Meet the women who are traveling to Alabama on a Women's Human Rights Delegation to investigate human rights abuses in the wake of HB56, the nation's most draconian anti-immigrant law.
Deborah Weinstein is the Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs. Debbie brings over thirty years of advocacy experience on a wide range of issues at both the state and federal level. Prior to coming to CHN, Weinstein served for nine years as director of the Family Income division of the Children's Defense Fund. Weinstein has been the recipient of many awards from human services and advocacy groups.
Arlene Lee manages Center for the Study of Social Policy’s public policy work, which helps federal and state elected officials develop policies, funding and practice to achieve better results for children and families. Previously, Lee served as the executive director of the Maryland Governor's Office for Children. In 2007, she was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women and received three Governor’s Citations for her work on children and family issues.
Antonia Pena is a community organizer with the immigrant-rights group CASA de Maryland, fighting for the rights of domestic workers. Ms. Pena organizes against violence against women and for immigrant and worker rights and provided testimony for a Congressional hearing on domestic violence survivors impacted by anti-immigrant policies.
Barbara Brooks is a former long term mayor, a community activist, and a leader with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, where she helped write a report on human rights abuses suffered by southern, rural Black women. The Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) promotes a human rights agenda aimed at eradicating the historical race, class, cultural, religious and gender barriers experienced by southern rural black women.
Juana Flores is Co-director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), responsible for planning and implementing all of Mujeres Unidas' programs with a specific focus on community organizing and peer counseling. Juana is a skilled advocate, peer educator, leadership development trainer and facilitator who has provided technical assistance to grassroots Latina immigrant women's groups throughout the country. As a leader within the domestic worker movement, Juana has represented the National Domestic Workers Alliance at the national and international levels.
Elizabeth Guerra is the Director of Community Mobilization at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, where she is responsible for strategic planning, and overseeing the development and implementation of the Community Mobilization program.
Maria Jimenez is Director of Peer Support, Violence Prevention and Parenting Skills Programs at Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA.) She coordinates hundreds of Latina immigrant leaders in providing grassroots peer support services, and also takes a lead role in organizing efforts for the rights of immigrants, women and workers. An immigrant from Jalisco, Mexico, she is one of the eight founding members of MUA and has been a member of the staff since 1994.
Monica Hernandez is the regional organizer for the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network (SEIRN). Monica moved to Tennessee in 2001 to join the Highlander Center and has led Highlander's immigration work, co-developing and co-facilitating the Institute for Immigrant Leadership Development (INDELI). She was also the lead staff person on the Threads Leadership and Organizing School. She was the Founding Chair of the Board of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.