Words of Welcome

August 14, 2019

Dear Safe Passages Family.

It’s that time of year again – back to school! I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a warm welcome as summer comes to a close, school is back in session, and all of our programs here at Safe Passages are once again in full swing.

This has been a difficult year due to the draining political climate, devastating natural disasters, vicious attacks on our communities, and the federal administration’s recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. For these reasons, I wish to take this opportunity to remind you that Safe Passages is a buffer for our children and families. We are more committed now than ever to achieve equality and social justice for every member of our community, especially those who are most vulnerable. We are here to help. And, at this critical moment in our nation’s history, I invite you to join us – because we are stronger together. And this nation, our nation, is stronger because of us.

We must push through the noise and maintain our focus on the children and families we serve. We will commit all of our brilliance, tenacity, courage, skill, and resources to breathe life back into our democracy. We owe it to ourselves, our parents, our children – and all of the generations yet to come – to continue our fight against institutional, interpersonal, and internal oppression with concrete strategies that affect real and lasting change.  This is our strategy to disrupt poverty in our community.

So, at the start of the 2017-2018 school year, I invite you all to become more involved in our work here at Safe Passages, and more involved in the march towards progress – the march towards a brighter Oakland, and a brighter and more just America.

In Service,
Josefina Alvarado Mena, Esq.
CEO
Safe Passages