ICPJ Gears Up for 2020!
Collaborative Action Campaigns
As we deepen our network and prioritize the needs in our community that we are well-situated to respond to, these five campaign areas are ready to launch in 2020! Our projects are emergent and generative and we will develop and share clear goals so we can measure our progress.
Housing is a Human Right
We are collaborating with Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) to pilot a series of tenant’s organizing meetings modeled after work being done at City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston. We are focused on building community power to insure housing for all no matter the income and to providing access to relevant community resources.
Local Climate Crisis Actions
We are part of a coalition working to draft Ann Arbor’s carbon neutrality plan. We are focused on centering equity and our impact on surrounding areas. We will also advocate for accountability throughout the process as we mobilize our network to address the climate crisis.
Youth as Cultural & Civic Leaders
ICPJ, Youth Arts Alliance, the Dispute Resolution Center, and the Michigan Juvenile Justice Youth Advisory Board are joining together to add capacity in areas of restorative justice, cultural healing and loving spaces, and civic and community action with partner youth-serving organizations and groups. We will use intergenerational support and organizing practices and focus on issues of juvenile justice, anti-gentrification, and climate change.
Community Power & Practicing Democracy
In partnership with community advocates and local organizations, we will identify communities most disenfranchised by inequitable policies using social determinants of health and voting behavior in order to launch a grassroots empowerment and education campaign focused on building community power for low-income and racially-marginalized people.
Justice & Safety for Immigrants & Asylum Seekers
We will join Movimiento Cosecha Ann Arbor in its Driver’s Licences for All campaign and help organize allies to work in coordination with their efforts. We will also build capacity for the new Network to Support Asylum Seekers that formed to fill a gap in services.
Mohamed Soumah, a 44-year-old man from the West African former French colony of Guinea-Conakry who has been threatened by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immediate deportation, has taken sanctuary in Ann Arbor Friends Meeting House (Quakers). Mohamed, who has been living and working in the United States for fifteen years, suffers from a serious, life-threatening disease that requires ongoing medical attention. According to his physician, he is essentially on life support. His home country lacks adequate facilities for this kind of care, so returning there would be a death sentence. His mother, who suffered the same hereditary condition, died there due to inadequate treatment. The average per capita income in Guinea is $825/year, and average life expectancy is 52 years. The United Nations Development Program ranks Guinea 175th of 189 countries included in the Human Development Index rankings.