June has been and continues to be an exceptional month for us here at NMIC.
The month of June is designated as both Immigrant Heritage Month and Pride Month, and it is an opportunity to highlight stories and recognize the impact that different communities have on our neighborhoods. This month, we also celebrated our 43rd anniversary with all of you at our annual benefit, Juntos/ Together: Building Without Limits.
To boot, we are delighted to share we have been selected as a grant recipient by the New York Bar Foundation, a generous supporter responded to the baby formula shortage, and we spent a sunny and restorative afternoon sowing seeds in Yajaira Parra’s Garden outside of our Manhattan office.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge that we have a lot to celebrate in the month of June, and we would like to share it with you!
Juntos/Together: Building Without Limits
On June 9th, NMIC staff, supporters, volunteers, partners, and community members gathered to celebrate our many accomplishments of the past year together at our annual benefit, Juntos/Together: Building Without Limits. It was an evening to advocate for those we serve, to acknowledge the dedication of our staff, and to honor our partnerships with Crowell & Moring LLP and Finger Management Corp. and their exceptional dedication to our community.
We are excited to announce that we have raised $162,000 to support our clients as we continue to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of the people in our community on their paths to secure and prosperous futures.
Click here to view our photos from the benefit and click here to watch our benefit videos.
Thank you to all who joined us!
New York Bar Foundation Selects NMIC as Grant Recipient
The New York Bar Foundation awarded $600,000 in grants. NMIC is one of many recipients of this award that will enhance our Pro Bono and Clinical Partnership Program. This project will further our ongoing efforts to increase our resources to deliver housing, immigration, and other legal services to our community members at no cost.
This opportunity supports relationship building and partnerships with prominent NYC law firms to handle cases and provide counsel with an overall aim to increase access to justice for our community.
Click here to read the press release and learn about other legal organizations providing support to NYC residents.
Yajaira Parra’s Garden
In front of NMIC’s Manhattan office is Yajaira Parra’s Garden, a small but immensely meaningful symbol intended to serve as a memorial for Yajaira Parra, a young mother who was murdered by her husband in 2004. Through a partnership with City Gardens Club of NYC, the garden was planted as a visual reminder of Parra’s life, the prevalence of intimate partner violence, and as an outlet of healing for survivors. Nature has a restorative power and engaging with natural surroundings can reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of disconnection. Last month, survivors in NMIC’s Domestic Violence Project and staff came together to plant new flora and provide maintenance for the garden.
Click here to support the hundreds of domestic violence survivors NMIC serves annually.
Pride Month, Immigrant Heritage Month, Juneteenth, and Intersectionality
Every year, Pride and Immigrant Heritage Month are celebrated in the month of June. June is a month to reflect on the intersectionality of people’s contributions, struggles, and successes within our nation’s history. Pride month honors the demonstrations of 1969, following a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Immigrant Heritage Month was established in 1987 and has evolved into a monthlong encouragement for all to explore their individual heritage and celebrate both our distinct and shared experiences.
LGBTQ immigrants, who stand at the intersection of these two communities, are subjected to both homophobia and xenophobia. This is especially true for transgender female immigrants, who are detained on average more than twice the average length of detainment of all immigrants held in ICE custody.
At NMIC, we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, immigrant communities, and those who belong to both.
On June 19, we also observe Juneteenth. Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops arrived in Galveston two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday.
To learn more about Immigrant Heritage Month, click here. To learn more about New York City Pride, click here. To learn more about Juneteenth, click here.
Joel Cohen and Babies
There is nothing more important to families than the health and wellbeing of their babies, and the formula shortage has left many families in fear. The cost of rent and food has recently risen in New York City, which has only aggravated the needs of young mothers who live on a low income.
Supporter Joel Cohen reached out to us at NMIC to see if we had clients who were impacted by the shortage. When we told him that we did, he generously donated a shipment of formula for mothers in our Domestic Violence Program. It is because of responsive philanthropy that we can meet the immediate needs of our community.
If you have an innovative philanthropic idea that you’d like to share with us, please contact Rosanna Montilla-Payano at rosannamontilla@nmic.org. It is through these partnerships that we can comprehensively support families so that they may lead secure and prosperous lives.
NMIC in the News
- NMIC partnered with DoorDash, an online food delivery service, to distribute Covid test kits and personal protective equipment on April 29. Caitly Reynoso, a Train & Earn Academic Counselor, states, “People come in for professional or academic needs, but they leave with a wealth of many more resources.” Click here to read more.
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $20 million in new grants for its Eviction Protection Grant Program, doubling the amount originally allocated for the program’s launch in November 2021. In New York, HUD awarded $2.4 million to NMIC. Click here to read more.
Observances
- Immigrant Heritage Month
- Pride Month
- Caribbean-American Heritage Month
- June 13-20, National Men’s Health Week
- June 19, Juneteenth
- June 21, International Yoga Day
- June 27, National PTSD Awareness Day
