Women and Girls of Color Research and Engagement Initiative

Congratulations, Sanctuary Through the Eyes of Women and Girls Funding Recipients!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our community conversation about immigration, and to those of you who submitted proposals on the topic. It it heartening to share space with so many individuals working to address issues that impact women and girls of color in Minnesota.

Four community-university collaborative teams were granted awards for their efforts to support women and girls of color in communities affected by deportation and racialized surveillance.

Protecting the Health of Women and Girls of Color in Sanctuary Cities: A Public Health Perspective

Maria Arboleda, Independent Community Consultant
Zobeida Bonilla and Jamie Stang, UMN Epidemiology and Community Health

This partnership seeks to increase awareness of how immigration policies impact the health of women and girls of color through a community-based participatory needs assessment among immigrant Latino women and girls, a Sanctuary Research and Policy Brief documenting how key maternal and child health outcomes have been affected by immigration policies, and a series of Sanctuary Through the Eyes of Women and Girls fact sheets.

Sisters Together Organizing Refugees and Immigrants for Emancipation & Stability (STORIES)

Linus Chan,​ UMN Law School
Mai Neng Moua​, Private Attorney
Jenny Srey, MN8 Campaign
ThaoMee Xiong,​ Government Relations Consultant

This partnership aims to open legal pathways and legislative overhaul to help non-citizen refugees with criminal convictions defend themselves against removal orders. The project seeks to bring attention to the impact of anti-immigrant policies on Southeast Asian refugee communities and to catalyze systemic change that would restore human rights to refugees and their families.

“Tales of Time” Community Dialogues and Production

Kathryn Haddad, New Arab American Theater Works
Erika Lee and Saengmany Ratsabout, UMN Immigration History Research Center

This partnership will present Ahmed Ismail Yusuf’s play, “Tales of Time” at the University of Minnesota and Somali community centers. These presentations will include discussions with audience, playwright, and community experts on immigration, Islamophobia, surviving civil war, gender, and generational divide.

Where are our girls? Latina High School Students and Mass Deportation

Bianet Castellanos, UMN American Studies
Norma Gárces and Tamara Ramirez, El Colegio High School
Lauren Martin, UMN Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center

This partnership will explore the relationship between Latina girls’ declining enrollments in high school and mass deportation. El Colegio students trained in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) will conduct oral histories with Latina classmates and their families, culminating in a video project and research report focused on how gender, immigration and poverty intersect to limit Latina girls’ educational outcomes.