Dear Community,

We’re starting this year feeling extremely grateful for supporters like you. Thanks to our donors and funders, we raised over $20,000 through our end-of-year fundraiser. These donations will provide much needed resources to empower our community.

We’re also excited to begin this year with a new Monument Impact logo and website. Check it out at monumentimpact.org. On our site, you can learn about our community programs, explore new local businesses to support, hire a day worker, and find resources for healthcare, food, childcare, housing services, city services, transportation, immigration legal services, and more.

As we enter February and Black History Month, we want to honor the contributions of African Americans who have shaped our nation and enriched our communities. We hope to continue to build on the legacy of leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Shirley Chisholm by advocating for community member’s rights, working toward racial and economic equity, and providing holistic services to families across Contra Costa.

Lastly, we wanted to share that we are transitioning our Voces newsletters from monthly editions to every other month. We will continue to reach out with important community and organizational updates. We also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to keep up with us.

We look forward to partnering with you to make 2024 even more impactful. Keep reading to learn more about the latest updates from Monument Impact’s team and throughout Contra Costa.

In community,

Judith Ortiz

Executive Director

Shape How We Serve Contra Costa

At Monument Impact, our work has always been led by community members’ needs. Earlier this month, we met with our Board of Directors to discuss our priorities for the year. With growing demands of our services across the county, the Leadership Team is taking the time to carefully decide how to best serve families and local community members.

We want to hear from you. What should Monument Impact be working on? What do you like about Monument Impact that we should continue or expand? Should anything change? Your views will help shape our agenda and the direction of our organization so we can best serve the community. Tell us what’s on your mind at info@monumentimpact.org in English, Spanish or Farsi.

Welcome to Our Newest Board and Staff Members

Please join us in welcoming our new board member, Lynn Phan!

As a child of refugees, Lynn has been an advocate for immigrant communities all of her life. She learned early on that lack of language access closed many doors for her non-English speaking parents, which has led her to her current position as an attorney with Centro Legal de la Raza. We’re lucky to have Lynn on board and join us in the fight for equal justice and to help families access resources.

On our staff, we’re thrilled to welcome Strategic Communications Manager Amie Lam!

Raised in the Monument Corridor, she looks forward to expanding Monument Impact’s reach and bring awareness to the community's needs. As the daughter of Vietnamese-Chinese refugees, immigrant families and non-English speakers hold a special place in her heart. She speaks Spanish, Teochew and Cantonese. We are ecstatic to have Amie on our team and look forward to having her help us reach more allies and community members.

Community Engagement: Concord

Tonight, the fight to pass Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction in Concord continues.

Join our staff and community members Tuesday, January 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the next Concord City Council meeting. Prior to the council meeting, there will be a tenant rally that will begin at 5:30 p.m.

At this meeting, city staff will present the second draft ordinance on Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction, and there may be a vote to approve the ordinance.

In Antioch, we successfully mobilized around rent stabilization and anti-harassment ordinances. You can help us get these same protections for Concord residents. Come show your support for tenant protections! Please see the outreach and social media toolkit to share the news and prepare for the meeting.

In more news, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) recently announced it will open a new immigration court in Concord on February 12, 2024, expanding its presence in Northern California. The latest we know about this local change can be found here.

Community Engagement: Antioch

On February 13th at 7:00 p.m. at Antioch City Hall, Monument Impact and our allies are hosting a Valentine's Day action.

In partnership with Rising Juntos, we will distribute Valentine's Day cards to the public, each highlighting reasons why Just Cause for Eviction is crucial. We do not want families being pushed out of their homes unjustly. City council members will receive roses with messages related to Just Cause for Eviction. Additionally, we'll make public comments emphasizing the importance of passing Just Cause for Eviction in the city of Antioch.

Join us to show your support and urge the city council to include Just Cause for Eviction on the agenda.

For more information, follow our socials for updates, or call/text (510) 368-4544.

Healthy Community - Promotores Out in the Community

Our Promotores have been out and about in Concord, Brentwood, and surrounding cities informing community members about cancer screening and prevention.

We've been finding that many families have little information about cancer prevention and their outreach is important.

To learn more, sign up, or share with someone who could benefit from cancer screening, please follow this link for flyers and resources.

Day Labor Center Training - See the Results!

In December, our Day Labor Center members remodeled the flooring in our Monument site in Concord. Not only did they level the flooring and seal the expanding cracks, this was used as an opportunity for our more experienced construction workers to train those newer in the field. We’d like to take the time to share their amazing work – the results were beautiful. Take a look at the work below, and consider hiring them for your next project!

Share This Email