Join the Asbury Park Education Justice Collective for a workshop with Ravi Ragbir, Executive Director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of NYC, and Rosemary A. Barbera.

The workshop will focus on creating sanctuary spaces in homes, faith communties, organizations, and businesses.

Ravi Ragbir works directly with those who are facing deportation to empower them to struggle to remain in the US. He has trained numerous advocates from various immigrant and allied organizations on the impact of our immigration policies, on creating sanctuary spaces, and on how to accompany immigrants through the challenging deportation process. Working with these groups Ravi has organized Know Your Rights and community forums to educate and train communities to advocate for the individual but more importantly to advocate for a fair and humane immigration policy.

In the last year Ravi has developed a clinic that brings together immigrants who are facing deportation and who do not have lawyers with volunteers who assist them in getting ready for their court cases. Over 150 immigrants have been served so far, and are accompanied in their hearings by the support of the New Sanctuary Coalition, even when they cannot find legal representation. At the same time Ravi continues to coordinate and support a large accompaniment program that ensures that immigrants do not have to check-in with immigration agents on their own. He has provided training to faith groups in New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey.

Join the Asbury Park Education Justice Collective for a workshop with Ravi Ragbir, Executive Director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of NYC, and Rosemary A. Barbera.

The workshop will focus on creating sanctuary spaces in homes, faith communties, organizations, and businesses.

Ravi Ragbir works directly with those who are facing deportation to empower them to struggle to remain in the US. He has trained numerous advocates from various immigrant and allied organizations on the impact of our immigration policies, on creating sanctuary spaces, and on how to accompany immigrants through the challenging deportation process. Working with these groups Ravi has organized Know Your Rights and community forums to educate and train communities to advocate for the individual but more importantly to advocate for a fair and humane immigration policy.

In the last year Ravi has developed a clinic that brings together immigrants who are facing deportation and who do not have lawyers with volunteers who assist them in getting ready for their court cases. Over 150 immigrants have been served so far, and are accompanied in their hearings by the support of the New Sanctuary Coalition, even when they cannot find legal representation. At the same time Ravi continues to coordinate and support a large accompaniment program that ensures that immigrants do not have to check-in with immigration agents on their own. He has provided training to faith groups in New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey.

Rosemary A. Barbera is a social worker who has been working in human rights since the 1980’s in the U.S. and Latin America, including work with immigrants fleeing war and the violence of poverty from Latin America and Africa. She lived in Bolivia and Chile in the 1980’s into the 1990’s and was a human rights worker in both countries. She continues her work with survivors of human rights abuses in Chile as well as with the family members of the disappeared. In Philadelphia she has worked with various immigrant rights organizations. Her current research examines the role memory plays in post-dictatorship society, community resilience after disaster, and building human rights social movements. She is presently an Associate Professor of Social Work at La Salle University.