This spring, NBOP's member institutions gathered to build power with one another, vote and reaffirm our three task forces for the next two years. Keep reading to see what our task forces are working on and how you can get involved.
Justice for us is addressing the structural issues that keep people poor.
Every two years, we organize our 22+ member institutions at the NBOP Issues Assembly to create a democratic process that prioritizes our work to include the most urgent issues impacting our communities.
Last Saturday, we saw the power of our community live out our values!
NBOP institutions gathered to build power with one another, vote and reaffirm our three task forces for the next two years:
✊🏽 Immigrant Defense
✊🏽 Police Accountability
✊🏽 Climate Justice
As tenants, immigrants, youth, faith leaders and working class folks, we know those closest to the problem and closest to the solutions that will secure healthy, strong, democratic communities.
If you've been on the edge about getting involved, don't know how, or are afraid you don't have the skills, come find your political home with us. Now is the time to add your head, hands and heart to our community. You are not alone. Join our movement!
Keep reading to see what our task forces are working on and how you can get involved.
Thank you to our leaders!
Special thanks to our incredible leaders! Because of you, our Issues Assembly centered beloved community and reaffirmed our core values of people power toward social change! “It is thrilling to have our community engaging each other face-to-face at the Issues Assembly. In isolation, we are individual sparks. The Issues Assembly brings all of our individual sparks together to create a healthy flame for community action.” – Erin Chmielewski, President of NBOP An interfaith procession of NBOP’s religious leaders – comprised predominantly of women and queer leaders – opened our program by lighting the flame of justice. Tenants, student organizers, bus riders and immigrant moms took the mic, offering powerful testimony to the change they want to see in Sonoma County. And two of our newest NBOP members, Oaxaca Tierra del Sol and Ballet Folklórico Netahualcoytl, led intergenerational cultural performances.
Lifting Our Voices
“It was cool being in a room with so many like-minded individuals. It was empowering, hearing members of the community speak. I wanna help uplift our community, help share stories – just be a part of the community. And be a voice. All this positivity, all this good energy I’m taking with me and put it back out there in the community and see what’ll happen. Come join us. Be heard.”
Bryan (he/him)
Immigrant Defense Task Force
Latinx Student Congress
“I’m here with NBOP on behalf of the Sonoma County Tenants Union, also on behalf of veterans and young parents ... I came here of my own accord because of my passion for tenants, having grown up a child of renters and as a renter myself. If you can step up and find your voice and put it somewhere – whether it be a public comment at a City Council meeting – the most empowering thing is to get up and be involved and to participate ... That energy can be put to use. It can be used for creation.” Esaia (she/her) Sonoma County Tenants Union
“There’s unity, there’s a dream, there’s a vision … There’s this vision to focus, not on a perfect world, but on a more equitable world … I think there should be more youth, más juventud. The youth of immigrants should be more involved because without them, or if we lose them, things fade away through generations. It will bring back what we’ve tried to change in history.”
Jorge (he/him)
Immigrant Defense Task Force
The Road Ahead
Take action in your community. Read on to see what our task forces are working on and how to get involved:
Immigrant Defense
Our Immigrant Defense Task Force has kicked off a listening session with immigrant parents and students toward language justice in Sonoma County schools because everyone deserves a right to be heard and understood in their language. Too often, students are expected to interpret and translate for their families in school settings, meetings are only offered in English, and immigrant parents are left out of their child’s education.
Want to join?
Contact Rocio Torres, Immigrant Organizer: rtorres@northbayop.org
Our Police Accountability Task Force is backing up students in their demands for more mental health resources in schools instead of Security Resource Officers. We know that school policing actively harms Black and Latinx students and turns learning environments into a youth punishment system. We can’t endanger Black and brown students and educators to ensure that white students and educators feel more comfortable. Want to join?
Contact Joy Ayodele, Task Force Organizer: jayodele@northbayop.org
Climate Justice
We recognize public transit as one of the critical solutions to climate change. Our Climate Justice Task Force has started listening to and building relationships with bus riders to identify ways to make buses serve the public good. Want to join? Contact Joy Ayodele, Task Force Organizer: jayodele@northbayop.org
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