Freedom, Courage and Caring

The economic, cultural, and community fabric of California depends on immigrants—their safety and well-being are essential to all of us. We are inspired by the courage and care we’re seeing as people in California and nationwide exercise their constitutional right to organize, peacefully protest, and show up for their immigrant neighbors, friends, and coworkers who are scared and hurting. We must always support this kind of civil and active engagement as a cornerstone of our democracy and our freedoms.

Toward that end, this newsletter shares the stories of three Haas Jr. partners that are at the forefront in advancing freedom, courage, and caring in the fraught moment we are facing today. We share how:

• Immigrant Defenders Law Center is providing legal representation to people arrested and detained by ICE, while continuing the center’s role as one of the leading organizations defending children caught up in the immigrant justice system.
• The collaborative We Are California is reimagining organizing to create spaces for collective action that can improve lives and build lasting power for communities.
• California Competes is leading the drive for “student-centered” solutions for making higher education more accessible and more affordable for first-generation students, low-income students of color, and others.

These groups are just the tip of the iceberg. Across California and nationwide, brave nonprofit leaders and their staff and volunteer teams are working hard every day to try and make sure we deliver on our nation’s democratic ideals.

Their inspiring stories lift up what our work in philanthropy is about. It’s about partnering with innovators and problem-solvers who have a clear-eyed view of the challenges facing their communities, and who are working to shape a world where everyone can exercise their rights, be safe, and thrive.

Cathy Cha