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Dear Juntos Supporter, 

We here at Juntos have had quite a transformative year.  We have grown to a three person staff with a full time intern doing work ranging from youth organizing to providing help in the community with issues like deportation and worker rights. The growth has been incredible as we have many issues we need to address this coming year, such as;

• Anti-immigrant legislation similar to ones in Arizona and Alabama which have been introduced in Pennsylvania.
• The exploitation of our community in the workforce resulting in unsafe work environments and unjust pay.
• Language access inside our public schools which without  make it difficult for our youth and parents to fully engage in their education.
• The graduation rate for undocumented Latino youth in our community and their ability to access an opportunity to attend college

We face a rough road as we enter 2012 as we will be facing more cuts to public education and further attempts to push harsh anti-immigrant legislation in the state.  As conditions worsen across the country many communities are being isolated.  We know the more those in power can divide us from each other the harder it becomes for us to win as a whole.  That is why we believe that now more than ever immigrant communities need to be fighting not just for immigrant rights but for our human rights like a right to a quality education, a just workplace, and for a dignified life for everyone.We are the 99% as well.

 Just this last month we hosted an event entitled “Breaking the Isolation” with leaders and allies from other grassroots immigrant organizations from the Latino and Cambodian community here in Philadelphia.  Over 200 people were in attendance as we provided an in-depth look on how to work together to win back our dignity and human rights. We have also:

• Organized various events across the city to engage in the public debate on immigration ranging from Police-Ice collaboration, Secure Communities, and Human Rights.
• We surveyed parents, youth, and administrators from over 10 schools in South Philadelphia on what a vision for a quality education looks like. Over 50 families were trained on their education rights, hundreds attended a public forum on what immigrant-friendly schools look like led by our parent leaders, and a community platform was created based on all the above. Just this month parents met with all of their principles to share this platform in an attempt to work in collaboration with the Philadelphia School District to implement their vision.
• Our Youth Committee has been engaging in issues and workshops ranging from immigration, colleges access, and education.  They have been working closely with youth from DreamActivist PA to ensure they move forward in this fight together.
• We attended to over 200 families seeking legal referrals for labor, education, and immigration cases or other social issues.
• Proyecto Potehtli-Pinole was developed and has incorporated as a legal business cooperative called “Blue Corn Alianza” in the City of Philadelphia.  The project began with two committees being formed, one in Ozolco, Mexico and one here in Philadelphia.  Families in Mexico grow pinole, or blue corn, which is marketed and distributed to restaurants in Philadelphia through a fair-trade initiative. They have established a large client base to continue to grow their business to support families here and in Mexico.

We are very proud to say that Juntos is working hard and growing! Contributions from supporters like you make this work possible and as we continue to grow and get stronger financial support is critical.  In the upcoming year we hope to hire a new position to further organize and engage parents and workers into our fight. We are also looking into moving to a larger space to accommodate the growth of our community and staff and to provide more trainings on worker, immigrant, and education rights. 

This is where you come in!  In order to continue this work we need funding and we can’t depend on only foundations and grants in order to continue. We depend on the generosity of supporters like you. 

• $50 covers the cost of food for one of our leadership committee meetings.
• $150 covers the stipend of one core leader to attend a leadership development and organizing training. 
• $500 covers one month of rent at our current location.
• $1000 covers renting a bus to take almost 50 leaders to Harrisburg for a lobby visit.

 Please consider making a year-end, tax deductible gift to Juntos so we may continue to fight for our communities and create the change we need to see. 

Adelante!

Erika Almiron

Executive Director

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