CHILDREN AT RISK hosted its sixth Racial Equity Rapid Roundtable on June 22nd, a monthly discussion of racial inequities experienced by Texas children and their families. Each month, speakers will discuss pervasive issues and trends impacting historically marginalized communities, such as how African American and Hispanic communities suffered higher rates of COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 related deaths causing community wide trauma, or how African American and Hispanic children have been the hardest hit by pandemic learning loss.
This month’s Racial Equity Rapid Roundtable will explore how the immigration movement is part of the racial justice movement, as attacks on immigrants exist in the context of a larger system of racial oppression. Practitioners in the field will highlight the partnerships and creative solutions advocates and providers have implemented to address the unique needs of immigrant and refugee families within this context and outline how state and national policymakers can support immigrants and refugees in their communities.
Key Facts:
- In 2018, Texas was home to 4.9 million immigrants which comprised 17 percent of the population.
- The top countries of origin for Texas immigrants were Mexico (51%), India (6%), El Salvador (5%), Vietnam (4%), and Honduras (3%).
- One in 5 adults in immigrant families with children (20%) and almost 3 in 10 of those in low-income immigrant families with children (29%) reported that they or a family member avoided one or more noncash public benefits or other help with basic needs in 2020 because of concerns about green card status or other immigration-related reasons.
“Immigrant children and families continue to face barriers to healthcare, stable housing, and food security that have deep implications for our communities. Throughout history, the American immigration system has pit immigrant communities against each other,” says Guadalupe Fernández, Director of the Children’s Immigration Network at CHILDREN AT RISK. “Justice for immigrant children and families is part of a larger struggle to advance racial equity and justice. Collective action within and across communities is necessary to end oppression in all forms to foster safe, inclusive, and thriving communities for all.”
Watch the roundtable here on Facebook and keep the conversation going – register for our National Immigration Summit today!
Roundtable Participants
Nneka Achapu, Principal Consultant & CEO, Asha Strategies LLC
Josephine Sorgwe, Managing Attorney, Baker Ripley
Martin Kim, Associate Director of Immigration Advocacy, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Haala Binyam,Director of Refugee Resettlement Programs, The Alliance
Guadalupe Fernández,Director, Children’s Immigration Network, CHILDREN AT RISK
Sharon Watkins Jones, Director, Texas Racial Equity Collaborative, CHILDREN AT RISK