DEI sponsored a January 2026 panel on “Immigrant Rights in Contra Costa: What You Need to Know and What You Can Do” featuring 4 local community organizers who provide direct services to the immigrant community. They were:
- Sergio Jaime Lopez, Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance (CCIRA)
- Debra Ballinger, United Latino Voices of CCC
- Lisa Hoffman, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
- Nancy Dougherty, Indivisible ReSisters Contra Costa
Sergio Lopez shared his personal experience seeking asylum (he was successful). He left his country due to political persecution and wanted protection from a country that valued human rights. His experience was similar to what asylum seekers experience today. Our system is complex and difficult to understand, and forms are provided in English only. They have to submit forms within a year, but they can’t submit until they have their first court appearance, which sometimes is scheduled 12 months out, you see the problem. He spent months in detention, isolated, little medical, and the conditions now are worse. Immigrants are scared and feel alone.
CCIRA
Helps Immigrants file for asylum with their “Welcome Navigator” program. They connect immigrants with volunteers (Spanish speaking) who do not give legal advice, but help complete the application; and “court observers” take notes on what is happening in court. This has great impact as it informs immigrants they are not alone and people care about them.
United Latino Voices of Contra Costa County
This is not a legal organization but do advocacy to get civic engagement, leadership development, and power building in the immigrant community so they have a voice. The biggest challenge is lack of legal representation. When a family member is detained it affects the entire family. They also provide community health workers and are involved in tenant rights. They visit immigrant serving businesses to develop a plan if ICE shows up, informing them of their rights. They need more volunteers for immigrant court protection, “Adopt a Corner” program, as well as monetary donations at www.unitedlatinovoices.org.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
Provides comprehensive integrative legal services and social services. They serve 12,000 people per year. They work with families, who are beyond terrified and grieving, to try to to find their members who are in a detention center somewhere. They need volunteers for their Clinic in Richmond on the 3rd Saturday of every month, and for other rapid response activities. To donate: eastbaysanctuary.org
Indivisible ReSisters Contra Costa
They have 400 volunteers and need more to do the following:
- Support the court observation program
- Work at a pantry on Mondays on Clayton Road in Concord with Monument Impact.
- Watch out for ICE at Home Depot, Monument Crisis Center and courts.
- Donations to Monument Impact Food Pantry- monumentimpact.org
CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER RESOURCES
DEI has created a book loan program at General Meetings. Please check out the options and check out some great informational material.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS – DEI LIBRARY
AAUW seeks to promote inclusion and awareness for all members to create an equitable, sustainable, and inclusive membership reflective of today’s world. First attract and retain a more diverse membership and create an atmosphere of belonging and inclusivity for all members. We seek to encourage ongoing dialogue about DEI awareness and turn these conversations into actionable goals and strategies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our Branch and communities. The DEI Groups meets monthly on 2nd Mondays at 3p.m. via zoom.
The January 21, 2025 meeting was sponsored by the DEI committee and it was a presentation about the Perinatal Equity Initiative with a panel of experts from Family, Maternal, Child Health Division of the Contra Costa County Health Department and the California Maternity Quality Care Collective. The event included these two presentations and Q&A. Health care has a long ways to go before we have equity in health care outcomes, but this was an educational and encouraging presentation. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
The January 16, 2024 General Meeting held a panel on food insecurity in Contra Costa County. The following panelists shared their knowledge of this issue.
Kim Castaneda
Vice President of Development and Communications
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties
Janette Kennedy
Executive Director – Development and External Relations
Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa County
Daniel McCarthy
GaelPantry Coordinator, Mission & Ministries,
Saint Mary’s College of California
Sandra Scherer
Founding Executive Director & Senior Advisor
Monument Crisis Center
It is clear that the need is great and each organization would benefit greatly from additional support. A big thank you to all the attendees who donated food – it was divided up and delivered to the Gael Pantry, Burckhalter, Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa and the Monument Crisis Center.
CLICK HERE for information on ways you can advocate for, volunteer for, and/or donate to these worthy local organizations
Summary of Edda Coleman’s talk at January 17, 2023 General Meeting
On Being Good, Caring, Ethical, and Non-partisan when Serving Constituents
Edda Collins Coleman, newly elected to Orinda Union School District Board, was our speaker at the January membership meeting. Ms. Coleman is a managing Director of Cogent Strategies advising Fortune 50 companies as they communicate with Congress and the Executive Branch. She is also a Co-Founder of “All In Together”, a nonprofit with the mission to equip voting age women with a non-partisan civic education; and Chair of the Board of Directors of “Facing History and Ourselves” – equipping teachers with strategies and content that help young people wrestle with current events and difficult issues through the lens of history.
Ms. Coleman shared her personal story of growing up in the midwest in a family involved in the community and political campaigns. No wonder that she left for Washington D.C. after college, where she got a job working for Virginia Governor Mark Warner lobbying Congress for the State of VA. She then worked on democratic presidential campaigns. He expertise was growing in fundraising and lobbying, especially in the health care arena. When John Kerry lost, she was recruited by an insurance carrier to lobby for them. She decided to write a manual on “how to lobby”, after which she became a lobbyist for the American Pediatric Association. Her current employer was named one of the top lobby firms in D.C. in 2022.
She was disturbed by the fact that there were not many women in politics or lobbying. So she co-founded “All In Together Campaign”, to train women to become civically engaged and gain confidence to speak in front of legislative committees to lobby for our issues. And her concern about what is not being taught about history in schools, she got involved with Facing History and Ourselves and is currently chair of that organization.
Ms. Coleman is a fantastic speaker and this article does not do her talk justice. A theme throughout her presentation was working for people (politicians) who are good people who cared and served their constituents in an ethical and non-partisan way. She said her focus on the Orinda School Board will be to partner with the City of Orinda, fiscal responsibility, and academic excellence. With the example of her family and mentors, commitment to education, past experience, and her ability to influence public policy for good, Orinda schools will be well served by Edda Collins Coleman.