Community Dialogue and Dinner a Great Success

This year Social Justice Fund tried a new approach to our annual progressive fundraising dinner. We wanted to capture and support the wonderful energy, commitment and intellectual curiosity of our members and friends in a new and different way. We invited key thinkers working to further progressive social change to talk about immigrant rights and how individual activists and donors can build a progressive strategy for the future.

Our panel discussion, Immigrant Rights: Fighting for the Future of the Northwest drew over 300 people. Deepak Bhargava, Juan Gonzalez, Alan Jenkins, Rinku Sen and Eric K. Ward led us in a thought-provoking exploration of many topics including the political and social context of immigration, the role of the media in propagating stereotypes related to immigration, and the role that we as individuals can take in creating the future we want to see. The panel discussion will be shown on the Seattle Channel. Please visit their website for scheduled air times. DVDs will also be available from the SJF office. Please call 206.624.4081 if you are interested in receiving a copy.

Following a reception with some of the most effective community organizing groups in the region, over 260 members and friends came together in the beautiful Grand Lobby of McCaw Hall for an intimate and fun dinner, dessert auction, awards ceremony and spoken word by Laura “Piece” Kelly. We were honored to present Becky Liebman with the David H. Hunter-Connie Pious Award for the philanthropist of the year, and Rosalina Guillen with the Jeanette Rankin Award for the activist of the year. We are also pleased to announce that we raised over $85,000! Thank you for your generosity!

We look forward to next year’s event, which is sure to be filled with excitement and inspiration. Thank you all for helping to make this year’s event such a success!

A Call to Action

In 2005 Social Justice Fund granted over $850,000, 25% of which has gone to immigrant rights organizations. You met some of these amazing organizations on Friday night. These groups include: Legacy of Equality, Leadership and Organizing (LELO), Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), Community to Community Development, and Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN). The other top issues we funded in 2005 include economic justice, gender justice, human rights/anti-bigotry and indigenous rights.

In order to meet our 2007 grant making goal of $640,000 from the general fund and 150,000 in donor advised funds we need to raise $200,000 by Nov 1st, 2006. We ask you to help us get these necessary resources into communities by making a gift to the Social Justice Fund today. Please visit our donation page to make your gift today and support the important work of organizations working for progressive social change in our community.