WE ARE ALL
Welcome
America
Cultures
Faiths
We Are All America works to uphold and strengthen our nation’s commitment to welcome and protect those seeking freedom, safety and refuge in the United States. We organize people across religious and cultural differences to build inclusive communities where we all belong.
Our Story
We Are All America is a national campaign and coalition led by immigrants and refugees. Established in 2017, it aims to combat hate and vitriol directed toward refugee and immigrant communities. Since its inception, We Are All America has achieved remarkable progress in laying the groundwork for a nationwide immigrant and refugee movement while also fostering grassroots mobilizing and organizing efforts among refugees and immigrants at the state and local levels.
Since 2017, our campaign has expanded its operations from five states to encompass all 50 states, thanks to our partners and Steering Committee members. This positions us as the largest national grassroots organizing effort in the US for refugees and asylum seekers. Many of our organizers are refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers themselves, with the majority hailing from Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and/or Muslim American backgrounds.
Steering Committee
Our Steering Committee, comprised of national resettlement agencies, immigrant rights organizations, and other national partners, played a crucial role in shaping the campaign by setting its vision and direction.
2024 Related Documents
Our pillars
Our core work pillars are centered on building a nationwide movement of immigrants and refugees. We are proud that this is the foundation of our work and our projects.
PILLAR 1
Centering the Leadership of Directly Impacted Leaders
Our work in Pillar 1 focuses on empowering individuals who have experienced displacement and migration. We aim to establish a robust foundation for refugee and immigrant communities to exert their influence in local, state, and national policy and advocacy endeavors.
Additionally, Pillar 1 serves as a pathway for immigrants and refugees to ascend to leadership positions while fostering solidarity among diverse racial, ethnic, and faith groups. It acts as a conduit for leadership advancement and community solidarity, empowering individuals from displaced backgrounds to take on influential roles while strengthening bonds among communities of different backgrounds.
Our commitment is to promote collaboration and enhance capacity by providing leadership development opportunities, training, workshops, peer mentorship, technical assistance, and tailored resources for refugee and immigrant leaders in all 50 states.
The WAAA National Refugee and Immigrant Table actively engages refugees and immigrants to ensure representation and inclusivity of those with lived experience, and to reshape the narrative surrounding refugees and immigrants to one that highlights their contributions. Pillar 1 is deeply embedded in these areas of our programming:
- The We Are All America Refugee and Immigrant National Table
- Refugee Leadership Development Training Program
- Ethnic Community Based Organization Mini Grant Initiative
- New American Youth Leadership Council (NAYLC)
PILLAR 2
Promote state and local welcoming policies and inclusive initiatives
Our second pillar centers on advancing state and local pro-refugee and pro-immigrant policies and fostering inclusive initiatives. Through the collaborative efforts of our organizers and partners, we actively advocate for change and organize activities to build support at the state and local levels, with the aim of reshaping the narrative surrounding refugees and immigrants.
To amplify our impact, we are committed to increasing our presence in the field and enhancing the influence of state organizers. Currently, WAAA state organizers are represented across six states:
In addition to WAAA’s state organizers, our field presence now spans all 50 states across the country through collaboration with our Steering Committee partners.
PILLAR 3
Strengthening Our Federal Protection System
The primary focus of our third pillar is to support and advocate for comprehensive federal priorities for refugee resettlement and asylum seekers. Through targeted advocacy initiatives, we aim to reshape the national narrative surrounding the contributions of refugees and immigrants in the United States. Our efforts involve harnessing organizing power by convening refugee and immigrant leaders, advocates, and national partners in a unified national space.
Through our Pillar 3, our efforts extend to hosting crucial informational webinars, engaging refugee leaders in community involvement through national advocacy days and action events, shaping ongoing narratives with the press, and offering rapid response support for emerging issues.
