Norma Rodriguez's blog

August 1 2009-Immigration canvassing training

I am organizing the community action area of Fiesta Del Sol- it will have a hundred volunteers each day- trained to canvass the festival, the three asks they will ask the fiesta del sol attendees:

1) Sign a pledge card addressed to Senators Feinstein and Boxer-asking them to commit to Immigration Reform.

2) Asking them to sign up for the national text messaging campaign- texting Justice or Justicia to the number 69866 to get updates on whats going on with immigration reform.

3) Inviting them to join us at the March on August 21 from San Diego City College to Senator Feinstein and Boxer's offices to deliver the pledge cards we collected at Fiesta Del Sol community action pavilion.

In order to do this,we strategized with organizers from ACORN de San Diego, and SEIU local 1877, and a few other allies to have a training today. We met at the Turning the Hearts Center In Chula Vista. It was a slow beginning, but I helped prepare the materials and training agenda for the day. It was a two hour training that involved role playing and signing up for time slots for the weekend of Fiesta Del Sol. It was very exciting, we had high school students, community members, members from our member institutions and ACORN and SEIU members. This event was also awesome because my momma was there for the week of and she helped me get people to sign in and distribute fliers. She was so proud of me and so happy to be helping out. Because of my dedication to getting our work done and to keep people accountable, I have gotten a reputation with the other organizers about being tough, and I like it! We need to hold each other accountable in order to get this powerful, amazing work done! This is going to be great!!!!!

La Colleccion Event July 19, 2009

Yesterday night, we had "La Colleccion: event in Golden Hills At the Marquee and it was beautiful. The Marquee is a great church-turned event hall in Golden Hill. The event started off as a fundraiser mostly for the art pavilion for Fiesta Del Sol and quickly became a family event with music, food and drinks!!!

LaColeccion

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Because I was working on Fiesta Del Sol and the Community Action Pavilion and with the Immigration Task Force, I did not become involved with a lot of the planning but was definetely on hand the day-of to help out! We had live art out front, artists selling their different art, jewelry and shirts. There was an art auction, drinks, small snacks, and live music, spoken poetry. Un poquito de todo. It ended up being a beautiful event. We also had a photo booth! Everything was cheap either $1 or $3 dollars except for the art/art auction. Earlier in the day, I had already ran the 5k pride run for pride weekend and been on the Padre Andres radio show again to promote the Fiesta Del Sol and Immigration campaign. Talk about a great day: running a race, promoting immigration reform and then celebrating communities and families at this even, not bad for a Saturday! It was so beautiful to see all of the effort and energy and passion that so many people from so many different walks of life put into the event. Its always so beautiful when you see this coming together, feeling the connection to something bigger. I am full of happiness. I think I'm still in a daze- I am where I am supposed to be, I'm not working a corporate job: I am in grad school focusing on immigration reform, and learning different organizing methods for when I graduate: community organizing or law school. :) The only thing I am not getting enough of or actually any of- is making my own art- there will be time for it sometime soon I hope. 

"We come together, some of us tentatively at first, knowing that we want to do something to feel connected to our communities and to do something positive. We create connections in our humanity- beautiful smiling faces, beautiful comunities, for something so much greater than ourselves."

Immigration Task force-takes off!

So my personal goal as an organizer this summer, was to build up the Immigration Task Force group here in San Diego. We have had shaky turn out and continuity for about three years now. I wanted to make the task force a group of accountability and continuity. And After the June 27th summit, we had a great first powerful meeting! In partnership with allies ACORN, SEIU, and our member institutions; key staff/leaders from each organization gathered to plot out what our game plan was with the immigration task force. We had our meeting at the SEIU offices, and we had pretty good turn out about 40 people. We strategized on what it was that we were going todo within the "Community Action" pavilion of Fiesta Del Sol. The Festival has different pavilions dedicated to different issues: healthcare, childrens, education, community action, art. Our plan is to have a training August 1 prior to the Fiesta Del Sol (August 8 and 9) to bring 200 people to a training to learn how to "canvass" during Fiesta Del Sol. This week I am going to be on the Padre Andres show (a catholic radio talk show) speaking about this and the national text message campaign- if you text the word Justice or Justicia to the # 69866, you get updates on where we are with immigration reform, when a politician makes a statement or there is new updates, you get a text letting you know who to call and let them know about your support or disgust :) its a great tool! I will be on the show with Christina, this student who is an amazing mujer, We meet for a few hours today to discuss talking points and it was awesome! I realized that she is very interested in Immigration law, which is something I have been thinking about lately. While the community action area is being developed through the immigration task force, the rest of Fiesta Del Sol is moving right along. It is in the exciting phase, my co-chair and I, just feel so energized after the meetings, like what happens every year, amazing people come out of the wood work to head up and join the pavilions. The energy is tangible, the people amazing, the movement vibrant, I wouldn't be anywhere else, doing anything else!!! I love organizing!