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BRIDGETOWN VOICES
A Grassroots Immigrant and Refugee
Led Collaboration
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New
Portlanders Speak: Recommendations of the Immigrant
and Refugee Task Force
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Bridgetown Voices is currently focusing its energy on
several 2008 campaigns: a statewide effort to fight
two anti-immigrant ballot initiatives and implementation
of the City of Portland's Immigrant and Refugee Task
Force recommendations. Join us!
Immigrant
& Refugee Task Force
Presentation to Portland City Council
Tuesday, January 16, 2008 - 6:00 PM
5210 N Kerby, Portland
In a resolution
last autumn, the Portland City Council expressed its
commitment to include immigrants and refugees in civic
and public life. As a result of that commitment, a 20-person
task force formed in March 2007 to investigate barriers
to immigrant and refugees’ inclusion in civic life and
to identify ways to address those barriers. The task
force consisted of 15 Portland community leaders born
in Africa, Asia, Central America, South America, and
Europe, along with representatives from the City’s Office
of Neighborhood Involvement, Bureau of Parks and Recreation,
Bureau of Housing and Community Development, Portland
Development Commission, and the Portland Police Bureau.
Read the Immigrant
and Refugee Task Force recommendations and come
to the presentation to City Council on January
16, 2008!
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MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD
MAKING OUR ISSUES VISIBLE
HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES THRIVE
Bridgetown Voices is a grassroots immigrant and refugee-led
collaboration empowering immigrants and refugees throughout
the Portland Tri-County region to develop a unified voice,
advocate for their rights, and create an environment in which
they are recognized and supported as valued residents of our
city.
BRIDGETOWN VOICES HISTORY
On Saturday, December 3 2005, over 200 immigrants and refugees
gathered in Portland's City Hall for Bridgetown
Voices: Immigrants and Refugees in Portland,
a forum designed to explore barriers to newcomer inclusion
in civic life. This historic event represented a grassroots
effort organized by 22 diverse immigrant and refugee leaders,
30 community-based organizations, city officials, and Portland
State University students.
Seeking to build on the collaborative work between these
diverse communities, immigrant and refugee leaders and allies
established an ongoing collaboration called Bridgetown Voices.
OUR COMMUNITIES MATTER
Portland is a different city than it was ten years ago. According
to 2000 Census data, one out of every eight residents in the
greater Portland Tri-County area is foreign-born. In some
East Portland neighborhoods, immigrants represent one out
of every three residents. Bridgetown Voices provides a space
for new Portlanders to take action that ensures the well being
of all residents — regardless of their country of origin.
Together we can identify creative ideas, foster cross-cultural
collaboration, support emerging leaders and build relationships
between and among diverse groups of people.
BRIDGETOWN VOICES VALUES:
- We set aside our personal and organizational agendas in
order to advance the rights and well being of all immigrant
and refugee communities
- We are led by immigrants and refugees
- We encourage the participation of allies in our work
- We advocate for and defend the rights of all immigrants
and refugees, regardless of immigration status
- We strive to act upon a shared analysis of immigrant
and refugee issues
- We foster solidarity across culture and race in our collaborative
work
OUR GOALS:
- To empower immigrant and refugee communities through education,
workshops and community events
- To build the organizing skills necessary to change public
policies that negatively affect immigrants and refugees
- To advocate for the rights of all immigrants and refugees
and their families, regardless of immigration status
- To promote leadership among all immigrant and refugee
communities
- To increase public awareness about the contributions
of immigrants & refugees, as well as the realities of
their lives
- To foster unity, collaboration and networking among various
immigrant and refugees groups and individuals
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE LEADERS
- JOIN US!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Immigrant
& Refugee Task Force
Presentation to Portland City Council
Tuesday, January 16, 2008 - 6:00 PM
5210 N Kerby, Portland
Listen
online to the original Bridgetown Voices forum
View
a slideshow from the first Bridgetown Voices event
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