat of immigrants seeking escape from economic and political poverty in countries across the globe, the United States demonstrates the power of diversity in building a strong, democratic society. These values are embodied in the inscription of often-quoted lines from Emma Lazarus’s poem on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Despite our history as an immigrant nation, today’s political climate harkens back to the previous eras of immigrant-blame suffered by Irish, Chinese, and Catholic newcomers to America. Across the country, Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids are on the increase; last year there were 30,407 arrests nationwide, nearly double the year before. Many of the leaders celebrated by the Koshland Program have been directly impacted by ICE raids, including deportations of friends and constituents and heightened tensions within their communities. When canvassed by Koshland staff, our Koshland Community Fellows shared their eagerness to come together across the Bay Area to share strategies and learn how immigration policies affect their neighborhoods. In partnership with the FAITHS and Social Justice Programs of The San Francisco Foundation, and capitalizing on their expertise on immigration, the Koshland Program convened Building Inclusive Communities: A Regional Symposium on Current Immigration Issues, in June 2008. There was a palpable necessity of such a gathering amongst the more than 100 eager participants from the Koshland, FAITHS, and broader San Francisco Foundation grantee networks who participated in the conversations and workshops. To effectively tackle issues such as affordable housing, violence, education, and healthcare, it is essential to understand what is at stake in a community. As immigration policy remains unresolved, many documented and undocumented individuals become ever more invisible, making the task of addressing these issues that much more difficult. This summit built on years of grantmaking and convening work by the Social Justice and FAITHS Programs focusing on building relationships and collaboration between newcomers and long-term residents, increasing immigrant civic engagement, and support for comprehensive immigration reform. Reverend Kelvin Sauls inspires the crowd, with co-presenters Ana Pérez and Bill Ong Hing. A lively panel discussion kicked off the event, featuring Bill Ong Hing, founder of Immigrant Legal Resource Center and professor at UC Davis, Ana Pérez, executive director of the Central American Resource Center, and Reverend Kelvin Sauls, director of congregational development for the United Methodist Church, co-founder of Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and a member of the Koshland Committee. These panelists put the presence of millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States in the larger context of a global economy, where tens of millions of people are migrants, many of whom are forced to leave their home countries by desperate economic conditions. The speakers also articulated the significance of race in immigration policy both historically and today, making a compelling case that immigration is a racial justice issue that can only be fully addressed by creating multicultural alliances in local communities and neighborhoods. Activists and local leaders then participated in spirited conversations and cross-examinations in six workshops. Topics included immigration raids and enforcement, building multi-racial alliances, immigration 101, promoting citizenship and civic engagement, mobilizing the immigrant vote, and demystifying the economics of immigration. Many of these discussions examined broader concerns facing Bay Area neighborhoods. Learning symposiums like this are just one of the ways that both the Koshland and FAITHS Programs engage local experts. Bringing these leaders together offers opportunities to share experiences and learn from others in the region. Community leaders attended the symposium not only to address the critical social issue of immigration, but also to build alliances across cultures and share innovations in dealing with social inequities that know no borders. 11
Page 1 and 2: 8 introducing the 2007 koshland fel
Page 3 and 4: marin san francisco 6 10 19 15 5 13
Page 5 and 6: koshland civic unity awards Each ye
Page 7 and 8: The Koshland Program recognizes the
Page 9: Gerardo Marin Gerardo, fondly known
Page 13 and 14: 2004-2009 Iron Triangle richmond In
Page 15 and 16: After founding and operating CFED f
Page 17 and 18: 2004-2009 Jordan Simmons iron trian
Page 19 and 20: The impact of the conference on our
Page 21 and 22: West Berkeley Fellows [July 24, 200
Page 23 and 24: Marcela C. Medina is vice president

2008 Koshland Connect - The San Francisco Foundation

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