News > ILCM In The News
“If not me, who?”
Posted on Nov 30 2017
Newell Searle wants to “mobilize people to take initiatives and act on their own to help immigrants.”
Action can take many forms. For Newell, action means accompaniment, walking with immigrants who have become his friends. He tells of a woman whom he met ten years ago, when she was in deportation proceedings. After a long struggle, she has a green card and a path to citizenship. She is a business owner, and recently got an AA degree with a 4.0 average.
“There are lots of impactful things volunteers can do besides go to marches,” Newell says. For him, those “impactful things” have included writing character reference letters, writing articles for ILCM’s blog and newsletter, and going to court with immigrants.
“Going to court … was frustrating for me, at first, because I couldn’t do anything to affect the outcome. But, one of my friends said that just knowing I was there, watching, encouraged them, they didn’t feel as alone and vulnerable. For me, it was a couple hours time out of my workday. For them, my presence reinforced their determination and affirmed their worth as a person in a system that is often demeaning and demoralizing.”
If you are inspired to take action, here are some possibilities:
- Volunteer with ILCM, either in St. Paul or in Greater Minnesota.
- If you are a lawyer, volunteer with our Pro Bono project or with the Volunteer Lawyers Network.
- Sign up for our Action Alerts. Then call your representatives or other, identified political leaders to ask them to take action on specific issues.
- Spread the word. Follow ILCM on Facebook and then share news and appeals with your own friends.
- Going to marches is not the only action, but it remains a meaningful action for many. Keep up with scheduled events in Minnesota via ILCM’s Facebook page, Navigate MN, or MIRAc..
“I did it because someone had to and if not me, who?” Newell says. If he had not responded, “I couldn’t walk away and face myself.”
Some other local organizations working with immigrants and refugees in various ways:
- Navigate MN
- Advocates for Human Rights
- Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc)
- ISAIAH
- International Institute of Minnesota
And in Greater Minnesota, find
- The Welcome Center in Austin
- Project FINE in Winona
- UniteCloud in St. Cloud
- Community Health Services in Moorhead and other locations