Staff Report

Two local organizations, INCLUSION SYV and the SYV Community Action Alliance will host a conversation on immigration and human rights on Thursday, March 14, from 12-2 p.m. at St. Mark’s -in- the- Valley Episcopal Church at  901 Nojoqui Ave, Los Olivos. A light lunch will be available at 11:30 a.m.

The conversation will be led by Clara Long, Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW) where she focuses on immigration and border policy. Her reports and advocacy have covered such issues as deaths in immigration detention linked to poor medical care, mistreatment and dismissal of asylum seekers at the border, border policing abuses, the detention of children and families and harmful deportations of deeply rooted long-term US residents.

Prior to joining HRW, Clara was a Teaching Fellow with the Stanford Law School International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic. She is the co-producer of an award-winning documentary, Border Stories. Clara graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and holds Master degrees from the London School of Economics and from Stanford’s Graduate Program in Journalism.

Please join us to hear from someone on the front lines who can answer questions about the implications of immigration and border issues on our community and others like ours. In many communities, the impacts have resulted in increasingly inflamed political rhetoric, a rise in threats and hate crimes, profiling, deportation and discrimination of various types.

Please RSVP your attendance to inclusionsyv@gmail.com by March 11.  Early response will facilitate lunch ordering.

INCLUSION SYV is an organization dedicated to building a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive community. The mission of the SYV Community Action Alliance is to facilitate the convergence of neighbors and networks that stand against discrimination and take action to affirm and protect civil, political, and human rights for all. For more information about these organizations, visit their respective websites at www.inclusionsyv.org and www.syvcommunityactionalliance.org.