Friday, June 16, 2017
2:30 - 3:30 Fear, Family, and Deportation:
The Impacts of Immigration Policies Under the New Administration
2:30 - 3:30 Fear, Family, and Deportation:
The Impacts of Immigration Policies Under the New Administration
Image Credit: Norman Jean Roy
Alicia Contreras | Executive Director, Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation
Alicia Contreras is currently the Executive Director of the East Bay Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation (SSCF) in Oakland California. Before 2015, Alicia was the Executive Director of Women Pushing Forward (Formerly Whirlwind Women). Alicia is a wheelchair rider and a citizen of Mexico. While in the US as a New Voices Fellow, she received the American Association for People with Disabilities' Paul Hearne Award. In San Luis Potosí (SLP), Alicia negotiated the first city funding for disabled people and founded the first independent living center for women in Mexico. In 1995, Alicia was the Mexican Delegate to United Nations/NGO Forum in Beijing.
Mailing address: Alicia Contreras 1470 Fruitvale Ave. Oakland, CA94601 Ph. (510)261-7839 x.36
Alicia Contreras is currently the Executive Director of the East Bay Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation (SSCF) in Oakland California. Before 2015, Alicia was the Executive Director of Women Pushing Forward (Formerly Whirlwind Women). Alicia is a wheelchair rider and a citizen of Mexico. While in the US as a New Voices Fellow, she received the American Association for People with Disabilities' Paul Hearne Award. In San Luis Potosí (SLP), Alicia negotiated the first city funding for disabled people and founded the first independent living center for women in Mexico. In 1995, Alicia was the Mexican Delegate to United Nations/NGO Forum in Beijing.
Mailing address: Alicia Contreras 1470 Fruitvale Ave. Oakland, CA94601 Ph. (510)261-7839 x.36
Yanira Arias | National Campaigns Manager, Alianzas America
Yanira Arias joined the Alianza Americas staff team in August, 2014 followed by the need of coordinated actions in response to the detention and stigmatization of thousands of Central American children and their families at the U.S southern border. By December 2014 she becomes Alianza Americas new National Campaigns Manger. A native of El Salvador, she brings more than a decade of experience in the field of public health, with special expertise in community mobilization and participation, community organizing and capacity building to address health disparities and social justice issues. From 2003 to 2012 Yanira was part of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York, where she served as Director of Community Organizing for the Latinos in the Deep South. In that role, she led the development and implementation of the Dennis deLeon Sustainable Leadership Institute for emerging leaders in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Salvadoran American National Network (SANN) and has been an active Alianza Americas member for many years. Since 2008 has been actively supporting local leaders in the Puerto Rico on issues related to LGBTQI health equity and human rights, in 2010 helped with the development the Citizens Alliance for LGBTT Health. Yanira graduated from the University of El Salvador in 1996, one of the top two Colleges in the country, with a focus in journalism. Yanira is based in the Bay Area of northern California, home of our member CARECEN of San Francisco.
Yanira Arias joined the Alianza Americas staff team in August, 2014 followed by the need of coordinated actions in response to the detention and stigmatization of thousands of Central American children and their families at the U.S southern border. By December 2014 she becomes Alianza Americas new National Campaigns Manger. A native of El Salvador, she brings more than a decade of experience in the field of public health, with special expertise in community mobilization and participation, community organizing and capacity building to address health disparities and social justice issues. From 2003 to 2012 Yanira was part of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York, where she served as Director of Community Organizing for the Latinos in the Deep South. In that role, she led the development and implementation of the Dennis deLeon Sustainable Leadership Institute for emerging leaders in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She is a member of the Executive Committee of Salvadoran American National Network (SANN) and has been an active Alianza Americas member for many years. Since 2008 has been actively supporting local leaders in the Puerto Rico on issues related to LGBTQI health equity and human rights, in 2010 helped with the development the Citizens Alliance for LGBTT Health. Yanira graduated from the University of El Salvador in 1996, one of the top two Colleges in the country, with a focus in journalism. Yanira is based in the Bay Area of northern California, home of our member CARECEN of San Francisco.
Matthew Weisner | Senior Immigration Attorney, CARECEN
Matthew Weisner is a Senior Immigration Attorney for CARECEN’s Immigration Legal Program. Matthew received his B.A. with High Honors from UC Santa Barbara, his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law, and was admitted to the California Bar in December 2013. Matthew worked previously as the Supervising Immigration Attorney at Catholic Charities of the East Bay and as a UC Davis Law Fellow with Pangea Legal Services. Matthew represents clients in asylum and special immigrant juvenile status cases, in addition to family based petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing, inadmissibility waivers, U-Visas, T-Visas, Temporary Protected Status, DACA, and naturalization. Matthew is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG).
Matthew Weisner is a Senior Immigration Attorney for CARECEN’s Immigration Legal Program. Matthew received his B.A. with High Honors from UC Santa Barbara, his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law, and was admitted to the California Bar in December 2013. Matthew worked previously as the Supervising Immigration Attorney at Catholic Charities of the East Bay and as a UC Davis Law Fellow with Pangea Legal Services. Matthew represents clients in asylum and special immigrant juvenile status cases, in addition to family based petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing, inadmissibility waivers, U-Visas, T-Visas, Temporary Protected Status, DACA, and naturalization. Matthew is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG).
Michelle Garcia | Community Organizer, Access Living
Michelle Garcia has been working for Access Living as the Latino Community Organizer since 2009 in which she took a personal interest, particularly that of educating and collaborating with the Latino community about disability rights and services. Through her work, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with other Latino groups and organizations that work within the Latino Community which has helped expand their knowledge about disability related issues. She is the coordinator of a Latino advocacy group called Cambiando Vidas, whose mission is to create social change within the Latino Community.
As a Community Organizer, she is responsible for increasing the number of Latino leaders with disabilities; as well as to raise awareness of disability issues such as: Immigration, Transportation, Civil Rights, and Self-Esteem within the Latino community; through organizing educational forums in different areas of the city with most Latino population, to educate Latinos with disabilities about disability rights and services.
Michelle Garcia has been working for Access Living as the Latino Community Organizer since 2009 in which she took a personal interest, particularly that of educating and collaborating with the Latino community about disability rights and services. Through her work, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with other Latino groups and organizations that work within the Latino Community which has helped expand their knowledge about disability related issues. She is the coordinator of a Latino advocacy group called Cambiando Vidas, whose mission is to create social change within the Latino Community.
As a Community Organizer, she is responsible for increasing the number of Latino leaders with disabilities; as well as to raise awareness of disability issues such as: Immigration, Transportation, Civil Rights, and Self-Esteem within the Latino community; through organizing educational forums in different areas of the city with most Latino population, to educate Latinos with disabilities about disability rights and services.