$25,000 / Spring 2017
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director
Milwaukee, WI
http://vdlf.org
Voces de la Frontera’s mission is to educate low-wage and immigrant workers about their employment rights and promote community organizing in order to benefit the immigrant community and the workforce at large. Established in 2004, Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), the student arm of Voces, has grown into an organization capable of building immigrant and student power in Southeastern Wisconsin. This renewal grant will enable YES to continue its inter-ethnic organizing efforts to increase black-brown unity; advance racial justice; increase immigrant rights and supports for undocumented students; fight for implementation of the YES-authored Student Bill of Rights at the school, district, and community levels; and train and educate YES leaders on social justice issues across the state. Last year, Voces mobilized 50,000 Wisconsinites through the historic Day Without Latinos march to protest local police involvement in immigration enforcement. The YES Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign resulted in over 17,500 doors knocked in Milwaukee and Racine. The GOTV campaign helped YES gain 98 new members, particularly in North Side African American neighborhoods. As part of the Milwaukee Coalition, Voces secured the passage of $10 local ID cards for ALL Milwaukee residents. Over the next year, with support from Hazen, Voces will continue to focus on defending immigrant and refugee students as well as push back on efforts to privatize public schools and resources.