One World One Family
November 2025 Newsletter
For our many new readers!
OWOF publishes a newsletter generally once a month with extra issues as events require. Check here for upcoming events and information around key social justice issues in our area. Note: The OWOF Board voted to concentrate our activities around Immigration and Housing in 2025-26.
Please consider a donation to OWOF. DONATE here!
After a busy fall our coffers are depleted!
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, The Chelsea District Library is hosting the George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, Kyle Whyte. Professor Whyte will discuss how indigenous practices can shape conservation and park management for the better.Register and get more info on the library website.
The Tamale Dinner was a great success!
Jackson For Immigrants Coalition!
The Tamale Dinner Fund-Raiser for Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition was a huge success. $1700 was raised through a combination of dinner sales, a 50/50 raffle, and cash/ check donations.
Pilar’s Tamale’s in Ann Arbor kindly provided 189 tamale dinners for “dine-in” or “take out”. A traditional Mexican playlist accompanied dinner. Kitchen volunteers worked tirelessly to get meals plated. A Jackson group member brought along a Mexican vendor cart with authentic Mexican candy to sample for a suggested donation.
OWOF Board Member, Christa Williams MD, thanked and welcomed guests, and introduced Gayla Ignacio and Amador Ybarra, two of the representatives from Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition. They spoke about their group and its efforts to support and protect immigrants in Jackson County during the heightened, warrantless, ICE arrests of community members. They are trying to mitigate the effect of these actions on community members, local businesses and families.
The generosity and caring community spirit of Chelsea was evident throughout the evening. Many excellent conversations were had. More than one OWOF member heard “I hope you will be doing this again”. And at the end of the evening, when volunteers were pitching in to clean up, we drew the winning 50/50 raffle ticket, which had just one word on it: “donate”.
A NOTE FROM JC4IC
The Jackson County for Immigrants Coalition is a grassroots coalition of individuals who initially formed in response to Jackson County Sheriff’s partnership with ICE. For the past nine months, we have been advocating for immigrant rights, providing mutual aid, and mobilizing our community to support and protect our immigrant neighbors.
We are horrified at what we are seeing happen in our country and county to our friends, family members, and community.
One World One Family and the Jackson Coalition have partnered to share resources and support each other in this work. If there was ever a time to spend our human capital on vulnerable humans, it is NOW. The fund-raiser OWOF hosted with us on October 23rd was such a lovely demonstration of support and solidarity. It’s been an incredible boost to both our morale and mutual aid work. We greatly appreciate all who participated and humbly thank you.
The Jackson Coalition For Immigrant Coalition
KYR Training into practice
The next step for those who received the Know Your Rights training is to approach area businesses to offer information on what they can do legally to help protect their employees from warrantless arrests. Our intention is to expand what we offered to all Chelsea restaurants. Even workers who are citizens or working legally have been taken and detained. Currently packets are being prepared and businesses identified. This is being conducted in cooperation with Chelsea Grassroots
We are looking for more volunteers!!
If you’d like to join a team to accompany a trained volunteer, please email OWOF.
PHOTO credit Jen Eberbach/MLive Residents packed a meeting of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, Wednesday, April 16, to express support for the immigrant community after the county was served a federal immigration enforcement subpoena.
A NOTE FROM MIRA
MIRA (Movement for Immigrant Rights Action) continues to focus on resisting increasingly inhumane immigration policy and enforcement in Washtenaw County and surrounding areas. ICE is in our community, daily, sweeping our neighbors up in unlawful arrests, disappearing them into a detention system that is impossible to navigate. In response, MIRA is:
– Hosting another APPEAR and RESIST workshop for people who want to know what they can do if they witness ICE enforcement. Details TBD.
– Working with the local schools to increase protections for students in immigrant families.
-Opposing the Northlake Detention Center in Baldwin MI , in coalition with other organizations through protest and witness presence.
-Monitoring and opposing the involvement of local police in immigration enforcement.
-Supporting community efforts to provide emergency help to immigrant families affected by inhumane immigration enforcement
-Speaking about immigration issues and policies in our local communities
Food insecurity is acute right now as inflation increases and food assistance benefits are debated. FIA has announced that their food assistance is currently available to anyone. An interview with a social worker is not required to access their pantry. Please alert anyone you know who may be in need.
FIA is at 603 S. Main, just inside the north entrance to Chelsea Hospital. Hours are 9am-4pm M-F with evening hours on Wed.
For those in a position to help,
please check the FIA website for current needs! THIS IS IMPORTANT. Cash is definitely appreciated. It allows them to make use of existing purchasing channels. Check here to donate and to check current needs.
VOTER RIGHTS INFO SESSION
votersnotpoliticians.comChristian Potts, an organizer with Rank MI Vote, spoke about the history and status of rank choice voting in Michigan and elsewhere. Ranked Choice Voting is a simple upgrade to strengthen the republic, improve representation, and make politics more civil.They are circulating a petition now to be on the 2026 ballot. Check their website for more info and where to find a petition near you.
rankmivote.org
OUR MISSION is more important than ever
One World One Family is committed to justice and equity for all*. We work to be anti-racist and to oppose discrimination in any form. We engage and empower people to have an impact and change systems to ensure everyone can participate fully in a diverse society.
* all / “ahl” / Noun 1.The whole human family, regardless of actual or perceived age, color, disability, familial status, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, disability status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, veteran status, or weight. Are you represented?
Please remember to check the OWOF Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/OneWorldOneFamily
“Like” the posts so that we can get higher circulation.
Otherwise, go to our website. You can see our Facebook posts there.
www.owofchelsea.org
