SEIRN is excited to announce the 2023 Weaving Solidarity Program, a year long regional cohort program that seeks to strengthen the immigrant rights movement in the South by gathering social justice leaders to deepen relationships among each other and help build transformative solidarity between immigrant and refugee leaders, and queer and BIPOC leaders. We are thrilled to be hosting the 2023 Weaving Solidarity Program in partnership with the Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC), the Education Justice Alliance (EJA), and People’s Power Lab (PPL).

 

Weaving Solidarity is a space to hold conversations about how systems of oppression impact our different communities, draw connections among our communities in terms of struggles and resilience, explore healing justice practices, and identify concrete ways in which we can apply transformative solidarity into our local work.

 

Please continue reading and consider applying if you are ready and committed to building transformative solidarity with other immigrant, refugee, black, indigenous, LGBTQ, and other historically marginalized communities. The deadline to apply is December 8th. 2022.

 

There is no cost to participate in the program. SEIRN will cover travel, food and lodging expenses, as well as childcare and interpretation. Groups accepted for participation will receive a 500$ participation stipend.

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Weaving Solidarity Objectives:

 

• Build an understanding about our shared and unique histories as immigrants, refugees, queer, black, and indigenous people of color and how our struggles intersect; 

 

• Build a collective analysis of how white supremacy, anti-blackness, colonialism, capitalism, and misogyny impact our communities and how to resist these forces by organizing across communities;

 

• Create an action plan that delineates the commitments we need to make and the initial steps we need to take as a collective, groups and individuals to build local solidarity with other communities;

 

• Establish a network of solidarity leaders and promoters to support each other and invite other groups in the Southeast to make a commitment to work across communities.

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Methodology:

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• Center ourselves in the legacy of resistance and resilience of our communities and learn about ways in which we have historically survived and thrived despite the damages caused by systems of oppression;

 

• Use storytelling as a tool to learn about each other’s immigration/displacement story and build connections among our communities;

 

• Use healing justice as a tool to identify and implement ancestral healing practices that support our collective liberation; 

 

• Build relationships and deeper connections through ethnic food, social gatherings, and cultural celebrations.

 

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Requirements and Criteria:

 

In order to meet and best fulfill the intentions of this program, participants must:

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• Identify as a refugee, immigrant, second generation (child of immigrant or refugee parents) and/or

• Identify as part of another historically oppressed community, including, but not limited to Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ, or differently abled

• Live in the Southeast 

• Commit to participate in all three in-person gatherings and subsequent virtual sessions in 2023

• Commit to build or strengthen solidarity with one or more communities other than their own and to expand the work beyond their participation in the Weaving Solidarity program

• Demonstrate a commitment to build solidarity between the communities represented within the cohort and beyond

• Demonstrate a commitment to fighting oppression in all its forms

• Agree with SEIRN's guiding principles.

 

 

Application Process

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1. Apply by Dec 8th, 2022

2. The Weaving Solidarity team will review applications and may schedule an interview over the phone the week of December 19th, 2022. 

3. Applicants will be notified of their selection no later than December 23rd. 

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Convenings:

There will be three in-person weekend-long gatherings in 2023. The gatherings will be vibrant spaces for collective learning, sharing and regional relationship building. SEIRN will cover all travel expenses. Gatherings will take place in North Carolina the following dates:  

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• Gathering 1: March 10th - 12th

• Gathering 2: July 21st - 23rd

• Gathering 3: December 8th - 10th

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In addition to the convenings, cohort members will continue to build relationships with each other in between gatherings through seven virtual sessions and a closed online forum.
 

Ongoing Communication, Relationship Building and Support:

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As part of the Weaving Solidarity program, participants are asked to commit to actively work locally to build relationships with communities other than their own. Recognizing that participants come into this process with different levels of experience and relationships with other communities, this local work will look different for everyone. Cohort participants will develop an action plan to implement what they are learning.

 

In addition to peer support from other cohort members, SEIRN staff and cohort facilitators will offer support to each group as they develop and implement their action plan. 

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Timeline and Time Commitment

 

Participating in Weaving Solidarity requires a substantial investment of time. The estimated minimum amount of time required is as follows:

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• Application process:

  • Individual application: 30 minutes

  • Phone Interview (if necessary): 30 minutes

  • Travel and logistical arrangements: will vary by participant/team

 

• In-person gatherings in North Carolina: 

  • Gathering 1: March 10-12, 2 days + travel time)

  • Gathering 2: July 21-23, 2 days + travel time)

  • Gathering 3: December 8-10, 2 days + travel time)

 

• Virtual sessions via Zoom (2 hrs each):

  • March (session to build community)

  • April (learning session)

  • June (session to build community)

  • August (session to build community)

  • September (learning session)

  • October (session to build community)

  • November (learning session)

 

**Participants will be highly encouraged to participate in the 2023 SEIRN Conference in Alabama from May 19-21. Weaving Solidarity participants will receive full scholarships to attend. 

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CLICK HERE TO APPLY

 

 

Please contact Jorge “Tito” Ramos at tito@seirn.org or at (919) 576-9409 if you have any questions.

 

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