SAN FRANCISCO (July 1, 2008) -

The Equal Justice Society will host a conference to develop a new approach to immigrants' rights advocacy on Saturday, July 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Preservation Park in downtown Oakland, Calif.

Titled "Building a Win-Win Immigration Platform & Creating Multiracial/ethnic Alliances," this conference seeks to develop a new approach to immigrants' rights advocacy by addressing the concerns of native-born communities of color and all of the disenfranchised.

"The gathering will strengthen bridges between civil rights and immigrants' rights advocates to advance economic and social justice for all, both marginalized Americans and oppressed peoples throughout the globe," said event organizer Miguel Gavaldn of the Equal Justice Society. "It is only through such alliance-building that structural change is possible."

The conference speakers, respondents and facilitators include:
Alan Jenkins, executive director, The Opportunity Agenda Roberto Lovato, contributing associate editor, New America Media Shakti Butler, executive director, World Trust Educational Services, Inc.
Melanie Cervantes, program associate, Akonadi Foundation David Escobar, director, Three Nations Indian Circle Eric Haas, strategic communications consultant Nunu Kidane, network coordinator, Priority Africa Network Mina Titi Liu, executive director, Asian Law Caucus Vincent Pan, executive director, Chinese for Affirmative Action Yolanda Ronquillo, director, Center for Cultural Paths to Knowledge Julie Rowe, communications coordinator, The Opportunity Agenda Evelyn Sanchez, advocacy coordinator, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition Ellen Widess, senior program officer, Rosenberg Foundation

In addition, workshops will be offered by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, La Raza Centro Legal and The Opportunity Agenda.

Lovato will give the conference's first keynote presentation, "Of Amrica: Movements, Migrants and Irrepressible Need to Translate Freedom." Lovato, who is also a frequent contributor to The Nation Magazine and The Huffington Post, among other national and international media outlets, will share his analysis that "top down, anti-terrorist, national security-infused movements of freedom are clashing with more organic freedom movements coming from below. To be successful", Lovato says, "the immigrant rights movement must better-integrate with the local, national and hemispheric movements of our time."

Jenkins will give the second keynote presentation, "Immigrants & African Americans: Expanding Opportunity for All" and Rowe will facilitate a workshop on "Talking About Immigration: Real Solutions that Uphold our Values & Move us Forward Together".

The workshop is premised on the notion that anti-immigrant forces have attempted to drive a wedge between the African American community and new immigrants as the immigration debate has intensified. These attempts, along with historic worries about immigration's impact on low-wage workers, have caused some mixed feelings about immigrants. But research and experience show that there are ways to mitigate this ambivalence by appealing to the African American community's deeply held values of community and opportunity, as well as its strong support for human rights.

The conference will incorporate community dialogue directly into the agenda, with target audiences including leaders, staff and constituents of community-based organizations involved in civil rights, immigrants' rights and other social justice issues; law and policy advocates; legal services organizations; grassroots organizers; coalition-builders and community members.

The Equal Justice Society first engaged with the immigrants' rights community shortly after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on May 1, 2006, to protest oppressive immigration legislation. Among the accomplishments and challenges posed by these mobilizations, the marches sparked debates over the commonalities and differences between the struggles of African American and immigrant communities.

On July 31, 2007, the Equal Justice Society and Black Alliance for Just Immigration co-sponsored a community forum titled "Immigration and the Black Community: Conflict or Common Interest?" More than 300 community members attended the convening, which offered an informative, open and frank discussion of the relationship between immigration, civil rights, tensions between the Latino and African American communities, and social justice. The forum drew participants from multiple racial/ethnic groups, professional backgrounds and a wide range of age groups. A link to the audio recording can be found on the KALW website at http://tinyurl.com/2rqq9s.

For more information on the conference, call the Equal Justice Society at 415-288-8700 or visit http://immigration.equaljusticesociety.net.

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Media Contact:
Keith Kamisugi
kkamisugi@equaljusticesociety.org
415-288-8710