INTRODUCTION

Welcome to a Solidarity Story featuring Patrice Lawrence, the Co-Director of the UndocuBlack Network (UBN), a multigenerational community of currently and formerly undocumented Black people. Prior to her Co-Director role, Patrice, an immigrant from Jamaica, was UndocuBlack’s National Policy & Advocacy Director.  UBN fosters community, facilitates access to resources, and contributes to transforming the realities of their people, so they are thriving and living their fullest lives.

Often invisibilized by the larger immigrant justice movement and American society, UBN ensures that Black immigrant issues, voices and leadership are present and uplifted at decision-making tables. UBN also offers critical healing spaces and designed the Alive & Well Curriculum to promote community-based mental wellness practices.

Fighting for Co-Liberation

Patrice Lawrence, UndocuBlack Network

 PATRICE’S KEY TAKEAWAYS

01
Solidarity is critical.

We are marginalized communities who have been denied our rights. Through a shared agenda and shared strategies, we can powerfully, effectively and proactively fight for our freedom. Together, we can organize to defund ICE, defund the police, and make this country welcoming to Black immigrants and all immigrants. Solidarity is essential for achieving these goals. 

02
We need to be grounded in what we have in common.

Black and Asian immigrant histories have a lot in common. We have been excluded from this country, treated as outsiders, and racially profiled. Since we are smaller immigrant populations, the U.S. government tests out new policies and laws on us, such as Trump’s visa sanctions.  To ensure we do not work together, the ‘powers that be’ amplify and exacerbate our differences. We need to dispel the misconceptions we have about each other and each other’s communities.  While we must also understand our differences, we need to be rooted in what our communities share.

03
We need to be committed to each other.

Solidarity takes work and commitment.  We need to prepare to be in community with one another, and then approach each other with honesty, compassion, will power, and the commitment that we will be there for each other no matter what.  We have to make the intentional decision to trust one another, and when conflict arises – as it inevitably will – work to resolve it with care, trust, and mutual respect.  We must be firm in our commitment to our collective liberation.  If we approach each other with these tenets, our solidarity will be strong.

Some quotes in this article have been edited for clarity.

YOUR TURN

• What are shared challenges faced by Black and Asian immigrants? What are unique challenges facing our communities?

• In light of linguistic and cultural differences, how can we build solidarity between Asian and Black immigrant communities living in the United States?

• Black immigrants are racially profiled, criminalized and deported at five times the rate of other immigrants. How can the Asian American immigrant community be in solidarity with – and center the needs of – Black immigrants?

Video produced by NAKASEC

Solidarity Story written by NAKASEC