On May 23, four students of the Colorado Women’s College (CWC) Leadership Program united for their community change initiative (CCI) project to raise money for a local immigrant rights nonprofit, Casa de Paz, affectionately referred to as Casa.
Every year, second-year leadership studies students partner with a community organization to address a social issue of their choosing. This year, students Isabella Gallegos, Jessica Jimenez, Natasha Tanino-Springsteen and Sophia Oliveira-Flores, teamed up to plan a fundraising gala for Casa, an organization that welcomes those released from the immigration detention center in Aurora.
The “Together We Rise” gala welcomed students from the University of Denver, team members from Casa and local government representatives to enjoy delicious Peruvian food and engage in conversations with each other about immigrant rights.
The event began with opening remarks from Colorado Sen. Julie Gonzales. Gonzales urged the gala’s attendees to get involved in the fight to elect leaders who represent their values.
“This moment requires each and every one of us to just do what we can with what we’ve got. So, if that means that you carry citizenship privilege, and you are lucky enough to be able to cast a ballot in these upcoming elections — use that privilege,” Gonalzes said.
Gonzales also discussed legislation that is aimed at helping the immigrant community in Colorado. Senate Bill 5 (SB26-005), currently sits on Governor Jared Polis’ desk and would safeguard the constitutional rights of Coloradans and protect immigrant communities. Gonzales strongly encouraged attendees to contact Gov. Polis and ask him to sign this bill, either by phone (303-866-2471) or email (governorpolis@state.co.us).
Gonzales is also currently running for the U.S. Senate against John Hickenlooper. Primary elections for Colorado begin on June 8 and ballots are due June 30.
After her remarks, guests were invited to get food made by Milagros Vega Valverde, a local immigrant chef who works with Cocina Libre, an organization that celebrates immigrant stories through food.
While enjoying the delectable cuisine from Valverde, the event’s next speaker took the stage. Rep. Cecilia Espinoza reflected on her rich experience as an immigration attorney and her accomplishments, like being the second-ever Latina to pass the bar exam in the state of Utah. She was also the first Mexican-American to become an appellate judge on the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the highest immigration court in the nation.
Espinoza also criticized Gov. Polis for violating SB25-276, a bill that was signed into law in Colorado last year, which limits the federal government’s ability to violate the constitutional rights of Coloradans. The law prevents state authorities from giving personal immigration data to federal officials, which Polis attempted to do, instructing a state employee to turn over personal information of the sponsors of unaccompanied immigrant minors to federal officials.
“My heart’s with you, the students who are doing amazing work, and with the organization that we’re celebrating tonight,” Espinoza finished.
The final speaker of the evening was the executive director of Casa, Andrea Loya.
“Our immigration system has been broken for a while, but we have never seen it broken like this,” Loya said.
Loya continued to talk about the conditions in detention facilities and the importance of providing people with a sense of dignity that the federal government is stripping from them. Loya shared a recent story about a trans woman who was released from the detention center in Aurora in the cold rain.
“No one was notified. They didn’t notify us. She was guarding herself with a van, trying to avoid the rain,” she said.
Loya said that everyone released from detention is released in the clothes they were detained in, and in this woman’s case, she had to wear running shorts and a dry-fit shirt as she waited in the rain for half an hour.
“We picked her up, got her settled, got her a change of clothes, got a coat. These are all items that people deserve,” Loya said, explaining how gala proceeds would be used.
The event finished as Gallegos, Jimenez, Tanino-Springsteen and Oliveira-Fores encouraged attendees to stand up and engage in conversations with one another about immigrant communities and their treatment under the Trump administration.
After the event, the four students reflected on their year-long project, culminating with this event.
“What first lit the fire in me wasn’t hope — it was anger,” Gallegos said. “But something beautiful happened when we stopped carrying that weight alone and started carrying it together. That anger became fuel. That fear became courage. And that dream became a community gathering rooted in love, in solidarity, and in the unshakeable belief that we will rise.”
“To see lots of people show up was amazing and it felt like we really pulled something off. I’m very happy that we got to do something good with our project, and I’m so grateful for my groupmates,” Jimenez said.
If you are interested in donating to Casa, use this donation link. If you are interested in getting involved with immigrant justice, volunteer with Casa or with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC). To register to vote in the state of Colorado, use this link.
