OCAL EVENT: This coming Friday, Aug 7 at 9:Am in White Plains, there is a " Caravan Rally" to demand that NY State set up an emergency fund for undocumented immigrants similar to the one NYCity has created. Undocumented immigants are not eligible for unemployment insurance insurance nor any of the benefits provided by the CARES ACT. NYCity has set up a $20 Mil fund which can help up to 20,000 undocumented immigrants. NY State does very little--not enough. This event is sponsored by Neighbors Link, Catholic Charities and other pro-immigrant organizations

Neighbors for Refugees is having an important zoom chat on the impact of COVID-19 on refugees on Wednesday night at 8 pm, and I'm hoping you can all come and tell your friends about it! Speakers will include Edafe Okporo, Executive Director of RDJ Refugee Shelter; Emma Meyers Project Manager at RIF - Support for Asylum Seekers in NYC; Ian Zdanowicz, Co-Executive Director at Queer Detainee Empowerment Project; and Leah Cover, a leading member of Ruth's Refuge. They are all leaders in the New York refugee and asylum seeker movements, and we look forward to finding out more about their work and how we can get further involved with the impressive work of these local organizations.

In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we would like to invite you to attend a conference on Saturday, April 25th from 8 AM - 2 PM at 1300 York Ave, New York, NY, 10021 that explores the intersection of law and medicine in the work of asylum clinics. We have a day filled with talks and panels, given by experts in the legal and medical fields, who have worked extensively within asylum clinics or law.

We will offer the Upstate community a set of workshops and lectures that aim to address and dissect the health disparities we see in our local community and in greater New York State. More often than not, these issues stem from our nation's history of discrimination and systemic racism so these problems are almost always national health concerns as well. Last year’s workshops featured such topics as “refugee health” and “healthcare in the prison system”. We also hosted dialogues in which students discussed leveraging their privilege and legislative advocacy. As the closing speaker for the day, we are confident your talk will compile all of the topics and leave the attendees encouraged to talk political action.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and Open Society Justice Initiative invite you to the launch of the newest PHR report “My Only Crime Was That I Was a Doctor”. PHR will present the findings and recommendations from its research into how the Syrian government targets health workers for arrest, detention, and torture. An expert panel will shed light on the systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during the Syrian conflict – including systematic attacks on medical facilities and personnel – and discuss prospects for accountability and justice.

Helping Hands is a program which aims to assist immigrants who have been recently-granted legal status and who find themselves in need of specific assistance.

Explore the devastating impact of intimate partner violence and learn how community public safety partners can collaborate to maximize this innovative tool to combat lethality in domestic-violence situations.

Westchester Refugee Initiative is collecting warm winter coats, boots and other items for our new neighbors. We partner with U.S. resettlement agencies in Westchester, Connecticut and NYC (HIAS, Catholic Charities and IRIS) to deliver these much-needed items to refugees in our communities. Sign up to donate here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084fa5a92fa3fb6-westchester