CONTACT: Rich Pellegrino, Director of the Cobb Immigrant Alliance (CIA)
ORGANIZATION: Cobb Immigrant Alliance
VOICE PHONE NUMBER: 404-573-1199
EMAIL ADDRESS: pilgrim1@mindspring.com
WEBSITE: www.laboroflovecampaign.org
PURPOSE: To separate the myths from the facts and educate the public about our new immigrant neighbors, immigration issues in general, and the new GA immigration law (HB87), and to bring all the diverse elements of our community together to work together to solve our real problems (jobs, healthcare, education, public safety).
THEME: “We are one people and together we can survive
and advance in spite of the vested interests attempting to divide us.”
WHO: Panel members who are experts on immigration issues, community development (including jobs), and human and civil rights–and YOU–the community. (This will be an interactive forum and will be the first of a series being held around the county.)
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Rich Pellegrino, Director of the Cobb Immigrant Alliance, stated:
“The new immigration bill, HB87, signed into law by Governor Deal on Friday, May 13th, is another unfunded mandate and diversionary tactic, based on myths, targeting and scapegoating our new immigrant neighbors while costing the state’s taxpayers millions, and not solving either the immigrant/immigration problems or the community’s real issues of jobs and the economy. It is time for the residents of Cobb & GA to come and work together to solve our real issues and not let our energies and attention be diverted by these tactics of separation–for we are one people and together we can survive and advance regardless of those vested interests seeking to divide us.”
The Cobb Immigrant Alliance is a voluntary grass roots group and Cobb County
coalition composed of individual members of non-profit, business, religious,
educational, human and civil rights entities who have come together to help
highlight the significant contributions of immigrants to our community and
to ensure a welcoming environment for immigrants of all backgrounds in Cobb
County, Georgia and the entire U.S. (Note we fully acknowledge that we are a
nation of immigrants and are not concerned with your immigration status, or
whether you recently came or have been here for generations.)
Some of our accomplishments and work is featured in research publications
“Black Brown Coalitions in the Southeast” (found at
http://www.southerncouncil.org/pdf/BlackBrownCoalitions.pdf; by GA State
University & Southern Regional Council) and “Terror and isolation in Cobb:
How Unchecked Police Power under 287(g) Has Torn Families Apart and
Threatened Public Safety”
(http://www.acluga.org/racial%20profiling%20Cobb.pdf by the ACLU).
