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Mireya Reith, founding Executive Director of Arkansas United, will be providing information about the ongoing work of her organization, a nonprofit based in Springdale that is dedicated to empowering immigrants and their communities through immigrant rights advocacy and closing service gaps. This is the third of a three-part Pax Christi Little Rock speaker series on Immigration issues in Arkansas.Founded in 2012, Arkansas United boasts a network of over 200 immigrant organizers in 17 communities across Arkansas, operates 5 regional immigrant resource centers with partners, and represents Arkansas in leading, national coalitions advancing comprehensive immigration reform, Latino and Asian civic engagement and immigrant integration.
Mireya Reith spent the first 14 years of her career in the field of international political development, working across five continents with American nonprofit organizations, Peace Corps-El Salvador and the United Nations to engage marginalized communities in democratic processes. In 2010, Reith begin to explore how to bring these international experiences to her home state after her involvement in launching a Latino-Marshallese nonprofit leadership academy and directing Hispanic voter outreach in election campaigns. Despite promises that year to pass a federal DREAM Act, both Arkansas senators were key, swing votes, denying a pathway to citizenship to undocumented youth. Reith was personally inspired by the Arkansas DREAMers who continued to rally the Hispanic vote, and found her voice as a community organizer, determined to ensure that Arkansas also showed up for the DREAMers and all immigrants who wanted to call Arkansas home. Having first-hand experienced racism as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Reith continues to strive to connect Arkansas and immigrants to the broader movement for social justice, grounded in the beliefs that equity is the key to achieving our collective potential, and immigrants themselves can and should be change agents and decision-makers. In 2011, Reith would go on to serve her state as the first Latina appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Education, and would later become, in 2016, the youngest person in state history to chair the State Board.
You are invited to join us for this presentation in person, or you can join virtually using this zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87283764543
Admission is free and refreshments are provided. All are welcome.
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Event Venue
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, 2500 N Tyler St,Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Tickets
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