429 West 127th Street, New York, NY 10027 t: 212.222.3882 f: 212.222.7067
African Services Committee
 Update
In Memoriam
We are deeply saddened by the death of Ejegayehu Taddese, African Services Committee Ethiopia's longtime Site Coordinator at the Addis Ababa Shola Market Clinic.

When we established African Services Committee Ethiopia in 2003, Ejegayehu was the first HIV and reproductive health nurse to begin working at our inaugural health clinic, supported by American Jewish World Service and Henry van Ameringen.

Ejegayehu's unsurpassed compassion, diligence, professionalism, and skill were revered by fellow staff and the community she served.

Our heartfelt sympathies go out to her family.

Kim and Asfaha
Thank you!
Thank You for Your Support this #GivingTuesday
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you – from African Services Committee to all the wonderful folks who supported our clients here in NYC and in Ethiopia this Giving Tuesday and along the way!
 
Thanks to your thoughtful gifts and the generous donors who matched Giving Tuesday donations, we exceeded our fundraising expectations this  #GivingTuesday  and will exceed our $30,000 goal!

We can’t thank you all enough!

Photo of children at ASC's Ziway Health and Community Development Center courtesy of Ella Mack Photos
Public Charge Victory and Ongoing Lawsuits
ASC's litigation efforts currently have two major lawsuits before the federal courts. We are currently a party to the DACA lawsuit which will soon be heard by the Supreme Court. African Services Committee also recently won an encouraging victory in an ongoing critical battle: U.S. District Court Judge George Daniels recently issued a nationwide injunction suspending implementation of the Public Charge rule. This means that the Rule did not go into effect on the Administration's intended date Oct. 15, 2019.  Judge Daniels wrote in his decision

“The Rule is simply a new agency policy of exclusion in search of a justification. It is repugnant to the American Dream of the opportunity for prosperity and success through hard work and upward mobility. Immigrants have always come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their posterity. With or without help, most succeed.”
We stand proud of this outcome with fellow plaintiffs Make the Road New York, Asian American Federation, Catholic Charities Community Services, and Catholic Legal Immigration Network (“CLINIC”). We thank Legal Aid Society, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, for their representation at U.S. District Court. 

“This Administration has arbitrarily and capriciously discarded a century-old system that already requires a financial guarantee be provided against someone becoming a public charge, in favor of placing their thumbs on the scales to disqualify otherwise eligible people from obtaining lawful status in the U.S.” says Franco Torres, African Services Committee Supervising Attorney.

Despite this victory, the fight is far from over. Yesterday, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction granted by the district court in Maryland that prevented DHS’s public charge policy from taking effect nationwide. Late last week, the 9th Circuit also lifted a similar injunction by the district court in Washington state. Only the nationwide injunction issued in the New York lawsuit ASC is involved in remains in effect and the government is still barred from applying its proposed public charge rule anywhere. 

ASC's New York lawsuit remains the only shield protecting millions from the Administrations's cruel Public Charge revised rule from devastating countless immigrant families. Our work has never been more important. 

"We will continue our fight to defend immigrants against the arbitrary and capricious actions of the Trump administration to disenfranchise otherwise lawfully eligible immigrants from becoming Lawful permanent Residents in the United States by joining lawsuits against Trump's Healthcare Proclamation, and DOS Proposed Public Charge Rule," Franco says.

Finally, ASC will be filing federal litigation as needed to help ASC clients battle the backlog of cases stuck in the immigration system that is hurting their chances to gain lawful immigration status in the U.S.

Click here to read the full story.
ASC Legal Hotline is Live
First + Third Thursdays 9am - 12pm
(212) 222 - 3882
We are happy to announce ASC has launched a legal hotline for anyone seeking legal information, as well as other information on ASC services.

The hotline operates live every First and Third Thursday of the month from 9am to 12pm . The Hotline will serve to pre-screen legal callers and schedule follow-up consultations/ upcoming workshops, where they will meet with ASC staff to provide legal advice or services as appropriate. Hotline callers will not receive legal advice on the hotline.
Congratulations Amanda!
Treatment Action Group Honors African Services Committee's Amanda Lugg
African Services Committee’s Director of Advocacy and LGBTQ Programming, Amanda Lugg, receiving a well-deserved accolade on Nov. 14, 2019 at Town Stages in New York City as an Honoree at Treatment Action Group's 23rd Research in Action Awards for being a champion of the fight against HIV, HCV, and TB and for public health and human rights.

Fellow 2019 Treatment Action Group honorees included David France, Matthew Lopez, Dr. John B. Steever, and Ms. Liza Minnelli (receiving Lifetime Achievement Award). 

Congratulations Amanda! Check out her acceptance speech here .
African Services Committee provides a safe, welcoming and supportive space to addresses the particular vulnerabilities experienced by recent LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers. In an affirming and culturally-appropriate manner, African Services’ “LGBTQ Health and Human Services Program” aims to eliminate disparities in health care access and wellness by addressing issues related to the key social determinants of health that impact LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers.
 
Click here to learn more.
Join us Dec. 13 for ASC's Fête de Fin d'Année! 

ASC’s annual holiday party will be full of delicious Senegalese, Ethiopian and Caribbean cuisine, dancing, drinks, and music! Festive dress encouraged!

WHEN:  Dec. 13 from 6 pm to 10 pm

WHERE:  ASC's Harlem Headquarters at 429 West 127th Street between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues.  Map

Contact 212.222.3882 for more information. The party is Free with $10 suggested donation at the door.

We hope to see you!
#justB Storyteller Features at ASC-Led Health Screening Event at Senegalese Association
African Services Committee in collaboration with Hep Free NYC – CHIPO NYC organized a health screening event with longtime partners Association des Senegalais d'Amerique (ASA) in Harlem, featuring #justB Storyteller, Bright, pictured here, who shared his powerful Hepatitis B Story with attendees.

Click here to watch a video highlighting Bright's #justB story.
Free and confidential screening for hepatitis B and C, Diabetes, blood pressure, HIV was also conducted throughout the day, as well as navigation to affordable care regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.

This event was made possible thanks to Hepatitis B Foundation Commemorating National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness Day #NAIRHHADay. Also thanks to Association des Senegalais d' Amerique (ASA) for hosting this event and to partners Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montifiore Medical Center, The Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO), AIDS Health Foundation, Sauti Yetu Center for African Women, Mount Sinai, Hunter College Center for Cancer Health Disparities Research.
ASC Legal Attends Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Demonstrates outside SCOTUS during arguments in major LGBTQ -rights cases 

African Services Committee Staff Attorney Maura Heron (left) and Legal Advocate Danney Salvatierra attended the 16th Annual Immigration Law and Policy conference in Washington D.C. pictured here. The conference covered recent asylum policy changes, issues at the border, and the Public Charge rule.

“As a recent law school graduate, I was eager to learn from the experts in this field. Staying informed and taking time to learn about the rapid policy changes that the immigration field is being exposed to is essential to better assist clients on behalf of ASC,” Danney says.
Before heading back to New York City, Danney stood with fellow advocates at the Supreme Court while nine justices weighed whether a landmark federal law that bars employment discrimination on the basis of sex should apply to gay and transgender people.

“It was great to be there and show my support, represent African Services Committee and all the values that ASC represents. We protect immigrants and individuals who are fighting for their right to live a safe life free of discrimination.” 
ASC Hosts Teach-In for Immigrant Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
ASC’s event space in Harlem was filled to capacity as immigrant survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence took part in a Gender-Based Violence Teach-In to celebrate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

Facilitated by ASC's Equal Justice Works Fellow and staff attorney Samah Mcgona Sisay — who leads ASC’s Black Immigrant Gender Justice Initiative — the event was an opportunity for survivors to learn about the forms of legal relief available to immigrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Gender-based violence can include sexual violence, intimate partner violence, violence from employers or family members, hate crimes, and abuse and abandonment. Specific forms of immigration relief available to survivors of violence include asylum, U visa, T Visa, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self-Petition, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).

“It is an honor to work with courageous immigrant women as they navigate the U.S. legal system and gain autonomy over their lives,” says Samah. “It is incredibly difficult to rebuild after experiencing extreme violence and rejection from people and places that are supposed to represent home. However, with the right support and advocacy, it is possible to reconstruct home as places and communities that are safe and accepting." 

ASC’s Black Immigrant Gender Justice Initiative provides free legal services to African and Caribbean immigrant women and girls (cisgender women, transgender women, and gender non-conforming femmes) who have faced some form of gender-based violence. Samah is sponsored by BNY Mellon and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP through the Equal Justice Works fellowship.  
ASC's Latest Annual Report
For an in-depth look at our work in Ethiopia, including a feature on Amaraz pictured on the cover, plus a panorama of all our NYC programs, click   here  to download a printable PDF of the 2018 Annual Report. 

Special thanks to award-winning  Mackenzie Crone  for designing the report.
English as a Second Language Program
New Tuesday & Wednesday Schedule
ASC’s English as a Second Language program provides free, tailored language and literacy lessons to help immigrants communicate and build opportunity for themselves and their families. ESOL instructors and volunteer tutors teach an average of a dozen students of all nationalities, in adult literacy and basic ESOL class levels, languages and academic backgrounds twice a week.
Classes meet every Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. To register, come to African Services during those times and speak with an ESOL coordinator to be evaluated and placed in the correct level learning group.

For more information and to learn about volunteering as an ESOL instructor please call (212) 222-3882 or email  D ree-el Simmons, TESOL Coordinator,  here .
ASC's dedicated staff will continue to fight for our clients. We need you to join the fight, too, by