ACLU-WA 2022 Kathleen Taylor Civil Libertarian Award
On October 21, 2022, ACLU-WA honored the Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition with the 2022 Kathleen Taylor Civil Libertarian Award. SIRC was acknowledged as a leading area resource for immigrant individuals and families and for their instrumental work in stopping customs and boarder protection agents from boarding Greyhound buses in Spokane in search of undocumented immigrants. SIRC works to change policies, educate people about their rights, support families facing deportation, and provide financial support for people navigating the immigration system.
SIRC got its roots from a group convened at our church in 2016, first called the Sanctuary Group, then Immigration Justice, and finally when joining with other community groups it became the Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition. That first group included church members Doug Huigen, Pam Davies, Steve Parker, Linda Greene and Patty Bedalov. Pam, Linda and Steve continued their involvement in SIRC and were recognized by ACLU for their work.
Meaningful Movies Project Venue of the Year
On November 10, 2022, Meaningful Movies Spokane with UUCS was awarded the Venue of the Year by the Meaningful Movies Project, based in Seattle. Quoting from Melinda Raebyne, manager of MMP,
“We are so grateful for the incredible Meaningful Movies volunteers and organizers in Spokane. They have been out front in the Meaningful Movies Project – producing and leading events with powerful films and important conversations about racism, the school to prison pipeline, voter suppression, homelessness and so many other issues that are affecting their community in Spokane and communities across the nation. Just as important, they have worked hard to build relationships with other organizations such as the Social Justice Film Festival, the Spokane Immigrant Rights Association, and the Compassionate Addiction Therapy nonprofit to organize impactful events and provide a platform for activists and nonprofits to talk about the work they are doing. Their work has impacted not just their local community in Spokane, but with online screenings, people across the nation. Tonight, we are proud to honor the Spokane venue as Venue of the Year.”
Meaningful Movies Spokane began showing films in March 2019 at UUCS. It has continued with the committed leadership of Barb Stuebing and technical expertise of Jennifer Calvert. Linda Greene lends support with writing and cheerleading.