Our Background and Accomplishments...

J.O.B. was launched in 2004 by a group of clergy, lay and community leaders. The goal was to expand community organizing and develop greater political power among immigrants and low-income people who have historically been marginalized from decision making on policy issues that directly impact them. Here is a quick summary of what we have done:

Organizing:

• As our founding event J.O.B. organized 2,000 people to come together for a public meeting with elected officials and address health, housing, education and immigrant issues
• We were instrumental in the organization of a historic march in support of immigrants, drawing over 100,000 people to the streets of San Diego in 2006
• We have trained over 2,000 community leaders, teaching them skills in community leadership and organizing, policy power analysis, health care policy, immigration reform, voter registration drives, and naturalization workshop deelopment
• J.O.B. has held numerous Public Actions — including prayer vigils, press conferences, teach-ins and community meetings
• In 2006 we founded Fiesta del Sol San Diego — which has grwon into the largest family street festival in the San Diego County
• We have built strong partnerships with local and national ethnic and general market media

Immigration:

• In January 2010, J.O.B. worked with the local Haitian Community in response to the earthquake disaster and helping community members achieve Temporary Protected Status
• In preparation for the Fall and Winter 2010 House and Senate votes on the Federal DREAM Act, J.O.B. partnered with the San Diego DREAM Team, a coalition of DREAMers and Allies at college and university campuses across the County; together, we organized numerous phone banks to generate calls to the White House and the Senate, held a vigil at Mesa College, and organized 5 simultaneous candlelight vigils on bridge overpasses across San Diego County. We received coverage from every TV station and major newspaper in San Diego, and even made the New York Times!
• During the 2007 San Diego County wildfires, J.O.B. mobilized 80 bilingual advocates to translate and monitor the treatment of people-of-color in shelters throughout the County, insuring that their civil liberties were being respected

Civic Participation:

• For the November 2010 elections, J.O.B. leaders, ages 11-86, made 10,000 calls to Latino Voters, urging them to get out and vote
• We worked with local officials to educate and engage the Latino community in massive outreach for the 2010 Census.
• We have conducted free citizenship workshops every year across San Diego County. This has involved training dozens of community leaders and has resulted in our assisting many immigrants in getting on the path to their citizenship.