The Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition (LBIRC) has a mission to “build and sustain an immigrant-led movement
to end the criminalization of immigrants and secure bold protections and opportunities that allow immigrant
communities to thrive.”
LBIRC works a variety of partners to respond to the social, environmental, political, health
equity and needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, with a particular focus on undocumented families and the
non-English speaking Latinx community in Long Beach.
LBIRC’s current programming includes Immigrant Health Justice and Equity programs that ensure that immigrant families, undocumented individuals, and families of
mixed- status households have access to vital life affirming resources, tools, education, referrals, and the opportunity to build power in their communities. LBIRC’s health education and advocacy videos, which include information such as how to enroll in Medi-Cal and Cal Fresh, touched the lives of over 8,530 individuals in 2021.
Over the past year and at the height of the pandemic, LBIRC secured and distributed financial support for over 2,000 undocumented individuals who did not qualify for federal aid, totaling 1.8 million in direct cash assistance, a critical component of many families’ overall health, safety, and financial security. LBIRC’s mutual aid Tuesdays and community care hub serve as a dynamic and critical link for immigrant residents in Long Beach to access nutritious foods, build relationships in community, access social safety net programs and resources, and most importantly build up their capacity to embody community driven and
community centered safety and health justice.
Finally, LBIRC’s Community Organizing, and Education programs offer the opportunity for immigrant residents to build their leadership and advocacy skills where more than
one hundred families a year learn to build a critical analysis around historical oppression, systemic injustices, and build political consciousness together through individualized campaign organizing and education through a leadership academy mode.
Our UUCLB Social Justice Collection is taken on the second Sunday of each month, but you can support the designated organization until the last Sunday of the month, by mail, text, or online. If by mail, note “Social Justice Collection” on your check, and send it to UUCLB, 5450 E. Atherton St., Long Beach, CA 90815. Using Text-to- Give, text the words “22 Social Justice Collection” and the amount to 833-931-1845. To give $20, for example, text “22 Social Justice Collection $20.” To cover any convenience fees for the church, you can add the word “cover” (so “22 Special Collection $20 cover”) or simply text “Cover fees on” to cover fees on all text gifts. For online giving go to uuclb.org/give or download the tithe.ly giving app and search for UUCLB.