Migrant Support Collective: Launch Party

On September 29th from 1-4pm, Migrant Support Collective invites you to join us for a day of community, food, and art at Uptown’s beautiful Haymarket House, hosted by Women and Children First Bookstore. During this event, we plan to spread the word about the new programs and services that we will be providing to detained migrants in the United States, all of which center on affirming the human right to autonomy, community, and creative expression.

• Watch a beautiful performance by las Adelitas del Folklor, a Mexican dance group based in Chicago
• Enjoy delicious pizza, salad, and donuts, generously donated by Smack Dab
• Enter into a raffle for beautiful prints generously donated by José Rosa and Marimacha Monarca Press. Each Eventbrite ticket includes one raffle ticket, and more raffle tickets can be purchased at the event.
• Purchase prints from Art from the Inside to support artists experiencing incarceration, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting MSC
• Hear from some of Chicago's immigration activists: Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez and Attorney Lee VanderLinden
• Write notes of support and make drawings that MSC will mail to migrants detained throughout the United States
• Buy liberation-themed stickers, or make your own stickers with drawings you make at the event - this is fun for all ages, but especially for kids attending!

We look forward to celebrating with you!

In her first term, Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez won improvements to neighborhood schools, brought affordable housing to the 33rd Ward, championed Treatment Not Trauma (a model to respond to mental health crises with clinicians instead of police), and secured funding for violence interrupters. In the community, she has increased democracy by giving neighbors a voice in zoning decisions and, through Participatory Budgeting, she invited residents to propose and vote on improvements in the 33rd Ward’s parks, streets, and green spaces. At City Hall, Rossana introduced and passed legislation to protect abortion and gender affirming care, worked to codify Chicago as a sanctuary city for immigrants, and was an independent voice in City Council, not a rubber stamp for the mayor. All while not taking a dime from developers or big business. Rossana is a mother, youth educator, and lifelong community activist. She is currently completing her Masters in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University. Originally from Puerto Rico, she attended her first demonstration at the age of six, when her neighborhood of Mariana waged a successful battle for public access to drinking water.

Lee VanderLinden (they/them) is the managing attorney for NIJC’s LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative. Lee graduated with a degree in politics from Princeton University and obtained their J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. While in law school, they interned with GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the Irish International Immigrant Center, the People’s Law Office, and NIJC’s LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative. Lee serves on the board of the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund and the Center on Halsted. Lee is licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois.

Masks are optional at this event. There will be air purifiers in the event space. Per CDC guidelines, if you are sick or live with someone who is sick with COVID-19, the flu, RSV, or similar contagious diseases, within 5 days preceding the event, we ask that you please stay home.

Haymarket House is fully accessible and has a wheelchair ramp entrance through our back entrance off Clarendon. All restrooms are gender neutral and fully accessible. If you have an accessibility request, please email us at [email protected]. Please note that, in order for us to have time to accommodate your request, we will need you to email us by Sunday September 15 (two weeks prior to the event).

Learn more about Migrant Support Collective on our website, and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Host or Publisher Women & Children First