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Democracy Project 2020

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights‘ (ICIRR) member organizations are mobilizing to register and encourage people to vote in the November election.

The Sanctuary Task Force is asking the Diocese of Chicago’s congregations to participate in the Democracy Project 2020.

There are three options in which congregations can volunteer: text banking; phone banking; and volunteering with one of ICIRR’s member organizations. The congregations form groups that are trained by ICIRR for the text and phone banking. Volunteers working with ICIRR member organizations are trained by those organizations. This volunteer work runs parallel to that described in the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) Election Engagement Toolkit [en español] with the addition that the Democracy Project 2020 provides the technical training as well as the opportunity to partner with organizations in our congregations’ communities.

One Sanctuary Task Force member has said that “God chooses you through other people. I thank Rev. Sandra Castillo for seeing me invited to be part of this workforce project. Like any other project it takes time to understand and integrate from what it is, everything is a process, in this time that and attending the meetings of this project and learned a lot just by listening. One day I wondered why I am on this project but now understand how fortunate I am and the blessings the Lord gives us. Well, I tried to ask people what they understood and what the immigration workforce is, most didn’t know what it was about, then ask people who live with that anguish of immigration and discover that they live a life full of fear, frustration, sadness, mistrust, and disappointment. There are many people who enjoy living a life of blessings, who have forgotten the most unprotected.”

The Sanctuary Task Force is striving to help these people no longer remain unprotected and forgotten. Please let Sandra Castillo know if your congregation wishes to be involved in the Democracy Project 2020. Time is of the essence.

Download the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) Election Engagement Toolkit in English and Spanish.