African Services Committee
Update
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ASC on Manhattan Town Hall Panel Addressing Public Charge Rule
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African Services Committee Advocacy Director Amanda Lugg joined fellow advocates and elected officials to address the administration's cruel and callous Public Charge rule. Thanks to the New York Immigration Coalition for organizing, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, and Council member Mark D. Levine among others for this important forum, which took place at the magnificent Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
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Resources
Click to download updated Public Charge: "Getting the Care You Need" documents from Protect Immigrant Families
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ASC Joins in Filing of New ‘Public Charge’ Lawsuit Over Proposed Trump Immigration Rule
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‘Public Charge’ Rule Devastating to Immigrants and Families
African Services Committee strongly condemns the administration’s “public charge” rule published Aug. 14, 2019 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and stands in solidarity with immigrant families and allies across the country, as we fight the finalized rule’s expanded provisions scheduled for implementation Oct. 15, 2019.
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African Services Committee joined other non profit and advocacy organizations
in a lawsuit filed
S
ept. 4 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) seeking to block the Trump administration’s proposed “public charge” rule before it takes effect on October 15, 2019. The organizations, Make the Road New York, African Services Committee, Asian American Federation, Catholic Charities Community Services, and Catholic Legal Immigration Network ("CLINIC"), are represented by The Legal Aid Society, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. If the rule takes effect, it will vastly expand the government’s ability to deny permanent resident status to immigrants who have relied on certain public benefits. This litigation seeks a permanent injunction to block this rule from taking effect, and marks one of many lawsuits to be filed across the nation.
Read ASC's press release
here
.
Click
here
for a video of the entire press conference.
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African Services Committee is pleased to announce the following recent grant awards that, along with the support of generous donors, allow us to continue the work we do in service to the immigrant community:
- Project DELIVER aims to increase liver cancer prevention awareness through viral hepatitis education, screening and vaccination within the underserved African-born community in all five boroughs of New York City. In collaboration with community-based organizations and faith-based leaders, the project will organize awareness and screening events, followed by necessary navigation to care services. More.
- Thanks to the Office of Minority Health - U.S. Department of Health for choosing Charles B. Wang Community Health Center as one of six grantees across the US to eliminate Hepatitis B. With ASC as a major partner, we are thrilled to be a part of this effort to expand targeted hepatitis B virus (HBV) education, screening, vaccination, and linkage to care for high-risk African and Asian immigrants in NYC.
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- The Federal Office of Minority Health provides support to agencies and organizations in the public and private sectors to eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations.
- Department of Youth and Community Development has awarded ASC with funding to enhance our English as a Second Language program.
- Protect Immigrant Families national campaign awarded ASC with funds to educate the immigrant community and fight against the Trump Administration's cruel "Public Charge" rule.
- Thanks to a Maternal Infant Health award ASC’s Testing Center team has renewed support to continue holding monthly free health workshops on a variety of topics, including family planning, women's health, breastfeeding, safe sleep, obesity /nutrition, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
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African Union Mission's 'Invest in Africa' Features African Services Committee
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Check out this feature on ASC in the
African Union
’s latest publication, also highlighting the African Union Permanent Representative to the United States of America Ambassador, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao’s "Meet and Greet" event at our Harlem headquarters back in May. Thanks to the AU for spotlighting our work.
Click
here
for the full story.
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ASC's Advocacy Director Talks with
The Guardian
About Public Charge Rule
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When rumors that the Trump administration would block immigrants using public benefits from getting green cards began in late 2017, an HIV positive woman visited the African Services Committee in Harlem.
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“They aren’t going to get you for using benefits. They are going to get you for being poor, black, and brown.”
- ASC Advocacy Director Amanda Lugg on the Administration's cruel Public Charge rule. Thanks to Peter White at the The Tennessee Tribune for this important story.
Full Story.
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Fathers and sons visiting ASC’s Health and Community Development Center in Ziwey, Ethiopia. ASC's Health and Community Development Center in Ziwey provides free vitamins thanks to Vitamin Angels, supplemental nutrition, HIV prevention education, counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS, CD4 testing, and new shoes thanks to TOMS shoes.
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Each year, ASC Ethiopia’s “one-stop shop” clinics provide a broad range of vital services to 20,000 + in Ethiopia.
Our three Ethiopia health and community development centers serve patients who are impacted by climate change, human rights abuses, war and ethnic persecution, famine, and diseases of poverty. These programs are a true community-based response to community need, and
support
is needed now more than ever to keep our Ethiopia clinics running.
Please make a donation today.
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English as a Second Language Program
New Tuesday & Wednesday Schedule
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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.
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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
.
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Free Health Workshops
at ASC
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In addition to offering free testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, blood glucose, blood pressure, TB, and STIs to walk-in clients throughout the week at ASC’s Testing Center, ASC’s Testing Center team is busy holding monthly health workshops. The workshops are free and in French and English.
The last Thursday of each month
, ASC's Maternal Infant Health program will hold a free workshop on a variety of topics, including family planning, safe sleep, women's health, obesity /nutrition, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Join us Sept. 26 from 11:30 to 1:00 pm for the next session, which will focus on Diabetes.
Please note this workshop will be conducted in French.
Refreshments, free metro cards, and gift cards will be provided to attendees.
Learn more by contacting Adama at (646) 209-4740 or email Halimatou at halimatouk@africanservices.org
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Free Dance Fitness Classes at ASC Twice a Week
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ASC's Harlem HQ is currently hosting two Shape Up NYC classes: Old School R&B Dance Fitness and Dance for Life. All welcome. FREE.
- Old School R&B Dance Fitness class continues on Mondays at 6pm.
- Dance for Life takes place every Thursday at 5:30pm.
Click
here
for more info.
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Sept. 9 was National African Immigrant and Refugee and HIV/ AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness Day. Stigma, language and cultural barriers result in higher rates of HIV and hepatitis in African-born persons in the U.S.
ASC's health testing center in Harlem offers free and confidential testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, blood glucose, blood pressure, TB, and STIs to all throughout the week + navigation to affordable care. All are welcome. No appointment is necessary. Our staff speak many African languages as well as English, French and Spanish.
“You often don’t feel anything until it is too late — that is why we call hepatitis B a silent killer in the African community,” says Testing Center Coordinator, Dr. Halimatou Konte, whose Testing Center team provided nearly 1,000 free and confidential tests and counseling each year.
“Just with HIV, viral hepatitis is transmissible and we recommend getting tested so you know your status as early as possible, because it could make the difference between life or death for you and your family.”
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September is African Heritage Month in New York City and around the world. To commemorate this month, the NYC Commission on Human Rights, the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office are hosting an event on September 12th, 2019 at Brooklyn Borough Hall from 6pm-8:00pm. Some of the issues the town hall will focus on are discrimination, legal services, housing, public charge and youth engagement. Click
here
for more info.
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ASC's dedicated staff will continue to fight for our clients. We need you to join the fight, too, by
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