FaithAction International House http://faihouse.org A Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, Service & Advocacy Wed, 16 May 2012 21:28:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Vigil for Immigrant Justice and Orfilia Reyes-Sagastume! http://faihouse.org/2012/05/vigil-for-immigrant-justice-and-orfilia-reyes-sagastume/ http://faihouse.org/2012/05/vigil-for-immigrant-justice-and-orfilia-reyes-sagastume/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 13:36:14 +0000 rachel http://faihouse.org/?p=1929 [...]]]>

On Tuesday, May 15th, join FaithAction, AFSC, the Immigrant Rights Working Group of Greensboro, and the Center for New North Carolinians at Our Lady of Grace Church for a vigil for immigrant justice in light of the threat of deportation to a beloved mother and community member.  Orfilia Reyes-Sagastume fled from Guatemala in 1990 because of political persecution and violence, because her life and the life of her family depended on it.  She raised a few wonderful children in North Carolina (including former Guilford Tech student and DREAMer, Fredd Reyes who had been detained last year and then was released in large part to local advocacy), but now faces deportation back to a very dangerous country, devastating her family and friends.  Requests have been made by her legal team to reopen her case, but they have been refused.  She has no criminal history, or other history of immigration violations other than overstaying her visa to seek protection in the United States.  Orfilia’s family and friends love her and need her to stay.  Please sign and share the following petition for Orfilia today - http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-deportation-of-orfilia-sagastume-reyes-mother-of-u-s-citizen.

]]> http://faihouse.org/2012/05/vigil-for-immigrant-justice-and-orfilia-reyes-sagastume/feed/ 0 From Strangers to Neighbors http://faihouse.org/2012/05/from-strangers-to-neighbors/ http://faihouse.org/2012/05/from-strangers-to-neighbors/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 12:40:07 +0000 rachel http://faihouse.org/?p=1933 [...]]]> Last Tuesday evening Zaytoon’s Restaurant was filled with wonderful food, and our tremendously diverse community connecting across lines of faith and culture for our firstStranger to Neighbor Dialogue. Our featured Latino speakers shared their immigration stories and experiences of living in Greensboro.  Many in the room were not aware of just how diverse our Latino population is in profession, dialect and culture, or how difficult life is for many new immigrant families who live in fear of being detained and deported.  Strangers used stories, food, laughter and tears to become neighbors, and each person left feeling more educated and closer to their community.  Thank you to our wonderful speakers, to our interns that helped coordinate the event, Jessica, Danielle and Ashlene from Elon University, and Rafealla Smith-Fiallo from UNCG and Martha Sosa, to Todd Drake for his affecting photographs, and to our board member and Zaytoon’s owner Annah Awartani for hosting!

]]> http://faihouse.org/2012/05/from-strangers-to-neighbors/feed/ 0 International Food Drive for our Newest Neighbors in Need http://faihouse.org/2012/05/international-food-drive-for-our-newest-neighbors-in-need/ http://faihouse.org/2012/05/international-food-drive-for-our-newest-neighbors-in-need/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 11:42:38 +0000 rachel http://faihouse.org/?p=1939 [...]]]> FaithAction is in need of individuals and congregations to collect ethnic foods for a Spring food drive to assist our newest immigrant and refugee neighbors!  Throughout the Spring, please join us in collecting the following foods (as requested from our immigrant and refugee clients):
  • Rice
  • Oil
  • Bread
  • Fresh fruits & veggies (plantains)
  • Frozen meats- rather than canned
  • Canned Tuna- rather than imitation crab or patties
  • Cup of Noodle or Maruchan- rather than canned soups
  • Dried or plain-canned Beans- rather than BBQ or sauce-based
  • ‘Maseca’ (corn flour) or corn tortillas- rather than flour tortillas
The food will be sent to our partners at the International Food  Pantry at the Servant Center to help feed our immigrant and refugee neighbors in need.
]]> http://faihouse.org/2012/05/international-food-drive-for-our-newest-neighbors-in-need/feed/ 0 Interns working with FaithAction http://faihouse.org/2012/03/interns-working-with-faithaction/ http://faihouse.org/2012/03/interns-working-with-faithaction/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:25:50 +0000 rachel http://faihouse.org/?p=1769 [...]]]> “We were lucky to have 9 outstanding interns working with FaithAction this semester, representing Guilford College, UNCG, NC A&T, and Elon University.  Interns have been helping staff with outreach to immigrant and refugee communities, client assistance, communications and research work.  Interns also received monthly immigration and diversity leadership trainings, and were tasked with producing one newspaper editorial or blog based on what they learned. “

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