By Christina Castillo

(Photo by Kim Dinh)

From November 9-13th, Casa San Jose sent a delegation of 32 people from Pittsburgh to the US-Mexican border to participate in the national convergence held by the School of the Americas. The group was made up of immigrant people, DACA youth, and allies.

Staff and volunteers of Casa San Jose worked tirelessly, day and night, to fundraise enough money to cover hotel expenses, car rentals, flights, gas money, and food expenses for all participants. This involved selling food made by the Latino community, selling t-shirts, community outreach, and other fundraising events hosted by Casa San Jose.

A very important component for the group was centering the voices and experiences of those who are most directly impacted by US policy to police, exploit, and abuse people of color. This meant lifting up and centering only Casa San Jose and making sure that when it comes to immigrant rights, we follow the Latina women who are leading Pittsburgh’s immigrant rights movement, and support them in any way that is helpful.

We want to thank NewPeople Newspaper for allowing us to write our own piece, and for passing us the mic in this edition. Now more than ever is the time for solidarity. And we hope to move forward in movement work, in social work, and all other important work with trusting and listening to our women of color.