IRTF News

On Saturday, May 3, I flew to southern Arizona where I stayed for two and a half weeks for a border witness delegation. While hiking in the desert doing water drops, we always found clothing, shoes, and jackets left behind by migrants who had passed before us. There were also many black water bottles—used because they’re harder for Border Patrol to spot in the dark. Holding a black bottle and thinking about which hands had held it before was very powerful for me.

The whole trip to the borderlands was deeply meaningful to me. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the situation at the US-Mexico border and a deeper emotional sense of what migration means, not only at this border but at all borders. Seeing the vastness and dangers of the desert, walking on the same paths as people trying to migrate—this was very different from reading articles or looking at photos.

What I experienced brought me closer to IRTF—our  work and our mission.

I invite IRTF friends to a report-back I’ll be doing on Wednesday, July 16 (time and location to be announced).  I am incredibly grateful to all the supporters of IRTF and to everyone who contributed to make this trip possible.

Thank you!
Lilly

We will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a Silent Peace Walk in downtown Cleveland. Eighty people dressed in white, the color of mourning in Japan, will solemnly and meditatively walk from Cleveland Public Library’s Eastman Reading Garden to Willard Park and the Free Stamp. We will remember the Hibakusha, the “bomb-affected people,” seeking water to ease their suffering. At sunset, we will light candle lanterns, declaring our intention that there will never be another

We invite you to sign up and commit to being there, to walk with us, to remember the victims (including generations of descendants), to commit ourselves as peacemakers to do what we can so that there never be another nuclear war. No more Hiroshimas! No more Nagasakis! No More Hibakusha! Sign up form here

Do you and your neighbors and co-workers know what to do if visited, questioned, or arrested by ICE? Do you know you can call the Ohio Immigration Hotline 419-777-HELP (4357) ? There’s also the Ohio National Lawyers Guild Hotline: (614) 654-6477

You can stay up-to-date every day on ICE activities, trends in apprehensions and detentions by following Austin Kocher on Substack https://substack.com/@austinkocher/posts

In northeast Ohio, you can reach out to irtf@irtfcleveland.org for educational resources and trainings for your workplace, congregation, or community group.

Consider your position in your community. What can you contribute to undocumented community members or migrant organizations?

Do you know any legal, mental health, social work professionals?

What about school employees?

We need EVERYONE to consider how they can mobilize support for vulnerable migrant families.

If you yourself don’t hold a professional position that is needed, consider this: Could serve as a first-call, point person for someone who is detained? Reach out to them to initiate a supportive conversation.  Are you positioned to do child pick-up and safeguarding? Well-connected with community orgs or professionally situated to help with legal, medical or other needs?

See the attached flyer for more resources and ways to get involved.

The Ida B. Wells Foundation is pleased to join with the Baseball Heritage Museum and Neighborhood Connections to host a book signing for Mary E. Triece and the recent publication of her book entitled: Radical Advocate:  Ida B. Wells and the Road to Race and Gender Justice.  The Ida B. Wells Foundation, which started in 1998, is a mustard seed endeavor that has provided approximately $100,000 in small grants to grassroots projects for racial, economic, and social justice, nonviolence and youth work in Cuyahoga County.  Since 2022, some of the entities that have received IBWF grants are: LegalWorks, Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, the Kentucky Garden, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Renovare, CAIR, and others.

Mary E. Triece, Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Communication and the Director of The Women’s Studies Program.  Her teaching and research focus on rhetorical and feminist theories and criticisms, and social movement rhetorics.  Triece is the author of five books, several co-authored works, and numerous journal and peer-reviewed articles. Triece teaches classes on rhetoric and argumentation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  

The Young Latino Network is proud to announce its 2025 Movement Builder Award honoree:  C Stonebraker Martinez!

As co-coordinator of the IRTF (InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia), C has been a tireless force for human rights and collective liberation. From Cleveland to Colombia, their work uplifts those most impacted by state violence—including Afro-Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ folks, workers, and people with disabilities.

Rooted in a legacy of solidarity, C leads with courage and conviction—mobilizing our communities through popular education, mutual aid, and direct action.

C reminds us that building movements means centering the people, standing in solidarity, and never backing down.

Join IRTF and the Young Latino Nework in celebrating C at Noche de Guayabera 2025! 

Get your tickets now at: ylncle.org/noche-2025