TIRRC InterNashional Night Market

For Immediate Release
September 23rd, 2021

Contact: Emily Cupples | emily@amplifiedps.com | 901-598-6161

TENNESSEE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION HOSTS FIRST EVER ‘INTERNASHIONAL’ NIGHT MARKET

NASHVILLE - On Friday, September 24th, Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) will host their first ever “InterNASHional Night Market” in continuation of their 8th Annual InterNASHional Food Series. During a time when the restaurant industry has been hit so hard by the global pandemic, the event will highlight 15+ immigrant and refugee-owned food vendors for a worldwide culinary and cultural experience. Food vendors represent the following cuisines: Thai, Haitian, Kurdish, Ethiopian, Nepali, Mexican, Somali, Caribbean, Persian, Chinese & East Asian, Turkish, Salvadoran, Indian, and Mediterranean.

The event will also feature a live DJ and performances by Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville, Global Education Center, Gustavo B. Flores, and Andrés Bustamante of Persona Contemporary.

Where: TIRRC Headquarters, 3310 Ezell Rd. Nashville, TN 37211

When: Interviews with food vendors @ 5:30 PM. Event starts @ 6PM.

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TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they are recognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of its immigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understand and engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies that would better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their full participation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.

Deep Canvassing in Tennessee

Across the country, people in power are using racism, xenophobia and fear mongering to win elections and ignite their supporters.  Fear is a powerful emotion, and once ignited, can pull people to stand against their immigrant and refugee neighbors.  

After the 2016 election, we knew we needed an equally powerful way to engage people’s better instincts and desires.  We needed to change the narrative and counter fear-based messaging to build lasting support for immigrant and refugee families in our communities.

That's why we partnered with leading researchers on a cutting-edge project to see if we could move conflicted individuals to be more supportive of undocumented immigrants.  In collaboration with Yale and UC Berkeley, we surveyed voters to see if a technique called deep canvassing could have an effect on both people’s opinion on immigration policy and implicit bias.

And what did we find?

Sharing and listening to personal narratives in a non-judgemental space can profoundly change people’s attitudes on immigration. The results overwhelmingly showed for the first time that a technique called deep canvassing can move voters on immigration in statistically significant amounts.  Not only that, the change in attitude is lasting up to a year later.  Deep canvassing makes people less likely to fall victim to fear-based messaging, and we found that those we talked to influenced others in their households.

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What is deep canvassing?

Personal Narratives + Active Listening = Change

Instead of garnering support for a policy or candidate, like in traditional electoral canvassing, deep canvassing seeks to understand someone’s overall views on an issue. Canvassers aim to learn how voters feel about immigration and hear their personal stories. By giving voters the opportunity to process their concerns in a non-judgmental space, we can move many to have more supportive views.

Deep canvassing is considered a key tool that helped lead to victories for marriage equality and transgender rights. In deep canvassing, a trained canvasser speaks with conflicted individuals in an open, non-confrontational conversation to reconsider their prejudices and make lasting shifts toward more compassionate opinions of traditionally marginalized members of our society. The elements of being heard in a non-judgmental space, story sharing, being vulnerable, and centering the conversation around compassion are all essential to the success of deep canvassing.

Unlike traditional door-to-door canvassing, deep canvassing utilizes longer, more in-depth conversations that can last up to 20 minutes. The deep canvassing process has a set of specific steps designed to engage the participant on an emotional level:

• Asking them to rate their position on an issue on a scale. 

• Asking them to voice their concerns about the issue. 

• Exchanging stories about the issue.

• Exchanging stories of compassion. 

• Canvasser connects stories to the issue. 

• Canvasser asks for a second rating.

Deep canvassing is a learned skill, but its components are simple and can be used in everyday conversation as well. Be curious, ask intentional questions, listen deeply, be present in the difficult moments, and bravely share your story. Don’t make assumptions about who is and who isn’t moveable and be open to transformation. By mirroring the vulnerability, one can meet both the voter and themselves with deep compassion.

Deep canvassing in the media:

The Only Way to Change a Voter’s Mind, Vice News, July 14, 2020
How to talk someone out of bigotry, Vox, January, 29, 2020
For Your Reconsideration, This American Life, NPR, April 8, 2016

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Will you help us advance this important work?

We're now using this powerful tool to build support for the refugee resettlement program and address anti-blackness in our communities. We know that long-term narrative changeis key to softening the ground and building communities where everyone belongs.

Every $15 donated covers the costs of a conversation with a conflicted voter. Will you donate today to help us increase long-lasting support for immigrants and refugees in Tennessee? 

Together, we can create lasting change in the hearts and minds of Tennesseans to make sure immigrants and refugees are welcomed and given the opportunity to thrive.

PS: Want to play a role in helping us transform the public narrative?

Attend an upcoming virtual Transformative Conversations training.  Join us in learning how to productively engage with others without compromising relationships.  

Register here.

Wednesday, September 15th @ 12 PM CT

Thursday, November 11th @ 6 PM CT

Hope to see you there!

TENNESSEE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION OPEN DOORS TO NEW COMMUNITY HUB AND HEADQUARTERS

For Immediate Release
July 13, 2021

Contact: Emily Cupples | emily@amplifiedps.com | 901-598-6161

TENNESSEE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION OPEN DOORS TO NEW COMMUNITY HUB AND HEADQUARTERS

NASHVILLE - On Saturday, August 21st, Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) will host an opening celebration for the organization’s community hub and new headquarters. The family-friendly event will follow strict COVID protocols and will feature immigrant and refugee-owned food trucks, Tempo the Coyote from Nashville Soccer Club, live performances, and activities.

“This building is a testament to the resiliency of our movement. Over the last four years, our members powerfully resisted attacks on our communities and continued working to make sure their families were healthy, safe, and fed during the pandemic, and now we've emerged stronger than ever, with a permanent home that declares, "We are here to stay!” 

The ongoing pandemic has shown us how important it is to build communities where everyone can participate and belong, and our new space will help to foster a more connected and thriving community right here in Antioch. Already, our new headquarters have hosted vaccine clinics, FEMA assistance workshops, weekly CSAs for our members, and more! We’re so excited to safely open our doors to our new neighbors and the entire immigrant and refugee community in TN. “ - TIRRC Executive Director, Lisa Sherman Nikolaus

Address: 3310 Ezell Road, Nashville, TN 37211

Time: 4-7PM

Agenda:

4:30 pm: Tempo from NSC arrives

5:00 pm: Cultural Performance

5:30 - 6:00 pm: Program

Background

In 2019, TIRRC launched a capital campaign to fund a nearly $3 million initiative to build a community hub and headquarter. The new community hub includes a thoughtfully designed office space loft to house TIRRC’s staff and has flexible open areas, private meeting rooms, and a legal services suite. The main floor includes large and adaptable open spaces to host services, community meetings, and events. The 7,000 square-foot building is a key component of a thriving indoor and outdoor community hub that will also include a soccer field, playground, and community gardens to allow immigrants, refugees, and their U.S.-born neighbors to build stronger and more connected communities.

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TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they are recognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of its immigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understand and engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies that would better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their full participation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.

Towards a brighter future

Today, we close a dark and cruel chapter in our history and usher in a brighter and more hopeful future for immigrants and refugees. With today’s inauguration, we can pivot from responding to federal anti-immigrant attacks to fighting FOR our vision of a humane, fair, and functioning immigration system that centers the experience of Black immigrants and addresses current racial inequities. 

After four years of terror under Trump, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are prioritizing many of our demands on day one of their administration. Through executive action and a bold policy agenda, the Biden administration will undo some of Trump’s cruelest immigration policies and begin to take a step toward justice for our communities.

Today, President Biden will sign executive orders to:

• Keep DACA alive;

• Repeal the Muslim Ban;

• Revoke Trump’s plan to exclude immigrants from the Census count;

• Stop the construction of the racist border wall;

• Repeal one of Trump’s extreme immigration enforcement orders; and

• Extend Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians who have been in the United States for many years.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have also announced a bold, progressive immigration bill that will create a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people in the United States without increasing immigration enforcement or additional funding for the border wall. 

This is a historic moment for our movement and a testament to the power of Black and brown communities who delivered this mandate. Now, we are ready to translate our movement’s power into bold policy changes. We are mobilizing our communities to share their stories and advocate for their families, ensuring that the experience of immigrants in the South is lifted up and included in the national fight. And, we'll be working to build support here in Tennessee - to ensure that any policies passed at the federal level reach our communities while we hold the line against any backlash from the state legislature. 

We are in this fight for the long-haul, and we hope you are too.

Pledge to give monthly

While we celebrate today, we can’t let up. We must continue to push to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear and that our demands for a better future are met. Today is a step toward the justice that all immigrants deserve, but we have to keep organizing and continue to build power in Tennessee to expand opportunities in our state. We also have to continue to build power across movements and join in the work of racial justice and liberation for ALL.