Our Programs

Direct Services

We provide direct services which maximize the empowerment of the immigrant community. The many relationships we form with the community through these services gain us the trust of the community and also make us uniquely positioned to understand the issues that require advocacy and policy change Direct services provided by El Pueblo include Immigration Legal Services and English classes.

  • Immigration Legal Services: El Pueblo houses the Hispanic/Latino Ministries Immigration Legal Clinic, which is recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Clinic is staffed by the only two BIA accredited paralegals in the state of Mississippi. The Clinic provides high quality, low cost, family-based immigration services greatly needed by immigrants of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. We specialize in family-based immigration.
  • English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes: By developing proficiency in the language of the dominant community immigrants are empowered to speak for themselves with their own voices. English language proficiency empowers immigrants to advocate on their own behalf and break free from the exploitation that can result from the inability to communicate with landlords, employers and government agencies. Classes are held 2 nights a week, 2 hours each night. There are three levels of instruction, beginning, intermediate and advanced.

Advocacy and Community Organizing

Community Organizing: Projects involving organizing around legislative issues or other local, state and national issues.

  • Reform Immigration for America: Sally Bevill and Mary Townsend attended the summit in Washington, DC. They have organized prayer vigils, visits to senators and congressmen, and a petition drive. They maintain an email list and regularly send out alerts from the campaign.
  • Community Empowerment: We have periodic community meetings to educate and organize around issues of the day. We have done presentations at three locations on Preparing for Legalization/Know Your Rights. We had an information booth at the Sexual Violence Awareness Day event called Respect Works, which we helped to organize and hosted. The booth provided information on visas available under VAWA and the U-visa available to victims of domestic violence and certain other crimes. We’ve hosted presentations by the American Red Cross, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, and the 2010 Census.
  • Mujeres Unidas: A women’s group that meets bi-weekly. Initially formed for victim’s of domestic violence, the women have transformed their group to have a larger focus. The group encourages women to be leaders and to take charge of their lives while forming community with other women. Their agenda includes a wide range of issues of interest to them, including domestic abuse, cultural awareness and preservation, computer literacy, leadership development, parenting, cooking and dancing! If women do it, they are interested in it.
  • Hispanic American Coastal Network: A network of the various businesses and organizations interested in outreach to the Hispanic/Latino immigrant community, unified under the common goals of maximizing the effectiveness of services delivered and preventing duplication. El Pueblo is a co-founder and active participant in the network and hosts the quarterly meetings.
  • Hispanic/Latino Business Leaders Coalition: A newly-formed coalition of Hispanic/Latino business leaders on the Gulf Coast, working together to improve conditions for the community. El Pueblo laid the groundwork and called the first gathering of business leaders, who then decided to form this coalition.
  • The Next Step: engaging the U.S. citizen family members of clients and ESL students to be advocates for immigrants’ rights. The U. S. citizen friends and relatives of our clients and students and immigrants who have naturalized are encouraged to register to vote and become involved in the political process as advocates for policy change.

    • Changing Hearts and Minds: Projects that inform the public of the immigrant reality in order to combat the growing xenophobia in this country. These include:

    • Abriendo Puertas: A photographic project designed and implemented by an immigrant leader to empower immigrants to share their stories through photos taken by the immigrants. The project is a collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi and Ohr-O’Keefe Museum. Abriendo Puertas was exhibited at a local coffee house for Martin Luther King Day and at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church for a month beginning on May 22. The exhibit is currently on display at the Riverwalk in New Orleans through January, 2010.
    • Por La Costa: A bilingual monthly publication designed to inform Gulf Coast immigrants of current issues. It also features an English language segment addressing current anti-immigrant sentiments and misinformation prevalent in the general public.
    • Welcoming the Stranger: A weekly Bible study open to both immigrants and non-immigrants that uses scripture, reason and world history to understand the true meaning of biblical hospitality and its relationship to social justice.
    • Building Bridges: The staff of El Pueblo often serve as guest speakers in civic and religious settings.
      • Sally Bevill has spoken at eleven United Methodist Churches in South Mississippi in 2009, educating the Anglo community to the realities of the immigrant experience. In March she spoke at the Diversity Program for the Leadership Council of the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Governor’s Committee for the 2010 Census and on the Board of Directors for Coastal Family Health Centers to advocate for the inclusion of the Hispanic/Latino community in all planning and services.
      • Rosa Herrin presented on “Cultural Norms to Consider During Engagement with the Hispanic/Latino Community” to the Mississippi Mental Health Association on October 27, including the following points: Possible barriers to receiving services needed; Views on healthcare/ medication; Views on mental illness and receiving counseling; Views on trauma (ex. making sense of why bad things happen); Strengths within the community.
      • Mary Townsend presented to a group of law student interns at Mississippi Center for Justice on July 28, regarding legal challenges, barriers and opportunities for the immigrant community in Mississippi. She participated in the nationally televised radio broadcast Homeless Marathon on Febrary 24 to address homelessness and housing issues among the Hispanic/Latino community.
    • El Sabor de Las Americas: An annual festival celebrating the various cultures of the Americas. The festival’s goals are to instill pride in one’s immigrant heritage and to educate the larger community about the diverse roots of the immigrant community. Immigrants chair the festival committees that plan and implement the festival.
    • Police Community Relations: Sally Bevill has been very active in establishing a relationship with the Biloxi Police Department’s Community Relations Liaison. We have helped them evaluate candidates for intensive Spanish training and we have an ongoing weekly Spanish conversation practice for them. They have come to us for help in reaching out to the community.
    Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 November 2009 21:00 )
     

    Support Our Work

    $