Undocumented Youth Risk Freedom to End Segregation in Georgia

Today Georgia undocumented youth led a coalition that included Moral Monday Georgia folks in disrupting the Georgia Board of Regents meeting today. Why? As Lucino Gopar puts it, "Today we celebrate 50 years since desegregation, but students are still banned from colleges, we must end segregation now!"

The Georgia Board of Regents has created policy that bans undocumented students from attending the top 5 Georgia colleges and forces them to pay international tuition anywhere else, which is basically impossible for regular people to attend college.

On this election day as Georgians head to the poll we should keep in mind that tens and thousands of very hard working Georgians are locked out of the system.

Today, in an act of civil disobedience,  undocumented youth and allies blocked Washington st outside the Board of Regents meeting much like the Board of Regents is blocking access to education for some of our most talented young Georgians.

We are asking folks to support arrestees by donating to the bail fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/georgia-civil-disobedience-fund 

We also ask that you sign and SHARE  this new online petition calling on the Board of Regents to lift the ban:

https://www.credomobilize.com/petitions/end-university-segregation-in-georgia-1?bucket=&source=twitter-share-button

Finally if you could take a moment to call the Georgia Board of Regents at 404-962-3050 & demand an end to university segregation in GA! Reverse policy 4.1.6!

‘Nonviolence in Action’ Peaceful Opposition to Anti-Immigration Efforts

The King Center's inaugural “Nonviolence in Action” event focused on the the hot topic of immigration reform.The event facilitated a dialogue with several organizations, including American Friends Service Committee, using nonviolence to further the cause of fair and equitable treatment of immigrants in Georgia.

Civil Rights veteran and former AFSC staff Constance Curry moderated a panel discussion with several courageous undocumented youth who had recently risked deportation in their efforts to demand fair and just pathways to citizenship. AFSC's own Josie Figueroa was also on the panel discussing our migrant youth voice project.

The theme of the evening seemed to be the obvious connections between the civil rights movement of the 60's, and the present day fight for immigrant rights. Constance Curry seemed to reiterate that point throughout the evening and spoke of intense feelings of nostalgia when she experienced young undocumented Georgians in the street chanting proudly, "undocumented, Unafraid". The fearlessness of their recent actions parallel the fearlessness of young freedom riders of the sixties.

AFSC was proud to play a role in planning the event and we look forward to future collaborations with the King Center.

Big ups to Dejah Ault for staffing the AFSC table so well!!

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee