ICYMI: Philadelphia’s Legal Community Partners to Form ‘Take Action Philly’
Initiative to Help Protect, Assist Vulnerable Residents
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Bar Association, with the support of the City of Philadelphia and a number of prominent non-profit legal aid organizations, announced last week that it has formed Take Action Philly (TAP) – an initiative uniting lawyers, government, community organizations and residents to protect and assist some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents. The first convening as part of this effort will focus on Immigrant and Refugee Policy, including the President’s executive order banning immigrants from seven countries and state and federal legislation to “defund sanctuary cities.” It will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 in Millennium Hall at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel (1200 Market St.).
Through this unprecedented effort, TAP will convene local public and private sector lawyers, as well as community members, for a series of discussions. The goal of the convening is to educate Philadelphia’s legal community about the anticipated impact of federal and state policy decisions in various topic areas, as well as share clear ways that they can help.
“Acting together, we can design solutions that can truly make a difference in the lives of many,” said Philadelphia Chancellor Deborah R. Gross. “Join us and take action to be part of our community’s response to state and federal policy decisions.”
“The outpouring of calls and emails I’ve received from Philadelphians asking how they can stand up for their immigrant neighbors has been incredibly heartening,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “This convening will ensure we are coordinating our efforts to put up the best possible plan of action for the immigrants of Philadelphia, and I thank the Bar for taking the lead in organizing this group.”
“Our immigrant and refugee communities are under attack. The Office of Immigrant Affairs is proud to take part in Take Action Philly. By providing immigrants and refugees information and a way to complete their pathway to citizenship, we are arming them with one of the best defenses against deportation—naturalization,” said Office of Immigrant Affairs’ director, Miriam Enriquez.
While the event is focused on organizing the efforts of Philadelphia’s legal community, the convening is open and free to everyone, and there will be information on how Philadelphians without legal expertise can take action to protect and help Philadelphia’s immigrant community. However, online registration is required.
Partnering organizations of Take Action Philly include: American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, American Immigration Lawyers Association, City of Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Mazzoni Center, Nationalities Service Center, Philadelphia Bar Association and Public Interest Law Center.
Please visit PhiladelphiaBar.org for more information.
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