Advocates are underrated. Each of us had an effective advocate those first few, critical years of our lives. We each should still have someone who "watches our back" as it were. 
I was going through old mail on Super Bowl Sunday and saw that I missed an opportunity to donate towards the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) for their 2011 end-of-the-year donation drive. I sat down to read their newsletter, a summary of their efforts for one year. There they are helping people from nationalities as various as there are colors. The TIRRC is the American father or mother who makes sure they have shelter, food, and water. And that they are protected from the injustices of principled pedantry, scientifically-manufactured doctrine, and collective prejudice.I was stunned when I finished reading. Stunned that I had done nothing this past year to contribute to the cause other than to read their emails and listen to a few NPR specials.*"The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is toempower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unifiedvoice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they arerecognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001,TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of itsimmigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understandand engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies thatwould better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their fullparticipation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from agrassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse andeffective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rightsorganizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States. TIRRC conductsits work through four major program areas:
Base Building / Leadership DevelopmentTIRRC aims to empower immigrant and refugee communities byorganizing around common issues, providing training and technical assistancefor emerging and established immigrant-led organizations, and developingimmigrant leaders capable of sustaining a growing movement and effecting realchange.Grassroots Civic Engagement / Policy ChangeEngaging immigrants and refugees in the civic process is oneof TIRRC's core missions. TIRRC strives to help immigrants and their newcommunities use their voices to defeat anti-immigrant legislation and passproactive, pro-integration legislation at the local, state and federal levels.
Defense of Civil Rights / Civil LibertiesTIRRC educates immigrants and refugees about their rights andsubsequently, increases the capacity of immigrant-led organizations to addressabuses.
Public Awareness / Ally BuildingEducating the public about the contributions of immigrantsand building relationships with key constituencies in order to shift momentumaround the immigration debate and build broad public support forpro-integration policies are also key TIRRC initiatives.
Key recent accomplishments include the following:
Defeat of the “English-only” referendumTIRRC contributed substantially to the defeat of the"English-Only" referendum, upholding Nashville’s image as awelcoming, world-class city. As part of a two-year effort, TIRRC conducted amedia campaign in response to Nashville’s proposed “English-only” ordinance inthe city council, drawing attention to the personal testimonies of Somali,Sudanese, and Kurdish refugees and helping public figures understand thenegative impact such a policy would have on all immigrants and refugees inNashville. In all, TIRRC mobilized more than 10,000 New American voters andhelped lead the largest city-wide coalition in history.
Mobilization/ Engagement of New American Voters TIRRC has engaged thousands of new American voters in thecivic process and raised the profile of the immigrant vote. To date, TIRRC hasregistered more than 5,000 new Americans and contacted over 20,000 as part oftwo successful voter registration and get-out-the vote campaigns.
Welcoming Tennessee Initiative Conceived and implemented by TIRRC, the Welcoming Tennessee Initiative (WTI) hasproduced a measurable shift in public opinion on the subject of immigration: Asa result of WTI more Tennesseans are engaged in dialog about immigration,informed about its positive effects, and motivated to stand up to intoleranceand challenge punitive and mean-spirited legislation.
Southeast Immigrants Rights NetworkTIRRC co-founded the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, andas a direct result, emerged as a model and mentor for immigrant rightsorganizations forming in “new destination” states. TIRRC held three successfulannual conferences, building the organizing and leadership capacity of overthirty organizations in the region.
Education for Immigrant Children TIRRC was instrumental in securing funding for educatingimmigrant children through advocating for and helping to pass a bill toincrease statewide funding for English language learner (ELL) programs inpublic schools by $30 million. As a result, ELL student-teacher ratios werereduced from 50:1 to 30:1.
Establishing Better Access to Drivers Licenses forImmigrantsTIRRC increased access to driver licenses for newimmigrants. TIRRC's campaign to increase the number of language translationsavailable for Tennessee’s written driver’s license test was successful; Theorganization secured a commitment from the state Department of Safety toprovide translations in Chinese and Arabic in early 2009, supplementingSpanish, Japanese, and Korean."
