ALMA MISSION

Dear Friend,

The President has announced that he will phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. ICIRR, its members and allies are committed to fight to protect those at risk of deportation, and to fight to ensure protection for all. Read ICIRR’s statement here.

Here are the details that are currently available:

New initial DACA applications will not be accepted (or received) AFTER September 5th. You must have applied and your application must have been received by September 5th to be considered for DACA as a new applicant. Any new initial applications not received by September 5th will not be considered (even if it is postmarked today). Text “DACA” to 630-524-4106 for a list of low cost legal service providers.

If your DACA work permit expires before March 5, 2018, and you want to renew, DHS must receive your renewal application before October 5th, 2017. Applications will not be accepted after October 5th. [Info from USCIS on how to renew a DACA application. (Applicable only through October 5th)]

If your DACA work permit expires after March 5, 2018, you will not be able to apply to renew. Please consult an attorney to review your options.

If you are outside the country with advance parole, make sure to return right away and while your advance parole and EAD are valid. DHS has stated that it will generally honor previously granted advance paroles, but that it retains the authority to revoke or terminate an approved advance parole. The safest route is to return as soon as possible.

If you have been granted advance parole under DACA but have not yet left the United States, speak with an attorney to determine potential risks before doing anything.

As of today (September 5th), DHS is NOT granting any new applications for advance parole even if your DACA is still valid.

Click here for an Illinois-specific fact sheet about DACA in English

Click here for an Illinois-Specific fact sheet about DACA in Spanish

Tune in to ICIRR’s Facebook Page on Wednesday, Sept 6th at 5:30pm for a bilingual (Eng/Sp) Livestream with a Know Your Rights Update.

Know Your Rights if your work permit expires:

You have the right to work legally until your work permit’s expiration date.

Your employer does not have the right to ask you whether you are a DACA recipient or how you got your work permit.

Your employer does not have the right to fire you, put you on leave, or change your work status until after your work permit has expired. If your expiration date is nearing, your employer may ask you for an updated work permit but cannot take any action against you until after it is expired. (See info above about your potential eligibility to renew)

For more information about your rights as an employee see this advisory by the National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/daca-and-workplace-rights/.

Take Action Now!

Join the Protection for All Press Conference / Rally TODAY at 5:30pm at Federal Plaza: 230 S. Dearborn St. Chicago, IL 60603 Click here for the Facebook announcement

Call your members of Congress today and ask them to support a permanent solution to immediately protect from deportation all undocumented individuals, including but not exclusive to DACA recipients, and provides a path to permanent legal status without increased enforcement.

Call Senators Durbin and Duckworth:

Senator Durbin: 202-224-2152

Senator Duckworth: 202-224-2854

Two ways to call your US Representative:

Go to www.callmycongress.com to find your Representative based on your address

Call (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your representative or senators based on your zip code. Note: you may be provided with more than one representative based on your zip code. If you do not know your congressperson, please wait to speak to the operator for assistance.

Call House Speaker Paul Ryan 202-225-0600 and tell him that congress needs to pass a permanent solution to immediately protect all undocumented individuals including but not exclusive to DACA recipients from deportation and provides a path to permanent legal status without increased enforcement.

Stay tuned via email, Facebook and text message for next steps and actions

Please CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW to support our efforts to fight back.

Resources:

Call the Family Support Hotline 1-855-Help-My-Family for a list of resources and support

Go to www.icirr.org/protection or www.icirr.org/proteccion (Spanish) for a list of resources

Go to http://www.icirr.org/about/get-involved/know-your-rights-and-organize/mental-health for list of mental health resources

Sign up for the most up to the minute updates and actions at www.icirr.org/riseup

Today, the federal government made an official announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be rescinded. The administration, with guidance from the Department of Justice, is no longer accepting new applications and is only allowing those whose DACA expires before March 8, 2018 to apply for a two-year renewal (applications for renewal must be filed before October 5, 2017) . Anyone whose DACA expires after March 8, 2018, or who applies after October 5, 2017, will not have their renewal application considered.

What is DACA?

DACA is an immigration option for certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16. Although DACA does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence, it does provide a two-year window in which its beneficiaries receive temporary protection from deportation, work authorization, and the ability to apply for a social security number. Previously, beneficiaries could apply to renew their DACA every two years.

What does this announcement mean?

DACA currently has 800,000 beneficiaries, many of whom are the only people in their families with access to a work permit or a social security number. Some beneficiaries will live as adults without access to these things for the very first time.

The federal administration has signaled that they hope Congress will pass legislation to support DACA-eligible immigrants, but this is not a guarantee. It is not a guarantee that all DACA-eligible immigrants will receive the same benefits they did under DACA.

It is not a guarantee that legislation that comes from Congress will not increase funding for militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, for more immigration enforcement operations, for more detention centers, and for more deportations. We must be wary of any congressional efforts and calls for ‘comprehensive’ immigration reform that continue to separate families.

What can I do?

We must follow the lead of undocumented youth to reimagine what is possible for immigrants in the United States and across the globe. There will be more questions than answers right now, and people will process this announcement in different ways.

Below are a number of resources for educators, parents, DACAmented immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and allies. Additionally, we have included organizations in Illinois who are currently organizing around DACA, deportations, detention, criminalization, and migrant rights. If you are compelled to donate to anywhere at this time, please consider them.

In Solidarity,

Rodrigo Anzures-Oyorzabal
Policy & Advocacy Manager

Late last week, President Trump made two announcements; and as in the past, both are direct attacks on our communities.

First, the Trump Administration sent the official memo to the Pentagon outlining the directive to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. As discussed when this was first announced, we believe this was a political move to please the President’s homophobic and transphobic political base. The memo outlines that the Secretary of Defense has six months to implement the directives, and immediately halts any funding to be used for current transgender service members’ health-related costs.

We join our LGBTQ communities across the country in denouncing this blatantly discriminatory and destructive policy. We are grateful to our friends at Lamba Legal and other organizations for their hard work and efforts in trying to prevent this policy from going into effect.

Second, we are outraged by President Trump’s pardon of Joe Arpaio, the convicted sheriff from Maricopa County, AZ. Arpaio was in violation of a court decision by continuing to racially profile Latino immigrants.

We’ve seen a surge of racism, homophobia and white-supremacy since Trump announced his candidacy for President, and under his Administration things have only gotten worse. It is Trump’s actions, like pardoning Arpaio, that give permission for racists to act.

Both announcements on Friday represent attacks on LGBTQ and Latino individuals across the country. Instead of spending his time and energy helping individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey, the president has chosen to needlessly attack already marginalized communities. Not only is this a distraction from the dysfunction that is his administration, but it is dangerous and divisive policy.

Now more than ever, we commit to protecting and advancing the rights of our communities. We are working with both local and state officials to ensure that our rights are protected in our back yard. We ask you join us in asking the Governor, and all of our elected leaders in Illinois to speak up against the President and his administration’s policies now!

We won’t back down, not now, not ever.

In action,
ALMA

I wanted to share this amazing thing that’s happening in memory of one Chicago’s LGBTQ community leaders who is no longer with us (see link below).  John Pennycuff was a person who’s leadership and commitment to human rights was inspiring both in it’s thoughtfulness and conviction for true equality for all.

He is missed by many of us but we are fortune that his husband Robert Castillo continues to remind us everyday how important the work is especially in these times when hope seems to be hard to find. And how important it is to honor those who do the work and those who’s lives where committed to it like John.

Please share and post the link below to your networks.

Julio

Film Challenge

For those who did not hear the interview with Governor Rauner on WBEZ this morning, he did not explicitly say what he planned to do with the Trust Act. He did say the bill is “very reasonable” and spoke in fairly positive terms.

We’re hopeful and encouraged by the Governor’s statement today that he finds the bill to be “reasonable”. Based on his statement today, the feeling among advocates is the he will sign the bill before the constitutional deadline of Monday, August 28^th.

There are 10 days left for the Governor to sign the Trust Act. If you are able and willing to call, this is a draft call script:“Hello, my name is _____________, I am calling in support of the Illinois Trust Act, SB 31, and strongly urge the governor to sign the bill into law. Thank you.”

Springfield Office: (217) 782-0244 / Chicago Office: (312) 814-2121

Please click here for a story on the Governor’s statement today. As soon as we hear more news, I will relay to you. Thank you.

Para aquellos que no escucharon la entrevista con el gobernador Rauner en WBEZ esta mañana, no dijo explícitamente lo que planeaba hacer con el Trust Act. Él dijo que el proyecto de ley es “muy razonable” y habló en términos positivos.

Somos esperanzados y alentados por la declaración del gobernador ahora. Basado en su declaración, el sentimiento de muchos de las organizaciones es que el gobernador probablemente firmará el proyecto de ley antes de la fecha límite, lunes 28 de Agosto.

Quedan 10 días para que el gobernador firma el Trust Act. Si puede y esta dispuesta/o a llamar, esto es un script de llamada: “Hola, mi nombre es _______________, estoy llamando en apoyo del Trust Act, SB 31, y exhort al Gobernador a firmarlo. Gracias.”

Oficina en Springfield: (217) 782-0244 / Oficina en Chicago: (312) 814-2121

Members of ALMA Board of Directors, Julio Rodriguez and Rodrigo Carrillo at Howard Brown’s (HB) community gathering to reveal the TRUE LOVE interactive sculpture at HB Clark Street clinic in Rogers Park! Conceived by artist Bob Faust, TRUE LOVE was Howard Brown Health’s guiding message for Pride month, and will live on at our clinics and Brown Elephant stores.

The Installation features the words “TRUE LOVE” with the word “TRUE” as flat colorful two-dimensional decals overlaid with the word “LOVE” fabricated in three-dimensional, clear acrylic boxes. The clear boxes are repositories for colorful slips of paper on which visitors will be encouraged to respond to one or more available prompts on the topic of TRUE LOVE.

Our Rogers Park Clinic will also be opening its doors to the community to answer questions and get closer acquainted. Don’t miss free refreshments, entertainment and fun for all ages. It’s all about TRUE LOVE!

From WindyCityTimes:
The Chicago City Council Plan Commission, on July 20, approved plans for a long-gestating LGBT-friendly housing project slated for Logan Square to proceed.
The designs for the John Pennycuff Memorial Apartments at Castillo Plaza, announced in 2016, were approved with little discussion at the commission’s monthly meeting. Ald. Tom Tunney ( 44th ) raised a question about some building materials to be used but otherwise voiced his support for the project, which is being developed by the Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation.

Chicago Housing Authority ( CHA ) approved plans for the 88-unit project in June. The City Council approved borrowing for $16 million last December. Stakeholders have said they’d like to have permits in hand by the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018 for the 88-unit project, which is named after the late activist John Pennycuff and his husband, Robert Castillo.

Ald. Proco Joe Moreno ( 1st ), who’s been advocating for the complex, told the commission that Castillo and Pennycuff had “always advocated for affordable housing and LGBTQ rights, so we thought it very appropriate that they name this wonderful development the John Pennycuff Memorial Apartments at Castillo Plaza.”

Moreno recused himself from the vote, which was otherwise unanimously in the project’s favor. He said that the building would be entirely made up of affordable housing units; half would be under the auspices of CHA, while the other half would meet requirements satisfying the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance. The project had originally been announced in 2016 as part of the Milwaukee-Fullerton TIF District, but that part of the financing plan had apparently been scrapped.

“This isn’t a TIF,” Moreno told the commission. “These developers were able to come to the table and do this without using a dollar of TIF money, and I think that that is resounding as well.”

Castillo, in public comments, highlighted the common misconception that members of the LGBT community were uniformly affluent, and emphasized the need for affordable housing in the area. He further told Windy City Times that he “was confident that the project would come to fruition, and once it’s completed, I believe it will be a fitting legacy to John and the work that he did, both within Logan Square and the larger Chicago community.”

TRUST Collective-Chicago Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Pulse Nightclub Shooting

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

chi.trustcollective@gmail.com

One year ago yesterday, our worlds were rocked as news spread about the horror that occurred at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. As we remember that day, TRUST Collective-Chicago extends its condolences to the families and friends of the 49 individuals who were murdered that night. We also extend healing thoughts to those who were injured, their families, friends, and the entire Orlando community.

June 12, 2016 was Latin Night at Pulse, Because of this, most of the victims were young, Latinx queer people. The gunman that night was a Muslim man. Given the differences between the victims and the man who committed this atrocity, the narrative about this tragedy could easily be one of divisiveness and hate. And for some people it is. However, in many communities, including Chicago, this tragedy brought with it an opportunity for engaging at the intersections of identities in new ways. Instead of allowing differences and hatred to lead us, we have redoubled our efforts to build and strengthen cross-cultural relationships. Without such relationships, tragedies like this will be attributed to small-mindedness and encourage myopic and discriminatory beliefs. Every time we engage in difficult – but productive – conversations, we disarm and dismantle discrimination and create the foundation upon which true equality can stand.

TRUST Collective-Chicago is one of the legacies of the Pulse nightclub tragedy. The collective started as a convening by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations of Latinx, LGBTQ and Muslim leaders. Its mission is to foster and support engagement across the Chicago area for the purpose of reducing targeted violence and discrimination of Latinx, LGBTQ, and Muslim people, and other affected communities. We carry out our mission through building internal and external relationships, collective actions of resistance, and amplifying aligned work within our communities.

There is no way to account for the loss of the potential of the lives that ended too soon at Pulse or replace the laughter and the voices and the dancing of those precious spirits. What we, the living, can do to honor them is to make sure hate has no home by building across communities to work for the collective good of the human race. On this day, we remember that one act of violence cannot and will not be allowed to further alienate and disrupt love, compassion, and the spirit of our community. #OrlandoStrong #pulse #loveislove

ALMA Youth Advisory Board Chair Dave Gauna along with other LGBTQ activist testified in front of the Chicago City Council’s Human Rights Committee today on the impact of hate crimes on LGBTQ communities of color.

Hate Crime Hearing on Wednesday, April 26, at 10am in City Hall-Council Chamber, 2nd Floor: The City’s Council’s Committee on Human Relations is holding a hearing on hate crimes that will be presided over by Alderman Pat Dowell, the Committee Chair. The following statement was read by ALMA Youth Advisory Chair David Gauna along with Vic Gonzalez represented ALMA , together they read a statement on behalf of the organization and personally described the issues impact on their lives.

Good morning. Madam Chairman, committee members, thank you for allowing me to testify this morning on this very important issue.

My name is David Gauna, I am a Youth Advisory Board member for ALMA. ALMA is the Association of Latinos and Latinas Motivating Action, an LGBTQ Latino/a education and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 1989, ALMA has existed to provide a safe space for members of a double marginalized community, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning Latinos and Latinas. Throughout the years ALMA has evolved to meet the needs of our community.

Currently our work is focused in the following areas: advocacy & education, leadership development, and pride. For us, pride is particularly important. It is more than just an annual parade, and it is more than waving a flag. Pride is about affirming our full identities, about embracing our partners without fear of retaliation, about young people feeling safe and supported to come out, it is about walking in our communities knowing that nothing will happen to us, pride is ultimately about living our authentic selves.

This is not easy task, as LGBTQ people, as Latinos, and especially difficult as LGBTQ Latinos.

A recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program found that over 60% of all the survivors of homophobic and transphobic hate crimes were people of color, with Latina/os at 28%. Further, 17% of the survivors of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes are undocumented. [1] This does not take into account the insidious rate of murdered transgender women of color, which has skyrocketed in the past two years. Most of them black or Latina.

Unfortunately, none of this should come as a surprise. In light of last year’s horrific mass shooting in Orlando at a gay club during Latin night. I want to make very clear to this committee that in spite of what the national political rhetoric around the Pulse shooting concluded with, to us, as members of the LGBTQ Latino community – this was a targeted hate crime motivated by homophobia and transphobia.

Since the Pulse shooting and since the election, ALMA has been contacted by several community based organizations and by several local schools about increases in bullying and young people contemplating suicide because of their sexual orientation. We’ve had to go to middle schools and facilitate peace circles with young people because they are scared, nervous, and feeling like they have nowhere to turn. This should not be happening. We should be working to ensure that our young people feel safe, supported, and that their main concern is their education.

Contrary to what some people believe, most LGBTQ people of color do not live in Lakeview. This means that most of us are susceptible to anti-LGBTQ hate crimes by members of our own community. To complicate matters, most LGBTQ people of color experience a higher rate of poverty, thus limiting the resources and opportunities to live in safer neighborhoods.

In conclusion, I want to thank you all for allowing ALMA the opportunity to share with you all today. I want to reiterate that we wholeheartedly support the Commissioner and her office’s efforts to address hate crimes. As a lifelong Chicagoan, as a young person, as a young queer Latino , I want to feel safe and supported in my city, in my home.

Thank you.

More photos available here.

ALMA and Erie Neighborhood House host the screening of the documentary “El Canto de Colibri” which features stories of Latinx LGBTQ youth and their father’s journey to acceptance.

This week, House Republicans released the American Health Care Act, to replace the Affordable Care Act. This proposal will affect at least 1.2 million Illinoisans who could lose their health care or face devastating increases in costs.

The bill will mean less coverage, weaker protections, and higher costs.

What you need to know about the proposed changes:

The bill will include a series of tax cuts that will cut funding for health care, the biggest being a tax cut that will benefit high-income individuals and families.
Prices will increase dramatically for low-income health care consumers because the individual mandate is gone. This means that the pool of money to cover everyone’s care will be greatly reduced, and the cost of life saving care could put people in financial ruin.

Nearly 800,000 people currently on medicaid could lose health coverage as a result of all the proposed changes in the medicaid program.

In 2020 the federal government will stop providing tax credits to help some people pay deductibles and co-payments. This could increase individual costs by hundreds of dollars or more per visit.

Credits will based on age, not income; A wealthy 70 year old could receive higher tax credit assistance on premiums and deductibles than a 35-year-old single mom making minimum wage.

Older customers can now be charged 5 times as much as the youngest customers. Previously, older customers could be charged 3 times as much as younger customers.

Click below to check out an interactive map of changes to Tax Credits under the Affordable Care Act vs. the American Health Care Act

Get Involved!

Join us March 23rd at: Protest Ryan/Trump Plan to Repeal Healthcare and help us tell Speaker Ryan we fight for our healthcare in Chicago!

Check out Protect Our Care IL, a new coalition ICIRR is a member of, that seeks to protect and expand access to quality affordable health care provided by the ACA and Medicaid!

Contact Phoebe Flaherty at pflaherty@icirr.org or Luvia Quinones at lquinones@icirr.org, for more information!

Additionally, Everyone should Call their Member of Congress, ESPECIALLY if your representatives are on these committees:

Find your Representative Here!

House Ways and Means:
Roskam (R) (630) 232-0006
Davis (D) (217) 403-4690

House Energy and Commerce:
Shimkus (R) (618) 288-7190
Kinzinger (R) (815) 431-9271

Want to learn more? Compare Proposals to Replace The Affordable Care Act

Trump’s new and wrong guidelines against trans* students

President Trump’s Department of Education, under the leadership of Secretary Betsy DeVos, has announced that it will NOT enforce Title IX protections to support transgender students in schools. The intent of Title IX is to provide a safe and supportive education environment for all students regardless of gender. The Department of Education, under President Obama, had extended Title IX to include a student’s gender identity. Unfortunately, President Trump has rolled the clock back for trans students. Transgender students will no longer have the support and enforcement of the federal government.

We feared that this would happen.  Betsy DeVos has previously supported anti-LGBTQ organizations and causes. She has donated to organizations that believe and have pushed conversation therapy on LGBTQ youth.

In the coming days, we will be working with our national and local partners to strategize on next steps.

In the meantime, we will be voicing our concerns with our state leaders to ensure they are aware of this and continue to work towards protecting trans youth across the state. While the State of Illinois has many rules that protect gender identity, it is important the school administrator’s do not curtail the rights of trans* students because of this inadequate federal guideline.

We must remain vigilant. We must continue to organize and advocate. We must continue to resist.

ALMA Stands Against President Trump’s Immigration & Refugee Executive Orders

The Association of Latina/os Motivating Action (ALMA) joins the thousands of voices protesting President Trump’s Executive Orders – particularly those that ban the entry of refugees (including legal permanent residents) into our country; rush orders to build a wall along the Mexican border; and threaten to prevent federal funding for sanctuary cities and counties like Chicago and Cook County.

Not only is this an attack on immigrant, refugee, and Muslim communities; these impulsive and carelessly implemented orders also put many LGBTQ individuals into increasingly dangerous situations as they are attempting to flee life-threatening situations in other countries and seek safety in the United States. This is a disturbingly dark moment in our country’s history.

During his inauguration, President Trump promised to be a leader for all Americans, yet these Executive Orders break the spirit of that commitment. Instead of building walls and further breaking families apart, Mr. Trump should focus on building bridges between communities across this country.

So many have worked so hard to create safe communities for LGBTQ people, immigrants, and refugees in Chicago, Cook County, and all across Illinois. We have seen much progress, but have always kept in mind the work still to come. The political climate during the presidential campaign, after the election and, especially, during the past couple of weeks has made our work more challenging, yet even more important. Now more than ever, we must reignite our commitment to social justice.

ALMA stands in solidarity with all of the individuals and communities affected by the Trump administration’s agenda. We stand shoulder to shoulder, ready to fight against these acts of injustice. We will continue to organize, speak out, and take action.

We encourage all of you to contact your legislators and share your frustrations. Continue to engage in dialogue with families, friends, and neighbors. Our commitment for a better world begins in our very own communities. We will not stand idly and allow the President break us apart.

In solidarity and action,
ALMA

TRUST Collective-Chicago joins the various organizations and individuals denouncing Donald Trump’s attack on immigrants and their families and the sanctuary cities that welcome them. The executive orders recently signed by Trump are not aimed to protect the United States from illegal immigration or terror attacks. They are an attack on what the promise of America is about- opportunity, access, and prosperity, defined on your own terms. Yet beyond a promise, the United States is a sovereign government tasked with protecting its founders’ aims and its descendants’ futures. These recent acts by the Trump Administration are threats to national security, undermining the very essence of government responsibility. As a government of, for, and by the people, it is our civic duty to hold our leaders accountable for neglectful and abusive overreach of governmental power. While the effects of such overreach are too exhaustive to name, building border walls and defunding vital, municipal programs will cost lives, undercut crucial infrastructure, and likely perpetuate unjust law and order. The disastrous effects of such actions will be felt by all Americans, in time. We cannot allow the demonization of certain groups to become the new normal of this great country. We cannot allow this administration’s discriminatory actions to define who WE are as Americans.
TRUST Collective-Chicago’s mission is to bridge, support, and foster relationships across the Chicago area toward building a unified front and reducing targeted violence and discrimination. Founded in July 2016, we (Latinx, LGBTQ+, and Muslim communities) have gathered “Post-Orlando” to improve our collaborative efforts across the Chicago area toward reducing targeted violence and discrimination. We value honoring differences to build a more unified future.

ALMA at the Chicago Women’s March 2017

ALMA YOUNG LATINO LEADERS FOR CREATING CHANGE SCHOLARSHIP

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE APPLICATION FORM

Chicago’s Latino Community stands with the LGBTQ Latino Community

This weekend, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community was attacked in Orlando, Florida in what is considered to be the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The shooting occurred at Pulse, a nightclub for the LGBTQ community, during its weekly “Latin” night. Forty-nine individuals died, and an additional 53 were injured. The majority of those victims are LGBTQ Latinos – they were our children, our brothers and sisters, our family. We send our condolences to the families and loved ones of those whose life was cut short during this senseless act.

Even though this weekend’s violent shooting was perhaps the most devastating, it was not an isolated event—violence towards the LGBTQ community is rampant. LGBTQ people are twice as likely to be victims of hate crimes, compared to other marginalized communities. For LGBTQ Latinos who experience racism, homophobia, and transphobia, the violence is far too common. A national report conducted by the Human Rights Campaign and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) found that LGBTQ Latino youth are three times more likely to face harassment and violence than are their non-LGBTQ Latino peers—in their communities, in our communities. The violence directed at members of our community is something we can no longer ignore.

In light of the shooting in Orlando, we must come together, not only to help the LGBTQ Latino community heal, but also to act. Now more than ever, we must commit ourselves to eradicating homophobia and transphobia in our Latino communities. While there has been much progress for the LGBTQ community, such as marriage equality, we must continue to work to ensure that all LGBTQ people are able to live without fear of losing their lives due to intolerance and hate. We need to challenge the anti-LGBTQ sentiments from within our own families and communities. We must remember that LGBTQ Latinos are part of our entire community, and that their love is just as important.

It is also imperative that our laws reflect our values to ensure we build safe communities for everyone. We must hold our elected officials and leaders accountable, rejecting hateful rhetoric that seeks to divide and cause harm. We must pressure them to work on policy that will ensure complete equality and fair treatment for the LGBTQ community as well as legislation that will put an end to this senseless gun violence. We must also be willing to stand in solidarity with other marginalized communities, we cannot allow this tragedy to perpetuate Islamophobia. Now more than ever we need to work and move forward in unison.

The Latino communities in Chicago, and our allies, stand with the Latino and LGBTQ communities in Orlando. We send our sympathy to the LGBTQ Latino community across the country that continues to mourn and begins to heal. We will stand with the LGBTQ community to end homophobia and transphobia once and for all.

View complete read: ALMA Orlando Latino Leaders Statement

ALMA’s statement on the shooting in Orlando, Florida at an LGBT club during it’s weekly Latino Night

This morning, many of us were shocked to learn about the news out of Orlando, Florida. Approximately 50 individuals were killed, and over 50 more were injured in a senseless act of violence, the largest mass shooting in this country’s history. This occurred at what is supposed to be a safe place for members of the LGBTQ community, a place many frequent to be their authentic selves, and escape the everyday homophobia and transphobia. The mass shooting happened at an LGBT club during its weekly Latino night.

We send the victims and their families our condolences and sympathy during this difficult time. We also send the LGBTQ community in Orlando our best thoughts as they mourn, heal, and work towards moving forward.

This tragic event is even more difficult to understand considering that June is Pride Month. Yet, it is clear that in spite of all the legal victories in recent years, more work rests ahead of us.

While this is surely one of the most tragic events in our recent history, it represents the continued violence towards the LGBTQ community, in particular for LGBTQ people of color. Last year, over 20 trans women of color were murdered in acts of hate crime; and those numbers continue to grow this year. While for many of us in LGBTQ community, our sense of safety has been shattered because of the Orlando shooting. We must remain vigilant, we must remain united, and we must continue to work together with our allies to continue our progress.

Today we mourn. Tomorrow we heal.

ALMA Chicago’s Youth Advisory Board host second annual “On The Table”

The Association of Latinos/as Motivating Action’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) joined thousands of Chicagoland residents on Tuesday, May 10, to discuss how they can help unite the place they call home. In today’s society, this act of coming together has never been as crucial as it is presently. On the Table, organized by The Chicago Community Trust, connects people and communities of diverse perspectives and backgrounds. They believe that “[t]alking–and listening–to our neighbors is an important first step toward creating a more unified Chicagoland region. What you do matters. And when we come together as a community to learn from and with each other, we have the power to impact both neighborhoods and lives.”

Our last year’s ALMA Young Latino Leaders for Creating Change Scholarship recipient, Roberto Mendez, facilitated a great conversation, at Nightcap Cafe in Pilsen, about gentrification and how it affects our Latino and LGBTQ+ communities. The youth from YAB and invited guest discussed the different components of gentrification varying from economic, political, and communal contributions to the issue. Also addressed were the perceived positive and negative aspects on gentrification. Some possible ideas for creating awareness and change that were discussed by the group were systemic changes through government process and educating both people who move into communities, on cultural humility, and residents who may not be aware of how to prevent displacement or take advantage of the changing community’s resources.

Click here to view PDF. 

Reyna Ortiz, Mona Noriega, Rick Garcia, Julio Rogriguez,  and Emmanuel Garcia