Join us in Minneapolis?

By Gannon Long on 01/24/2011 @ 12:52 PM

The Immigration Equality team will be visiting Minneapolis ... and we want you to help us create change for LGBT immigrant families.

I'll be in your city from February 2nd through 6th for Creating Change, the annual conference of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. I'll be joined by my Immigration Equality colleagues Connie Utada, Stephen Silva, and Win Chesson. And, I hope you'll join us, too.

We'll be hosting an informal Immigration Equality Meet & Greet on Thursday evening, February 3rd. Then, we'll be leading Creating Change workshops on Friday and Saturday. (To attend our workshops, you must register for Creating Change online at www.creatingchange.org, where you can also find details about the weekend. Our workshop descriptions are below.)

On Thursday, February 3rd from 5-7 pm, right before the Creating Change plenary session, join as Solera Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis just a short two blocks from the conference hotel.

To RSVP and find out more information, see the event at Facebook.

We'll also talk about how you can be part of our campaign to pass the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). Because both of Minnesota's Senators hold key positions on the Senate Judiciary Committee — where UAFA will receive its first votes in Congress — it is crucial that they hear from constituents like you — and your loved ones — about the importance of ensuring UAFA's success.

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Thank you for everything you do on behalf our families ... and thank you for being part of the Immigration Equality family, too. I hope to see you in Minneapolis this February!

Friday, February 4th, 9 – 10:30AM
Ending Anti-LGBT Discrimination in U.S. Immigration Law

Come to this dynamic workshop on advocating against LGBT discrimination in US immigration law, focusing on how YOU can take action to pass the Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 1024, S. 424). We will describe the obstacles bi-national and immigrant LGBT families face under current law, offer legislative updates on UAFA and comprehensive immigration reform, and provide you with the tools you need to take action in your own community. We will encourage you to ask questions, take action, and share models of success from your own grassroots work. You will leave with a concrete plan to create change in your own community.

Presenters: Gannon Long, Immigration Equality, Washington, DC; James A. Ferg-Cadima, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Washington,DC; Ben de Guzman, Co-Director for Programs, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, Washington, DC; Jesse Garcia, President, LULAC 4871 - The Dallas Rainbow Council, Dallas, TX

Friday, February 4th, 10:45-12:15
Creating Your Own Change With GenEQ U

Creating Your Own Change with GenEQ U offers a comprehensive guide on small-scale, local queer conference planning, highlighting a series of suggested steps to successfully plan and execute a gender and sexuality diversity-themed conference with intersections around progressive movements to engage allies and create sustained relationships between the host institution and its surrounding community.

Presenters: Steve Silva, Immigration Equality/Yale University, Brooklyn, NY; Kati Moug, Yale University, Brooklyn, NY; Amalia Skilton, Yale University, Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, February 5th, 3-6PM
More $, More Power: Asking for What We Need and Getting It!

Ever feel like money is the thing holding your group back from achieving your goals? Worry that you’ll turn people off by asking for funding? Feel like our movement feeds into classist, racist and ageist assumptions about money? You’re not alone. By raising money in a different way, we can reinvent the power structure of our movement. Let’s break down the barriers of anxiety and assumptions about asking and giving. No gimmicks—live conversations with real people work. We’ll arm you with tried and true methods, examples and tools to make asking feel great and the money roll in.

• Learn to change WHO funds the LGBT movement
• Tackle classism & discomfort around asking
• Move fundraising from scary to possible and empowering
• Help to reinvent the power structure by teaching EVERYONE to raise $
• Raise not just little, but big $ so organizations can be bigger, support more leaders, lift goals and buy and pay for needed things
• Learn that direct asking puts $ in the bank NOW

Participants Will:

Trainers: Win Chesson, Associate Director of Development, Immigration Equality; Rodrigo Lehtinen, Field Organizer, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force