Immigrant Rights

This task force works to address issues related to immigration, specifically those affecting the Latino/a population in the Valley. In addition to national comprehensive immigration reform, our task force is working locally in two areas: the allowance for Wisconsin state driver’s certificates for resident undocumented workers, and in-state tuition rates for all residents of Wisconsin meeting the academic guidelines for acceptance into our state’s public universities, colleges and technical schools. 

For a link to the Zoom meeting, or to be added to the mailing list, please leave us a message at esther-foxvalley.org/itf

This task force works to address issues related to immigration, specifically those affecting the Latino/a population in the Valley. In addition to national comprehensive immigration reform, our task force is working locally in two areas: the allowance for Wisconsin state driver’s certificates for resident undocumented workers, and in-state tuition rates for all residents of Wisconsin meeting the academic guidelines for acceptance into our state’s public universities, colleges and technical schools. 

For a link to the Zoom meeting, or to be added to the mailing list, please leave us a message at esther-foxvalley.org/itf

PLEASE NOTE:

This event has been canceled due to not enough participants.

Look for a rescheduling of the event in February 2024.

No cost to participants. PLEASE NOTE!  Advance registration needed by September 22 at the following link:

[Event Cancelled]

The Walk In Our Shoes Latino simulation experience is designed to help participants understand what it’s like to live as a Latino in our community. It is a simulation, not a game. The object is to focus and sensitize participants to the realities faced by area Latinos.  In the simulation, 27 participants assume the roles of various Latino individuals.  The experience lasts approximately three hours. It includes an introduction and briefing, the actual simulation exercise, and a debriefing period in which participants and volunteer staffers share their reactions and experiences.

Jointly Sponsored by Memorial Presbyterian Church, First Congregational United Church of Christ, and ESTHER.

Who Should Attend?

All who want a greater understanding of Latinos living in our community and the struggles they encounter. Walk in our Shoes is an excellent tool for diversity awareness.

Why attend a simulation event?

The League of Women Voters Appleton-Fox Cities (LWV) has a book share group that focuses on DEI issues. The November book is Obreros Unidos, by Jesus Salas. The group will meet on Monday, November 27 12:00 – 1:00 at the LWV office at 124 N. Morrison St., Appleton. All are welcome. For an Amazon purchase link, click here or on the cover image below.

From Amazon - In an expansive narrative, noted labor leader Jesus Salas shares an insider’s look at the farm workers movement, from its roots in southern political uprisings to its lasting legacy of activism. During his childhood, Salas and his family joined the migrant workers who traveled from their hometown in Texas to work on farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, and other states. In riveting detail, he describes the brutal working conditions and overcrowded labor camps experienced by the Mexican American workers who fueled the Midwest’s agriculture industry.

Taking inspiration from César Chávez, as a young man Salas and others led a historic march from Wautoma to Madison to demand that lawmakers address rampant violations of Wisconsin’s minimum wage laws and housing codes. These young labor leaders founded Obreros Unidos—Workers United—to continue the fight for fairness and respect, as well as to provide much-needed services to migrant families. This memoir of a movement details how their work went beyond the fields to have lasting impacts on representation in community organizations and access to education, empowering later generations to demand better.