Dear North Carolinians,
Right now, in our state, federal immigration agents are raiding churches and afterschool sites, smashing car windows of U.S. citizens, and harassing people at their jobs and in their own neighborhoods. Businesses are closed, and tens of thousands of kids are missing school.
It is reasonable to have policy debates about immigration and border security.
It is not reasonable – or humane – for masked, armed federal agents to racially profile North Carolina residents and have everyone living in a state of panic.
This doesn’t affect just one group of people. It affects all of us. And North Carolinians are stepping up to care for and protect each other.
Nonprofits are leading the way — documenting and monitoring civil rights violations, helping families with grocery deliveries and school pick-ups, and providing Know Your Rights workshops and legal assistance. These are all critical efforts to keep people informed and safe. ZSR will continue to support this work in the days and weeks ahead.
We’ve also heard from many of you who want to help. Many organizations are working around the clock to keep people safe. Here are five you can support:
Many other resources have been shared, and they’re all needed. This situation is changing by the hour, and we will continue to share information and ways to help via Instagram.
Let’s continue to support our immigrant neighbors, embrace our shared humanity, and work toward a North Carolina where everyone feels safe and is treated fairly.
All For NC,
Joy Vermillion Heinsohn
Executive Director, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
