Immigrant Justice Organizer, Congress of Day Laborers/New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice
Chloe Sigal
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
The New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ) is a multi-racial organization dedicated to building the power and participation of low-income workers and communities. NOWCRJ has been nationally recognized for direct worker organizing, strategic campaigns, policy advocacy, litigation, and coalition building to advance immigrant rights, racial justice, and economic equity. NOWCRJ anchors two grassroots membership organizations: the Congress of Day Laborers and Stand with Dignity, both of which are on the cutting edge of movements to end criminalization, exploitation, and exclusion in New Orleans. NOWCRJ also anchors the National Guestworker Alliance (NGA), a national organization dedicated to winning rights and respect for guestworkers and building a social movement in response to the transformation of work in the United States, and a strategic legal department that innovates law and policy strategies that build grassroots power. In the last five years, the Center’s organizing and policy victories have been highlighted in the New York Times, Time Magazine, and Newsweek. For more information go to www.nowcrj.org
ABOUT THE CONGRESO DE JORNALEROS:
The Congreso de Jornaleros/Congress of Day Laborers is an organization of immigrant workers and families founded by the day laborers who helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Today, Congreso is a hub for immigrants across the Southeast region, and a leadership pipeline for hundreds of immigrant workers and families into public life and social movement participation. Congreso members organize at the intersections of the criminal legal and immigration enforcement systems, leading visionary campaigns in partnership with other marginalized communities to win human rights and dignity for affected people.
POSITION 2. Immigrant Justice Organizer, Congress of Day Laborers
POSITION SUMMARY
NOWCRJ seeks a passionate, innovative dedicated, creative Immigrant Justice Organizer to participate in the implementation of strategic campaigns, develop member defense strategies, coordinate member services, lead engaging popular education programming, and support Congreso members’ own leadership development.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The new organizer will work closely with the rest of the Congreso team to execute a fluid set of responsibilities from the following list, (subject to change depending on shifting conditions and relevant experience):
- Develop and facilitate energetic meeting agendas that build our membership’s political analysis and engagement. This may include strategy sessions with member-leaders, support groups, and large general assembly Defend Your Rights workshops. Click the following links for a sense of Congreso weekly general assembly meeting activities: Solidaridad con Orlando, Vivos en el Congreso!, DAPA o Accion?
- Coordinate member defense strategies. Oversee a community raid-monitoring program, which may include supporting members in testimony-collection, inputting data, and noting trends. Develop campaigns to stop deportations using an array of strategies including media coverage, ally mobilization, pro-se prosecutorial discretion requests, etc.
- Carry out and coordinate member services. Build relationships and support members through accompaniment and translation at doctor’s visits, appointments, and in interactions with the criminal legal system, including traffic and criminal court. Support members in accessing their full rights. Maintain accurate documentation to support necessary follow-up.
- Plan and facilitate programming that builds our community. This may include fundraisers, holiday parties, story circles, gardening sessions, attending national conferences with member-leaders, etc.
- Participate in strategic political campaigns. This may include participating in strategy discussions, policy research, power mapping, and action planning and logistics.
- Build and maintain relationships with key allies, volunteers, coalitions, etc. on behalf of the Congreso and the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice.
QUALIFICATIONS
The job requires a high degree of motivation and the ability to take initiative. A successful applicant will have the following qualities:
- Must be bilingual in English and Spanish
- Love of teamwork and a good team player.
- Faith in poor people’s ability to change the world
- Deep dedication to the leadership of directly affected people
- Strong project management skills; experience overseeing and bottom-lining multiple concurrent projects.
- Creativity, patience, positive attitude, and stamina
- The ability to work under pressure
- Familiarity and experience in the immigrant rights movement and deportation defense.
- 3 years experience in grassroots organizing required – including outreach, leadership development, and strategic campaigns
- Strong time-management, writing, office, and organizational skills
- Experience coordinating volunteers is a plus
- Must know how to drive and have a car
This is not a 9 to 5 job—long and varied hours, with early morning, evening, weekend work is required.
The Congreso and the New Orleans Workers’ Center are strongly committed to multi-racial organizing, and racial justice, economic justice and gender justice frames. While the immigrant justice organizer will focus primarily on the work described above, candidates must be committed to supporting African American organizing for jobs and criminal justice reform; labor organizing for workers’ rights; LGBTQ rights organizing; gender justice organizing; and other efforts across many communities to expand democracy in the South.
ACCOUNTABILITY
The immigrant justice organizer is supervised by Congreso’s Lead Immigrant Justice Organizer at the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send a cover letter, resume and 3 professional references to LaToya Johnson at ljoh...@nowcrj.org , with “IMMIGRANT JUSTICE ORGANIZER” in the subject line. Phone inquires will not be accepted.