This webinar will give you key communications tools to uplift a values-based narrative and push back against anti-immigrant scapegoating, in support of the VISION Act (pending state bill which strengthens CA Values Act) and other similar policy asks. We know that hateful forces are trying to vilify and criminalize our communities. But when we uplift our values, our vision, and our stories, we can shift the bounds of what's possible.
We will start with a brief overview of the VISION Act, and will then focus largely on messaging and communications. Specifically, we will focus on the talking points and communications tactics needed to push back when law enforcement and elected officials use fear-mongering and scapegoating to exclude people with crimes from protection. Now more than ever, it is crucial that no one is left behind. This webinar is aimed at ensuring that we all have the communications tools to turn our VISION into a reality. The webinar will include interactive activities and opportunities to practice.
This webinar is brought to you in partnership with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Immigrant Defense Project, California Immigrant Policy Center, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Law Caucus.
PRESENTERS
Arianna Rosales, Communications Manager, ILRC
Arianna Rosales is the Communications Manager at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). In this role, she supports the organization's digital, marketing, and press strategy. Prior to joining the ILRC, Arianna was the Communications Manager at the New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents more than 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout the state of New York. She also spent three years working as the Deputy Editor and Production Manager at the Stanford Law School, where she managed the production of all print and digital pieces.
Arianna was born and raised in the Bay Area and is happy to call San Francisco home. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in English Literature.
Grisel Ruiz, Supervising Attorney, ILRC
Grisel Ruiz is a Supervising Attorney in San Francisco where she focuses on the intersection between immigration law and criminal law. This includes advising attorneys and advocates on the immigration consequences of criminal offenses, training on removal defense, and supporting local and statewide campaigns to push back on immigration enforcement. In addition to technical assistance, training, and campaign support in these areas, Grisel also helps lead the ILRC’s state legislative work. Grisel is currently the Board Chair for Freedom for Immigrants (formerly CIVIC), a nonprofit that advocates for detained immigrants.
Prior to working with the ILRC, Grisel was a litigation associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP and a Stimson Fellow housed at the UC Davis Law School Immigration Clinic and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. As a legal fellow, she co-founded “Know Your Rights” programs at local immigration detention centers, for which she received an award from Cosmo for Latinas.
Grisel is an immigrant herself and earned her law degree from the University of Chicago where she received the Tony Patiño Fellowship. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she dual majored in Political Science and Spanish Literature. Grisel is admitted to the bar in California is fluent in Spanish.
Stacy Suh, Nonprofit Consultant
Stacy Suh is a community organizer focusing on immigration, criminalization, race, and gender. Currently, they coordinate the ICE out of California coalition on behalf of the California Immigrant Policy Center. Additionally, Stacy is a co-founder of Survived and Punished and has led a number of successful deportation defense campaigns for criminalized immigrant and refugee survivors.
Jon Rodney, Narrative Strategy Director, Comm/Unity Network, Immigrant Defense Project
Jon convenes the Comm/Unity network, a collaborative of communicators dedicated to ending the criminalization of immigrants, as part of a broader vision for liberation. With Comm/Unity’s partners, Jon works to expand narrative opportunities to humanize all immigrants, especially people with convictions, drawing upon both research and community creativity. Jon develops messaging guidance and provides advice to campaigns at the local, state, and national levels.
Jon brings over 12 years of battle-tested strategic communications experience to IDP. He spent nine years at the California Immigrant Policy Center, leading the communications team for six years. During that time, Jon helped develop and execute communications strategy for key state legislation, including the California Values Act and the TRUST Act, as well as strong local “Sanctuary” policies. He has also supported many deportation defense campaigns for people with past arrests or convictions.
Tony, Jon’s chihuahua, maintains an extensive network of reporter relationships.
Angela Chan, Policy Director and Senior Staff Attorney, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Law Caucus
Angela Chan is the policy director and a senior staff attorney managing the Criminal Justice Reform Program at Advancing Justice–Asian Law Caucus. Angela began her work at the ALC in 2006 with a Soros Justice Fellowship, challenging language and cultural barriers impacting immigrant youth and families in the juvenile justice system. Since 2008, Angela has focused on defending and passing Sanctuary Ordinances to limit local and state law enforcement entanglement with immigration enforcement. She co-authored and collaborated with the ICE out of CA statewide coalition to pass the TRUST Act to limit responses to ICE hold requests, the TRUTH Act to require local law enforcement to provide consent forms prior to interviews with ICE, and most recently the CA Values Act (SB 54), which is the strongest and broadest Sanctuary state law in the country. Angela was named a Local Hero by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, given a Monarch Award by the Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition, selected for a 40 Under 40 Leadership Award from the New Leaders Council, and named a Best Under 40 attorney by the National Asian Pacific Bar Association.
Angela served on the San Francisco Police Commission for four years, which is a chartered city civilian commission that adjudicates officer disciplinary cases and sets policies for the police department. Angela also was an instructor for the Raza Department at San Francisco State University, teaching courses on race, crime, and justice. In addition, she was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Napoleon A. Jones
in the Southern District of California. Angela earned a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Occidental College.