In the past 11 months, Promise Arizona trained over 500 leaders, including many youth, and built a base of over 1,500 volunteers to build a better Arizona for all. Together they:
- Opposed SB1070 through a 103-day prayer vigil at the Arizona State Capitol and sent a delegation to Washington DC to meet with the U.S. Justice Department.
The 24-hour-a-day vigil began on April 19th and concluded on July 29th when Judge Susan Bolton handed down her injunction. The vigil, which started with seven youth leaders and grew to include thousands, was a source of strength and support to immigrants and their allies. Led by women who sustained the vigil through grueling heat, risk of deportation and personal sacrifice, it was the soul of the movement against hatred and injustice Arizona.
- Registered 13,040 voters in 2010, more than any other nonprofit organization in the state, and significantly boosted Latino voter turnout in the November election.
Promise Arizona conducted a nonpartisan, volunteer-based voter registration drive in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal Counties. Within a month, volunteer neighborhood teams registered 13,040 voters. Volunteers then turned their attention to turning out voters through door to door canvassing and calling potential voters to vote in the November, 2010 election. Promise Arizona’s efforts led to a boost in turnout by 10 points among the voters they targeted.
- Helped to defeat anti-immigrant legislation in 2011 that threatened to further divide the state and distract attention from the real challenges facing Arizonans.
After the state legislative proposals were first announced, Promise Arizona held leadership trainings on the legislative process, took volunteers to tour the State Capitol and meet with legislators, held a vigil on the Capitol grounds, and engaged with other organizations (civic, faith, civil rights and education partners) to strategize about how to work together to defeat the most egregious bills, and generated thousands of calls to state legislators.
Plans for the Future
Plans for the Future Leadership Development: Young people are the future of our state. Promise Arizona will continue to engage
and develop new leaders in all aspects of public life.
Policy Advocacy: Working with legislators in Arizona and the U.S. Congress, Promise Arizona will advocate for positive immigration reform and integration on the state and federal levels. We will also advocate expansion of educational access and opportunities for immigrant youth.
Civic Engagement: Promise Arizona will continue its successful nonpartisan efforts to register and engage the Latino electorate in 2011 and 2012.
Organizational Development: Promise Arizona, currently a project of the Center for Community Change, will incorporate as an independent Arizona nonprofit organization this spring. It has recruited a dynamic board of faith and community leaders will hold their “Founding Donors” fundraiser in June. Contributions to Promise Arizona are tax-deductible.
