Following the recent busing of migrants from New York City to the Hudson Valley, elected officials in both areas continue to promote messages of scarcity and fear, while the media focuses on their political and legal battles.
Our local experiences are part of a broader global context, shaped by historic, current and emerging factors, policies and crises—including wars, violence and the climate catastrophe. While the United States has played a role in creating many of the disasters that force people to flee their homes, our federal, state and city governments fail to support people who arrive at our borders. Instead, migrants and asylum seekers often experience exclusion, violence, exploitation, penalization and a lack of clear pathways to navigate our systems.
We understand the importance of compassionately welcoming immigrants and refugees to our communities in ways that affirm their humanity and dignity. Grantee organizations in the Hudson Valley are organizing to do just that—building relationships with new community members, coordinating mutual aid efforts, providing Know Your Rights information and expanding interpretation support. They’re pushing back against racist and divisive narratives. And they’re calling for the coordination of grassroots efforts throughout the state, recognizing the need for longer-term plans. Community-led groups are stepping in where our government is falling short.
Grassroots organizations need financial resources to support their immediate actions—and to create spaciousness for planning their work and then implementing their plans. We are gathering information from grantees about their work, challenges and resource needs, so that we can amplify their messages and raise awareness in the philanthropic sector about the support required at this time.
How can you help? North Star Fund continues to make rapid response grants available to support grassroots groups with timely organizing, activism and strategic convening in response to emergent issues. We hope you’ll contribute to this essential fund here. (Select “General Support” to contribute to the rapid response grant fund.)
We believe that movements can be built on generosity, with commitment to an abundance mindframe—and together we can meet this moment. We can organize people, mobilize resources, build power—and demand our government do more and do better.