Local Residents Hope to Change the Dialogue on Immigration
,June 15th, 2009
A group of residents gathered Monday evening to learn about a new organization called Welcoming Colorado. The group's goal is to change the rhetoric and dialogue about immigrants to one of respect and dignity. According to Karen Sherman Perez, who organized the meeting, the media has helped perpetuate stereotypes and allowed misconceptions about immigrants to persist.
Although through educational and advertising campaigns, along with interactive community events, Welcoming Colorado hopes to bring immigrants and non-immigrants together, and make the topic of immigration less political, and more human. Monday night, the group brainstormed ideas on specific organizations and specific people they should target their message towards. Most who attended the meeting volunteered their future support for the group, which hopes to be out in the community by the end of summer or early fall.
Welcoming Colorado hopes to repeat the success of similar groups in other states and communities, including Tennesse, Iowa, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas. Monday night's meeting was sponsored by Project Common Ground, the Hispanic Affairs Pastoral Project, Western Colorado Justice for Immigrants Committees and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. If you are interested in getting more information on the group or wish to join, you can contact Karen Sherman Perez at 970-254-6090.
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