• Home
  • About us
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archive
  • Contact
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Find Us
Saturday, February 16, 2019
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Gay San Diego
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Film
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Mara W. Elliot
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
  • Food & Drink
    • Dr. Ink
    • Foodie Flashes
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • The Frivolist
    • Travel
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Back Out With Benny
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • Lambda Archives
    • #LGBTB2B
    • South Bay Alliance
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Gay San Diego
    • Wedding Directory
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Out & About
  • Calendar
Gay San Diego
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Film
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Mara W. Elliot
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
  • Food & Drink
    • Dr. Ink
    • Foodie Flashes
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • The Frivolist
    • Travel
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Back Out With Benny
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • Lambda Archives
    • #LGBTB2B
    • South Bay Alliance
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Gay San Diego
    • Wedding Directory
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Out & About
  • Calendar
No Result
View All Result
Gay San Diego
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

This girl is on FIRE

August 31, 2018
in Featured, Profiles in Advocacy
0
Alliance San Diego: for the community, by the community

Ian Morton

3
SHARES
50
VIEWS

By Ian Morton | Profiles in Advocacy

In the advocacy and social justice circles, the concept of “intersectionality” is often discussed. By recognizing factors such as gender, race, socioeconomic level, ability and more, we can develop a theoretical sense of where we and others fall, regarding opportunity, prejudice and privilege. There are however, some instances when we are faced with the stark reality of the vulnerability of certain intersections, and that hit home when I spoke with advocate and attorney, Anne Bautista, about her work with women who also fall in the intersection of refugee/immigrant, mother and domestic abuse survivor.

Our interview took place shortly after a beautiful victory, when 35 women graduated from the Fellowship for Immigrant and Refugee Empowerment (FIRE) Women’s Leadership yearlong pilot program, developed at Access Inc. Founded in 1967, the mission of Access is “to address the needs of the most vulnerable and underserved populations in San Diego County by promoting self-sufficiency and economic independence through education and employment opportunities.” The genesis of the organization was to serve youth but, as the need became evident, there was expansion to serve the immigrant population, and support small business development in San Diego.

Bautista became involved with Access in 1997, fresh out of law school. She initially interviewed for a position working with youth but, because of her legal background, was offered a position to assist with naturalizing eligible developmentally challenged individuals. It began as a three-week position and, toward the end of her time, she attended a citizenship workshop at Palomar College, coordinated through Access, Inc. Following the presentation, many of the questions and comments from the women who attended, centered around how spouses had control over the filing process, which trapped wives and mothers into abusive situations. Issues such as this, coupled with language barriers and a fear of deportation, stood between these women and the path to citizenship.

While at first, the challenge stumped the presenters, there was a kernel of hope to be found in the recently passed Violence Against Women Act. Armed with the knowledge of this legislation, Bautista used the last week in her position to research organizations, shelters and even churches, only to find that the factor of abuse victims being undocumented rendered them ineligible for assistance. One of the last organizations she reached out to was Operation Samahan and, while they did not have those specific resources, they offered her a space to counsel undocumented women who were experiencing abuse. Upon her return to Access, former executive director Bob Stewart also discussed the fact that Bautista had identified an unmet need that coincided with the expansion of Access’s mission. They provided her office space and clerical support, and she began the process of procuring grant funding to build a program.

As Bautista worked with women who were experiencing this situation, she recognized a need to start addressing the issue before women became trapped, and that this needed to happen within the actual communities where the women existed. This need led to more grant writing and a partnership with License to Freedom, an organization specifically targeting domestic violence in refugee and immigrant communities, and the creation of FIRE.

Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and McCarthy Family Foundation, this one-year program brought (U.S.) native born and immigrant and refugee women from the Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Latino communities to meet monthly for one year, and learn how to recognize unhealthy relationships, to become advocates, to write a grant to fund a project to improve their communities, and to use their voice in networking and public speaking. Dilkhwaz Ahmed, executive director of partner agency, License to Freedom, was elated with the outcome.

“The FIRE project was huge success for the Middle Eastern women,” Ahmed said. “They built lifelong sisterhoods with one another and learn ways to become leaders in their communities. Creating female leaders was an immediate need in the community. The women were able to share different perspectives and come together to empower one another in their strengths and struggles. We were able to provide them tools to tackle issues of domestic violence. Since the community is growing dramatically, awareness was an essential need.”

Another exciting outcome of the project was an opportunity for playwright Thelma Virata de Castro to write “The Fire In Me” based on interviews with survivors, family members, advocates, law enforcement and community leaders. “I was inspired every month by the perspectives and stories of my fellow Filipino women advocates,” stated de Castro. “With grant support from California Humanities and The San Diego Foundation, I am writing a play to share this issue with the broader community.”

Bautista is often asked why this became her passion and, while she didn’t see abuse in her home environment, she recalls seeing the way that her own Filipino community turned a blind eye to at-risk women.

“‘She was hit again’ was a phrase I would hear in Tagalog, as a form of gossip,” she recalled. “I remember, as a teenager, hearing that at potlucks with my aunts. Everyone sat down when she came in, and she had a black eye. The aunts took her straight to the bathroom and, with makeup and hair arrangement, do their best to cover it up. I could only look at her, while I could feel my aunt willing me not to say anything with her eyes.

“I couldn’t help myself, and walked over, and asked if she was OK,” Bautista continued. “The woman didn’t answer the question, and instead asked about my college plans. Then her husband came in, towering over her by about two feet, put her in a ‘playful’ headlock and kissed her forehead, and then continued the conversation with me as if nothing was wrong. I couldn’t understand how he could do that, and that our community would let it happen.”

Ian Morton

Now the conversation is happening, and women are becoming empowered not to be bystanders, thanks to partnerships like the one that created “FIRE”. These first 35 graduates will be impacting their respective communities, and de Castro’s play will be presented in the spring of 2019. In the words of Rachel Patten’s “Fight Song”: “I may only have one match, but I can make an explosion” — and that’s what these women are doing!

For more information about Access, Inc. and their work in combating domestic violence, go to bit.ly/2ohd9Hp.

— Ian Morton has been in San Diego for over 20 years, working in the LGBTQ and HIV fields. He is currently a full-time student and works with the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition and the Y.E.S. San Diego LGBTQ Youth Conference. Recommendations for individuals and groups to highlight in Profiles in Advocacy may be emails to iandanielsmusic@gmail.com.

Tags: FIREIan MortonImmigrant and Refugee Empowerment (FIRE) Women's LeadershipLicense to FreedomProfiles in AdvocacyWells Fargo Foundation
Next Post
Yes, the 2020 mayoral derby has begun

Yes, the 2020 mayoral derby has begun

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More from SDCNN:
Mission Valley News: Church celebrates 150 years
Downtown News: ‘Thar she blows!’
Mission Times Courier: A holistic approach to fitness
La Mesa Courier: Report on police incident at Helix draws ire
Uptown News: Into the Uptown jungle

Follow us on Instagram!

  • It   s that time of year again  Our Best of Gay San Diego 2019 ballot is now open  Vote for your favorite dining and entertainment venues  and businesses and retail establishments  Link in bio              BestOfGaySD  BestOfAwards  GaySanDiego
  • A new issue of  gay sd comes out this Friday  Are you caught up on the last paper  Link in bio        gaysd  gaysandiego  lgbt  sandiego  hillcrest  gaynews
  • Miriam s Tea Party s sirens beckoned us to the depths of Dumb Disney last Saturday night
  • Happy Friday Gay San Diego  This issue we discussed the mental aspects of gender transition  featured a profile on HTC Arts Committee chair Erik Benson  gave you some political updates like news of Todd Gloria   s mayoral run and unveiled our new website  Visit gay-sd com to stay up to date on what   s happening in your community
  • Chrissy LaBrecque and her longtime partner Andrea Roehl just spent their first Christmas with their new 5-month-old baby  Camden  in North Park  Like many new parents  they quickly found out that he was mostly interested in the packaging of the presents under the tree rather than the toys  but they enjoyed the holiday spending time together with Camden and their family for the holiday                              However  the past five months have not been easy for the couple as they have had to traverse through California law to get LaBrecque  Camden   s biological mother  on Camden   s birth certificate   Link in Bio
  • Happy Friday readers  Our first 2019 issue features a cover story about the struggle of a same-sex couple who were not allowed to list both of their names on their baby s birth certificate due to current CA law  Much more up on the website     link in bio
  • The first 2019 issue of Gay SD is out tomorrow morning  In the meantime  get caught up on stories from last issue including the full list of 2018   s Nicky Award winners  Head on over to our website  link in bio
  • Let   s bring in 2019      This year we covered new events  launched a new website  created an Instagram and listened to shared your stories to our community  Thank you for    liking        following    and reading our  GaySanDiego  What are you looking forward to in 2019  Comment below  we   d love to hear
  • HAPPY NEW YEAR GAY SAN DIEGO  This year we sent our editor  Albert H  Fulcher   OUTandAbout in San Diego to capture you at your favorite events  fundraisers and festivals  Were you seen OUT   About  Visit gay-sd com category out-about  to view photo galleries from events including Pride  the Red Dress Party  Nightmare on Normal Street and more

Like us on Facebook:

Gay San Diego

9 hours ago

Gay San Diego

The San Diego LGBT Community Center is reaching out to South Bay San Diego youth with a new center in Chula Vista. ...

Empowering the next generation

gay-sd.com

After two open houses on Feb. 7 and 11, the grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at its new facility on Feb. 16.
View on Facebook
·Share

Gay San Diego

© 2019 Gay San Diego. All rights reserved. San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN)

Navigate our site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Features
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
      • Susan Davis
  • Food & Drink
    • Dr. Ink
    • Foodie Flashes
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
      • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • The Frivolist
    • Travel
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Notes from Toni
    • #LGBTB2B
    • Back Out With Benny
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • South Bay Alliance
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Gay San Diego
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored links
  • Out & About
  • Contact
  • Archive
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Calendar

© 2019 Gay San Diego. All rights reserved. San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN)

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In