The Guiding Principles for the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
The Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition is a voluntary collective of Georgia-based groups and individuals that share an interest in promoting the human rights of immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities by exchanging information and devising strategies to counter anti-immigrant state, local, and federal legislative measures and advocating for pro-immigrant legislative measures.
Membership in the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition is open to Georgia-based organizations and individuals with an interest in promoting the human rights of immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities.
Membership in the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition is not open to individuals or organizations with an interest in lobbying or media campaigns in potential contradiction to the rights of immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities.
Members must meet the following criteria:
1. Agree to respect the diverse views and opinions within the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee
Rights Coalition and to seek respectful means for communicating concerns and resolving conflict;
2. Strive to obtain structured consensus on group decisions, while respecting each member’s right to disagree;
3. Agree not to seek financial resources from outside sources for the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition or for their own organization based substantially on the collective accomplishments of the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition;
4. Strive to contribute non-monetary resources and expertise to the Georgia Immigrant and Refuge Rights Coalition to facilitate the accomplishment of the coalition’s goal of promoting the human rights of immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities;
5. Advocate or provide public education on immigrant-, migrant-, and refugee rights-related matters to the broader community; and
6. Be concerned about immigration policy and practice as well as the rights of all human beings to live in dignity and be treated with respect.
7. Agree to abide by and participate in the Organization Guidelines described in the next section.
The founding members of Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition are: the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia; the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights; Raksha, Inc.; Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta; the Refugee Women’s Network.
New members shall join the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition upon a vote by members at any regular meeting of the coalition.
Members who fail to abide by any of the Guiding Principles may be removed from the Georgia Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition based on a vote in which all coalition members are provided an opportunity to participate.
In addition to these Guiding Principles of the GIRRC, members of the coalition shall abide by the GIRRC Organizational Guidelines.
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distributed 12/7/2009, updated 2/17/2012 per agreement by members.
GIRRC - Georgia Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition 