Black Immigration Network Heads to Los Angeles, CA to Address Racial Justice and Migrant Rights.
The Black Immigration Network (BIN) will convene its national membership conference in Los Angeles, CA from April 8-10 as it tackles the tough issues facing Black immigrants and African-Americans in the fight for justice in the U.S.
With the theme, Black Love Beyond Borders, this convening will be an opportunity for people of African descent to participate in training, networking and strategizing at the historic Holman United Methodist Church — known for its leadership in civil and human rights, and social justice.
“This is a very important time for Black communities to come together,” said Tia Oso, National Organizer with Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), which supports the coordination of BIN Network. “The movement for Black Lives (Matter) is bringing to light structural racism, and because Black immigrants are faced with both anti-Black racism and complicating factors of their immigration status, we must work together to address these issues.”
Often overlooked in the immigration discourse, over 4 million Black immigrants from countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Latin America live in the U.S., comprising 10 percent of the American foreign-born population and a rapidly increasing share of the Black population in the U.S.
BIN has successfully raised Black immigrant issues and leadership in immigrant rights. In January 2016 BIN members organized the first ever convening of Black undocumented immigrants in Miami, FL. After five years of advocacy, the Reunite Haitian American Families Campaign led to the Department of Homeland Security creating the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program for expedited family visas for 5,000 Haitian American families.
In March 2013, the network led the effort to hold the first Congressional Briefing on Black immigrants, which convinced the Congressional Black Caucus to create its task force on immigration.
“We’ve built this network because Black communities are among the most marginalized in this movement for immigrant justice,” said Opal Tometi, Executive Director of BAJI and co-founder Black Lives Matter.
“We are tired of not being at the policy table, nor provided with resources to uplift the voices of the Black community. Black immigrants and African Americans have the highest unemployment, highest incarceration, lowest wages and many more challenges facing us! This is our attempt to rectify that because our communities deserve justice and dignity, and we should have a fighting chance.”
