Newsletter | Spring 2013
Vol. 17, Issue No. 2
The Dare to Dream Dinner Was A Huge Success!
Americans for Immigrant Justice’s 17th Annual Awards Dinner – Dare to Dream – was a huge success! Over 450 of South Florida’s leaders in the business, legal, and civic communities attended the affair, which included an inspiring Keynote Address by the Honorable Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio and a rising star on the national stage.
Pictured: Kimberly Green, Hon. Julian Castro, Cheryl Little, Ambassador Steven Green, Al Cardenas
Thanks to the efforts of the Dinner Host Committee Co-Chairs, Dorothea Green and Kimberly Green, Ph.D., and the Host Committee members, and with a generous $50,000 challenge grant from the TriMix Foundation, over $170,000 was raised to support AI Justice’s programs to advocate for sane and just immigration policies and to provide critical legal services to poor and vulnerable immigrants.
The guest list included many local luminaries – the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Member of Congress; the Honorable Joe Garcia, Member of Congress; Al Cardenas, Chair of the American Conservative Union and former Chair of the Florida Republican Party; Dr. Eduardo Padron, President of Miami Dade College; Dr. Mark Rosenberg, President of Florida International University; Frank Angones, former President of the Florida Bar; Edwidge Danticat, internationally-acclaimed writer and thinker; Ambassador and Mrs. Steven Green; Dave Lawrence Jr., retired publisher of The Miami Herald; Hon. Rosemary Barkett; Hon. James Lawrence King; Hon. Chris McAliley; Hon. Denise Slavin; Hon. Steven Lieberman; Hon. Sandy Carlin; Hon. Bertila Soto; CNN contributor Ana Navarro; Time magazine’s Michael Grunwald; Gillian Thomas, CEO of the Miami Science Museum; the Honorable Katy Sorenson, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner; and Matt Haggman of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Academy-award winning director and AI Justice Honorary Board member Jonathan Demme flew in from New York for the event, and the Honorable Joaquin Castro, Member of Congress and twin brother of the Keynote Speaker, flew in from Washington, D.C.
Dorothea Green, Ambassador Steven Green
Hon. Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio, with students
Jonathan Demme, Cheryl Little, Viviana Gentry
Hon. Julian Castro, Hon. Joaquin Castro, Hon. Joe Garcia, Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Hon. Joe Garcia with students
AI Justice Reached The Stars at NYC Dinner
The stars aligned for AI Justice at an intimate dinner in NYC hosted by Honorary Board Member and Academy-award winning director Jonathan Demme and former Board Member and attorney Faith Gay. Two AI Justice DREAMer clients – one of whom, Juan Gomez, is featured in the new documentary DREAM: An American Story, shared their stories that evening.
Among the guests were actresses Rosie Perez and Anne Hathaway. Ms. Perez later spent the day with AI Justice in Miami, meeting with staff and several clients, who described their experiences fleeing violence and sometimes persecution in their countries of origin, only to end up in immigration detention in the U.S. “Your clients’ stories [were] very moving and heartbreaking. They will stay with me for a long time,” said Ms. Perez.
Losmin Jimenez, Lisette Losada, Michelle Abarca, Rosie Perez, Michelle Ortiz, Cheryl Little
PhilanthroFest-Miami
We found many Americans for Immigrant Justice at PhilanthroFest 2013.
Nestor Caballero
Manuel Gutierrez
Freedom Network-Washington, D.C.
Jessica Shulruff, Christina Asencio
Our LUCHA attorneys attended the Freedom Network Conference in Washington, D.C. AI Justice is a founding member of the Freedom Network, which is dedicated to ensuring justice for trafficking victims.
Florida Immigrant Legal Aid Alliance-Orlando
Diego Menendez, Haydee Rodriguez, Farahnaz Jamette, Brunelle Cinous, Julie Irvin, Jessica Shulruff, Lisette Losada, Sandra Maldonado, Michelle Ortiz, Christina Asencio, Monique Noceda
Managing Attorney Lisette Losada and LUCHA Supervising Attorney Michelle Ortiz were members of the Florida Immigrant Legal Aid Alliance Conference Planning Committee. AI Justice’s legal team presented on topics ranging from detention, violence against women, and collaborations with community organizers, helping to ensure that all lawyers providing legal aid to immigrants in Florida are up-to-date on the latest in immigration issues.
Coming Soon! Celebrity Golf Tournament
Coach Keith Askins
Hosted by the Miami Heat’s Asst. Coach Keith Askins, the 1st Annual Hialeah Gardens Invitational Golf Tournament has selected AI Justice as its charity partner. The tournament is planned for January 2014 at Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club, with a reception afterward at the Havana Group Cigar Club. For more information, see In the Fairway & Associates.
Networking at Novecento With Young Professionals of AI Justice
