We Are One: Immigrant Communities in the United States

November 30, 2018 | Los Angeles –

Comunalia attends a symposium in Los Angeles to discuss migration.

Last Thursday, November 29, the symposium “We Are One: Building Solidarity and Transnational Communities in the Americas” was held in Los Angeles, United States, with the participation of Comunalia and some of its members, including: the Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense A.C., Comunidad A.C., and Corporativa de Fundaciones A.C.

The symposium, organized by CF Leads in partnership with the Inter-American Foundation and Building Broader Communities in the Americas (BBCA), focused on immigrant communities and the challenges they face, and how community foundations can help.

The session began with a keynote address by Dr. Manuel Pastor, professor of sociology, American studies, and ethnic studies at the University of Southern California.

During the conference, Dr. Pastor spoke about the large number of immigrants in the United States—especially in Los Angeles—and how to work within these communities to help them integrate.

This was followed by panel discussions titled “Building Strong Transnational Communities: The Power of Leadership, Solidarity, and Immigrant Generosity,” “A Model for Local Partnership: The Boston Foundation, the Latino Legacy Fund, and the City of Boston,” and “Solidarity Among Community Foundations in Times of Disaster.”

During these panel discussions, participants discussed the challenges faced by immigrant communities in the United States and how community foundations can build bridges between migrants and local communities in their countries of origin.