Arizona Freedom Summer : AZ IMC

Join the Repeal Coalition in beautiful Northern Arizona for
Freedom Summer and return empowered to strengthen movements in your home town.

When: June 28th through August 1st
Where: Flagstaff, Arizona
Why: To network, acquire skills in canvassing, and to build community support for the Repeal Coalition’s campaign to repeal all anti-immigrant laws in Arizona
About the Repeal Coalition:

We are an organization committed to repealing over 60 immigrant laws and bills that have been passed or considered by Arizona politicians in the past few years. Our strategy is to build a grass roots social movement that can repeal these laws, change the terms of the national debate on immigration, and expand the freedom of all people— documented and undocumented. This is where we need your help.

What you’ll do: Volunteers will help us organize target communities in support of repeal. To do this, you will knock on doors, make phone calls, help organize house meetings, create and distribute literature, and help network with organizations in Flagstaff and throughout Arizona.

Ven a colaborar con “Repeal Coalition” (RC) en el Hermoso norte de Arizona
Verano de libertad
Y regresa listo a aumentar movimientos en tu pueblo
Cuándo: el 28 de junio hasta el 1 de agosto
Dónde: Flagstaff, Arizona
Porque: Para crear redes, adquirir habilidades en “Canvassing”, y
construir apoyo comunitario para ayuda el RC en su campaña de
eliminar todos los leyes contra los inmigrantes.

Sobre RC:
Somos una organización dedicada a la eliminación de más de 60 leyes que los políticos de Arizona han ratificado o que están considerando. Nuestra estrategia es construir un movimiento social basada en la comunidad que puede eliminar esas leyes. También queremos cambiar los términos del debate nacional, y ampliar las libertades de todos los seres humanos- con documentación o sin. Con ese aspecto necesitamos tu ayuda.

Que vas a hacer?: Los voluntarios van a ayudarnos en la organización de comunidades que apoyan el RC. Para hacer eso, vas a ir casa a casa, vas a hacer llamadas telefónicas, vas a organizar reuniones caseras, vas a crear y distribuir literatura, y vas a ayudar en la creación de redes entre otras organizaciones en Flagstaff y en Arizona.

“We demand the repeal of all laws—federal, state, and local—that degrade and discriminate against undocumented individuals and that deny U.S. citizens their lawful rights. We demand that all human beings—with papers or without—be guaranteed access to work, housing, health care, education, legal protection, and other public benefits, as well as the right to organize” --from the Repeal Resolution

We in the Repeal Coalition are so excited that you are interested in joining in us in Arizona for an important summer and moment in the immigration movement. We’ve been working hard to put together this “Freedom Summer” and we want to take a moment to provide you with a better understanding of our organization and reiterate some important points and dates.

Flagstaff’s Repeal Coalition is committed to a strategy of building a community movement to fight Arizona’s increasingly oppressive, dehumanizing, and white supremacist laws. We are committed to a proactive strategy, one that can address the immediate needs of our community as well as develop a political solution: that all people— documented or undocumented—have the right to live, love, and work anywhere they please. We believe that if we can build this movement, not only can we affect immigration laws and policies locally, but we can change the debate around immigration in America.

The Repeal Coalition is hoping to develop a third pole in the immigration debate that is raging in Arizona and throughout the country. The two camps that have a stronghold in Arizona are the white nativists—who use patriotism and security to mask their blatant racial oppression, and xenophobic goals—and the business class—who simply want to exploit migrant labor. This is unacceptable. The Repeal Coalition is hoping to shift the terms of the debate toward a third option: the state of Arizona welcomes humans of all nations, and pledges to respect their dignity and their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

The Flagstaff Repeal Coalition has spent the last year trying to fulfill three goals:

1
To develop deep roots in the immigrant community
2
Provide mutual assistance and legal aid
3
To pass the “Repeal Resolution”, and in doing so change the national debate

In order to reach these goals we’ve spent a large part of this year door knocking, organizing house meetings, and planning community events. Door knocking has been our main tactic. We believe that the best way to develop relationships with our community is to spend a lot of time listening; listening to their fears, their needs, their questions, and engaging them in a political strategy.

When we first began to knock on doors it was nerve racking and we weren’t sure what the reception would be to our presence. The more we knocked the easier it got and the more were able to engage with folks in their homes. People started to recognize us, and seek us out to share their story and talk about how to make Arizona a safer place to live. When ICE raided in November it was door knocking that allowed us to mobilize the community quickly and respond to their needs. During the door knocking process we collected people’s information. It was that information and the level of trust we had built with those directly affected that allowed us to spread important information, and provide direct assistance and legal aid.

This summer we plan to continue working towards our goals using these tactics. This is where you come in. We are inviting a small number of people to join us in the struggle to live, love, and work from June 28th to August 1st 2009. Slots are available for 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and 5 weeks (with priority for those willing to stay for five weeks). We are looking for folks who have or are looking to build deep roots in their own communities, are looking to develop their political organizing and leadership abilities, and who will take the skills they learn here and use them back home. We are giving priority to people of color and Spanish speakers.

We hope this information has you even more interested in applying to spend your summer in beautiful Flagstaff, AZ and fighting for immigrant rights with an organization that is committed to a world in which all people are free to live, love, and work anywhere they please.

Yours for a free world,

The Flagstaff Repeal Coalition