Recap: ICNY's Advocacy Last Week
Women Faith Leaders Interfaith Breakfast, Concerned Clergy Visit to Capitol Hill about the Migrants in NYC, and more!
Women Faith Leaders Interfaith Breakfast
On March 6, the Interfaith Center of New York partnered with NYC’s Office of the Comptroller and the Riverside Church to host a Women1 Faith Leaders Interfaith Breakfast. Our event brought in nearly 70 faith leaders across the boroughs to meet one another, and more importantly, engage in a critical discussion with Comptroller Brad Landers on issues relating to migrants and housing.
Ms. Dalveer Kaur opened us with a powerful prayer and song from the Sikh tradition, which reinstalled a sentiment of hope in the room. After opening remarks, Brad Landers, Hanadi Doleh, Nina Saxon, and the Rev. Adrienne Thorne, engaged in a panel discussion that explored how the Comptroller’s office is handling the political and financial burden of recent influxes of migrants. Importantly, we discussed how faith and civic leaders can change the narrative so all New Yorkers feel prioritized in their needs, even with the arrival of new migrants.
Comptroller Landers also introduced the Homes Now: Homes of Generations Campaign, which officially launched at City Hall on Monday, March 11. The campaign aims to invest $2 billion over the next four years for permanently affordable housing. In time, this investment will help counteract unprecedented rent prices, growing rates of eviction, and inflated cost of livings. The initiative aims to keep New Yorkers in New York.
During the Q&A portion of the event, attendees asked about a range of issues, such as the effects of redistricting, especially in outer boroughs, the definition of “affordability” to the city’s offices, and the resources of Muslims observing Ramadan this month. The event provided a diverse space for two important accomplishments. First, it celebrated the unique position and power of women faith leaders, and second, it generated renewed energy for future advocacy. Finally, Ms. Pingping Huang closed our event with a prayer from the Buddhist tradition.
Aptly timed, the Mayor's Working Group for Faith-Based Affordable Housing and Community Development, Bricks and Mortals, and The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships hosted the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Summit took place at the Riverside Church on Wednesday, March 13. The gathering brought together faith leaders, housing experts, and community members to discuss innovative solutions and share best practices.
Concerned Clergy Visit to Capitol Hill
On March 12, ICNY joined a delegation of more than 40 NYC Concerned Clergy who met with elected officials on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of New York City for 1) more federal funding to manage the humanitarian crisis posed by so many new arrivals, 2) to expedite work authorization for migrants, 3) a national resettlement strategy, and 4) comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
On the topic of work authorization for migrants, we met with Senator Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kristin Gillibrand and asked other elected officials from Connecticut, Texas, and other states to co-sponsor Sen. Gillibrand’s S. 2175, Assisting Seekers in Pursuit of Integration and Rapid Employment Act or the ASPIRE Act, which guarantees that eligible asylum applicants receive work authorization while their applications are pending. We asked Sen. Schumer to press President Biden to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ecuador, DRC, Guatemala, Mali, and Nigeria (with a special emphasis on West Africa countries like Mauritania and Guinea, this Ramadan season). We also asked for re-designation for Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
Stay tuned for our next blog post about how you can advocate for Temporary Protected Status!
Our programming was offered to marginalized genders including women, women-identifying individuals, and non-binary and gender non-conforming people comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women