Latino Racial Justice Circle Inc.

You can empower Latino youth through education! Latinos have the lowest college attainment when compared to Black and White people. The Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) has narrowed this opportunity gap by giving college scholarships to Latino youth. Read what some of our previous awardees had to say and consider donating to the LRJC education fund:

“This scholarship not only granted me financial relief, but this relief translated into many areas of my life this semester. I had the privilege of working 25 hours a week rather than 40, a significant amount of time I now had to focus more on academics, hobbies, and community affairs that I had to leave behind when I began my undergraduate career. With this scholarship, I was able to maintain my title as an exceptional scholar, earning a 4.0 GPA this semester!”

“This scholarship helped alleviate some of the cost of this past semester allowing me to worry less about the cost of tuition this semester and rather my classes and making sure I was able to complete my homework as I had lots of projects and exams to complete as homework assignments this semester.”

With these testimonies in mind, we invite all of you to join us for the LRJC educational fundraiser on Saturday May 10th at 1:30 p.m. This year’s fundraiser will be a festive afternoon of Lotería at Abbott Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood. As quite a few of you already know, Lotería is a traditional Mexican board game that is similar to bingo but played with cards instead of numbered balls.

A large share of the proceeds from this upcoming event will help fund LRJC scholarships. Please be a part of this community-focused effort to support college students as they each pursue their dreams of the best, biggest, and brightest lives imaginable!

Donations made to this fundraiser will be allocated as such: 90% to the educational scholarships and 10% to support the LRJC's administrative and operating costs.

This holiday season, the Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) invites you to bring hope and safety to local immigrant youth. Through our partnership with the Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC), we have identified three young people whose situations qualify them to remain safely in the United States, but to do so, they need immigration legal representation.

Immigrants who have legal counsel are 10x more likely to win their cases and be granted permission to stay in the U.S. Having legal representation opens the door to security, stability, and productivity for these youth.

Please join the LRJC to provide an opportunity for these immigrant teens to seek safety and security by contributing to our legal services fundraiser. Your donation can provide that support for these three young people:

1) Carlos also came to this country as an unaccompanied child, and now lives with his mom. The situation in his home country of Honduras was very difficult. His father abandoned the family when Carlos was very young, and his mother had already left for the U.S., so he had no family to support him in Honduras. He came to the U.S. alone four years ago, when he was only fifteen years old. It took Carlos a month to arrive to the U.S. through Mexico, where parts of his journey were dangerous and challenging, but ultimately he was able to reunite with his mother. If Carlos does not have legal representation, he risks being separated from his mother and returned to a country where he faces danger and lack of opportunity.

2) Diego is Carlos’ younger brother. Like Carlos, he came to the U.S. alone as an unaccompanied child. He entered the country two years ago when he was just fourteen years old, making the same journey that his brother had made earlier. Diego came to the U.S. to be reunited with his brother and mother and to have a life with more security. He needs legal representation so that he can stay with his family safely in the United States and have access to opportunities that are not available to him in Honduras.

3) Gloria is a teenager from Honduras who entered the U.S. three years ago with a guide. She fled Honduras after she and her family were threatened by a gang. She has no immediate family here, and she has been living with her godfather and his family. Gloria wants to stay in the U.S. so that she’ll have more opportunities and be able to live free of the threat of violence. Without legal representation, Gloria risks being returned to a country where she will face dangerous circumstances and have limited opportunities.

With your help, Carlos, Diego, and Gloria will be able to apply for a legal status called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), a pathway to residency for youth who, among other things, have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. They need your help to get immigration attorneys to apply for SIJS and be successful in their cases.

Your contribution can help open the door to a life of safety for these young people so that they can reunite with family and heal, grow, and live full lives free of fear and filled with opportunities.

Thank you for your generosity of heart and your generous contribution!

(Names have been changed for privacy.)

Sources and additional information:

https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/396/

https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/rising-to-the-moment.pdf

https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/honduras/

For more information on the Latino Racial Justice Circle:

https://www.lrjc.org/

https://www.facebook.com/LatinoRacialJusticeCircle

For more information on the Pro Bono Resource Center:

https://probonomd.org/for-legal-help/ayuda-para-inmigrantes/

Latinos are experiencing a serious education gap in the United States, and in 2023 only 28% of Latino adults had earned an associate degree, as compared to 48% of White adults. Join us in narrowing this education gap! The Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) is raising funds to give college scholarships to Latino youth in the Baltimore area. Take a look at what some of last year’s scholarship awardees have to say and consider donating to the LRJC Education Fund.

“Your scholarship has significantly supported my journey in becoming a music educator. Through your assistance, I have been able to finance my academic books, music lessons, and housing on campus which allows me to stay active in my music endeavors and student organization. I contribute the opportunities I have gained this past year to your support and belief in me. With that, I strive to continue making a positive impact on people's lives just as you have done for me.”

“I would like to thank the Latino Racial Justice Circle for this scholarship which helps students not only enter but achieve higher education. Often, entering college is easy but completion is the challenge. Scholarships like these provide students with the resources to focus on academics wholeheartedly, alleviating some financial strain.”

“This scholarship has supported my academic pursuits and alleviated the financial burden associated with higher education this year. It has allowed me to focus more fully on my studies and extracurricular activities, knowing I have financial assistance to cover tuition, books, and other educational expenses. Beyond the tangible benefits, this scholarship has also given me recognition and validation for my hard work and dedication. It has motivated me to continue striving for excellence in my academic endeavors and make the most of the opportunities I have. Overall, the support from this scholarship has been invaluable in helping me pursue my educational goals and lay the foundation for a successful future.”

Please also join us at our Happy Hour Fundraiser that we are co-hosting with Latino Providers Network (LPN) on Wednesday, June 5th, from 5pm to 9pm at Blue Pit BBQ in Hampden. A portion of the proceeds will fund the LRJC Scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Bring your business card or flyers to network and support the community!

Update: WOW! We cannot believe the response we got today. Thank you to everyone who donated to this fundraiser. This morning we set a goal of raising $18,000, and within less than nine hours we raised more than more than $98,000. The community response was truly amazing, and this is why we love Baltimore.

With this campaign completely exceeding our expectations and the Latino Racial Justice Circle being 100% volunteer-run, we have decided to close the fundraiser so that we can now focus on getting the funds we raised today out to the families. We understand that many more people want to contribute, and we ask that going forward people donate to the fundraiser that the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs set up this afternoon. Please encourage your friends and family to donate here: https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/key-bridge-response-fund

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Please help the Latino Racial Justice Circle raise $60K to support the families of the victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse.

The Latino Racial Justice Circle is raising money to support the families of the victims of the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse. This is still a developing story*, but we know that the 6 victims were all Latino immigrants who were supporting partners and children in the Southeast Baltimore and Dundalk communities. As they move forward with their shock and grief, the families will need support with basic needs, such as rent, groceries, and utilities. We are setting our goal to raise $60,000 so that we can help each family with $10,000 during this difficult time. The funds will be distributed directly to the families.

Please spread the word and share with your networks so we can get the maximum support for these victims.

*Last updated Wednesday March 27, 2024, at 12pm

About us:

The Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) was founded in 2015 by a small group of people who participated in a Catholic event about immigration in Baltimore. Since then, the group has expanded to include members of different faith traditions and members who are not religiously affiliated. As of 2022, the LRJC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (public charity) promoting community development through immigrant integration. Our actions include:

-Partner with faith communities in support of immigrants

-Work with Latino youth and parents to offer a scholarship program in leadership training

-Identify & raise funds for attorneys who will represent immigration deportation cases

-Develop & share informational programs that focus on the stories and needs of the Latino Community

-Stand in solidarity with existing Latino Community groups through prayer & action

For more information on the Latino Racial Justice Circle and our work, please visit:

https://www.lrjc.org/

https://www.facebook.com/LatinoRacialJusticeCircle

Photo credit: Photo taken from the X (formerly Twitter) feed @HarforCoFireEMS Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS showing a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, US, collapsed.

This holiday season, the Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) invites you to bring hope and safety to local immigrant families. Through our partnership with the Pro Bono Resource Center, we have identified two families whose situations qualify them to remain safely in the United States, but to do so, they need immigration legal representation.

Immigrants who have legal counsel are 10x more likely to win their cases and be granted permission to stay in the U.S. The difference is even greater (14x) for immigrant women with children. Having legal representation opens doors for these families to the opportunity to build lives of security, stability, and productivity.

Please join the LRJC in opening the door for immigrants seeking safety and security by contributing to our legal services fundraiser. Your donation can provide that support for these two families:

1) Yanira and her four children -- This mother of four endured intimate partner violence in a country where women and children have few rights or protections. The abuser, her husband and father of her children, also harmed their oldest child. This family lives in fear as their abuser is in the U.S. They need help receiving legal protection from him and to fight being deported. If they cannot find representation to help them win their protection, they face the specter of being harmed in a country where violence against women occurs with impunity.

2) Francisco – this young man survived punishing threats by gangs which he refused to join in a country where the line between gangs and government is unclear due to corruption. He fled to the United States as a minor, entering the U.S. alone and placing his trust in the laws and protections offered by the U.S. Francisco has an option that can prevent his deportation and his potential murder by gang members, but time is running out. He has less than a year to complete the lengthy process of applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and he cannot do it alone.

(Names have been changed for privacy.)

Your contribution can help open the door to a life of safety, where Yanira, her children and young, brave men like Francisco can heal, grow, and live full lives free from fear and filled with unlimited potential.

You can open that door. Thank you for your generosity of heart and your generous contribution!

Sources and additional information:

https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/396/

https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/rising-to-the-moment.pdf

https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/honduras/

For more information on the Latino Racial Justice Circle:

https://www.lrjc.org/

https://www.facebook.com/LatinoRacialJusticeCircle

For more information on the Pro Bono Resource Center:

https://probonomd.org/for-legal-help/ayuda-para-inmigrantes/

You can empower Latino youth through education! Latinos have the lowest college attainment when compared to Black and White people. The Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC) has narrowed this opportunity gap by giving college scholarships to Latino youth. Read what some of our previous awardees had to say and consider donating to the LRJC education fund:

“This scholarship not only granted me financial relief, but this relief translated into many areas of my life this semester. I had the privilege of working 25 hours a week rather than 40, a significant amount of time I now had to focus more on academics, hobbies, and community affairs that I had to leave behind when I began my undergraduate career. With this scholarship, I was able to maintain my title as an exceptional scholar, earning a 4.0 GPA this semester!”

“This scholarship helped alleviate some of the cost of this past semester allowing me to worry less about the cost of tuition this semester and rather my classes and making sure I was able to complete my homework as I had lots of projects and exams to complete as homework assignments this semester.”

You are also invited to our happy hour fundraiser hosted by the Latino Providers Network (LPN). Meet us on Thursday, August 10th, from 5:00 to 9:00 at Blue Pit BBQ in Hampden. A portion of the proceeds will fund LRJC scholarships. Bring your business card or flyers to network and support the community!