Workers Academy Workshop 3 Summary
“Malaking tulong talaga ang Workers Academy part 3 sa akin. Nadagdagan ang kaalaman ko about immigration rights and meron ako na meet na mga bagong members na nagbigay-inspirasyon sa akin. (Workers Academy part 3 was a really big help to me. My knowledge about immigration rights increased and I met new members who inspired me.)” Helen, caregiver, Damayan member, Workers Academy attendee.
Last Saturday, Damayan organized the Damayan Workers Academy 2022 Workshop 3 for its members at the People’s Forum in Manhattan. The workshop featured a Know Your Immigration Rights presentation by Attorneys Nadia Qurashi and Kiki Tapiero of Take Root Justice. The presentation covered topics on immigration protection for workers and survivors of violence. Damayan, together with the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) provided our members with this Know Your Rights training as well as information about critical services, in response to the needs of the migrant worker community in NYC.
The Workshop Academy Workshop 3 was a highly informative and engaging session with workers and trafficking survivors bringing their questions and some abusive employment situations to light. There was a discussion on the immigration climate today, on what constitutes a crime of violence and trafficking, and the different relief that survivors may apply for. Some signed up for the next Damayan Legal Clinic in order to access free legal consultations with partner pro bono attorneys, and others learned the value of knowing their rights and how to build a case in order to fight for them. The workshop ended with a testimonial from a survivor who just recently got her T Visa application approved. She shared her story of abuse and how she rose up to file a case against her abuser. Hers was a story that inspired and gave insight to many.
Workers Academy is a workshop series conducted by Damayan for its members who immigration or labor cases, or think they may have one. True to its mission, Damayan aims to impart knowledge on workers rights, to encourage empowerment amongst workers through that knowledge, to be a safe space for sharing within the community, and for building social justice leaders.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Workers Academy Workshop 4 has been moved to Saturday, January 28, 11:30-5pm at The People’s Forum, 320 W 37th St, New York, NY. To register: damayanmigrants.org/WorkersAcademy