IMMIGRANTS IN
MUSIC RESOURCES
We're committed to supporting our clients, no matter where they are from and what stage they are in their careers.
No matter where you're from, what stage in your career you are, or what your career goals in music are, we're here to support you. Below is a collection of organizations and resources to support and empower our immigrant neighbors.
ORGANIZATIONS
Justice for Migrant Women
Justice for Migrant Women has been engaged in educating lawmakers and other officials globally and throughout the U.S. about some of the issues that prevent migrant women from reaching their full potential and, even worse, pose a threat to their safety and security.
National TPS Alliance
The National TPS Alliance is formed and led by TPS beneficiaries from across the United States, combining advocacy efforts at a national level to save Temporary Protected Status for all beneficiaries in the short term and to devise legislation that creates a path to permanent residency in the long term.
Read MoreCosecha
Cosecha is a nonviolent movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Our name, "harvest" in Spanish, honors the long tradition of farmworker organizing and the present-day pain of the thousands of undocumented workers whose labor continues to feed the country. Committed to winning real victories for our community, Cosecha believes in using non-cooperation to leverage the power of immigrant labor and consumption and force a meaningful shift in public opinion.
Read MoreImmigration Equality
Immigration Equality envisions a future where LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants are celebrated for making our country stronger, and where they can enjoy safe haven from persecution, freedom to live openly as their full selves, and equality for themselves and their families.
Read MoreRainbow Railroad
Can you imagine living in fear of persecution, torture, or murder? Can you imagine going to jail for who you are or whom you love? That is a reality for so many LGBTQI individuals around the world. Since our founding in 2006, Rainbow Railroad has helped more than 800 individuals find a path to safety to start a new life — free from persecution.
Read MoreUnited We Dream
When you're undocumented, you face a lot of discrimination, and that creates a lot of fear. At United We Dream, we transform that fear into finding your voice. We empower people to develop their leadership, their organizing skills, and to develop our own campaigns to fight for justice and dignity for immigrants and all people. This is achieved through immigrant youth-led campaigns at the local, state, and federal level.
Read MoreHana Center
HANA’s mission is to empower Korean American and multi-ethnic immigrant communities through social services, education, culture, and community organizing to advance human rights.
Read MoreFreemuse
Freemuse is an independent international non-governmental organisation advocating for freedom of artistic expression and cultural diversity. Freemuse has United Nations Special Consultative Status to the Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC) and Consultative Status with UNESCO
Read MoreMusicians Without Borders
Established in May 1999 by founder and director Laura Hassler, and registered as a charitable foundation in 2000, Musicians Without Borders is the world’s pioneer in using music for peacebuilding and social change. Musicians Without Borders engages with artists, social activists and communities worldwide. We share expertise as we work to enable musicians to be advocates, activists, teachers, and performers, with the message: War Divides, Music Connects.
Read MoreThe Association for Cultural Equity
Our mission is to stimulate cultural equity through preservation, research, and dissemination of the world's traditional music and dance, and to reconnect people and communities with their creative heritage. ACE is a living archive that puts its collections and works at the service of communities of origin, endangered cultures, emerging cultural leaders, students and teachers at all levels, and the scientific community.
Read MoreMusic For Human Rights
To inspire professional musicians, students, and the general public to take action to fulfill the human rights of people at the margins.
Read MoreHARMONY PROJECT
To build a more inclusive society by breaking down social barriers, bridging community divides, and empowering the voices of the people through arts, education, and volunteerism.
Read MoreUnion of Musicians and Allied Workers
The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) has mobilized thousands of music workers to take part in our first actions around the COVID crisis, and we will continue to organize around issues such as demanding fairer deals from streaming services, ensuring musicians receive the royalties they are owed, establishing more just relationships with labels, and creating safer guidelines for venues.
Read More#NoMusicForICE
#NoMusicForICE is a coalition of musicians uniting to say NO to ICE and the tech companies that power it. We organize direct actions against companies like Amazon—which provides a backbone for ICE's deportation machine—by harnessing the collective power of the music community to set change in motion.
Read MoreARTICLES, BOOKS, AND GENERAL RESOURCES
ICE Raids: Know Your Rights as a TGNC Immigrant
Know your rights with this easy-to-read infographic and be prepared in case you find yourself, or a loved one, in an ICE raid.
Read MoreKnow Your Rights!
Immigration Equality has heard from many of you who are feeling anxious about how the U.S. government has been targeting immigrants. We answer some of the most common questions we have heard from you about what your rights are, and how to stay safe.
Read MoreThe Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Our Community Resources page is a prime embodiment of our commitment to bringing clarity to complicated immigration issues. Resources on this page include a wide range of downloadable tools produced for diverse audiences, from experienced advocates to directly impacted community members seeking answers about the complex world of immigration law.
Read MoreImpact of COVID-19 on the Immigration System
Migrants and those who serve the migrant community have been among the most impacted given the Executive Office for Immigration Review's (EOIR) failure to close all immigration courts, the conditions in immigration detention (which are not conducive to social distancing), and the government's recent actions to close the Southern border to asylum seekers and others. To keep its members informed during this time, the Commission on Immigration has been compiling summaries of developments in the immigration system related to COVID-19.
Read MoreIMMIGRANTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Without the contribution of immigrants, American music would not exist in the way that we get to experience it today. This article shares ome of your favorite musical talents got their start outside of American soul.
Read MoreApplying for a Work Visa in the US: Artists & Musicians
Applying for a U.S. work visa can take many forms, however for artists, there are a few specialized routes through which individuals can apply. This article will review the basic eligibility requirements, but as much of this basic information can be found online, this article will also focus on general tips and recommendations.
Read MoreHere’s Where You Can Donate to Help Struggling Music-Industry Workers
A comprehensive list of music industry–related charities aiding those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreMusicians Are Rebuilding a Movement to Demand Better Pay and Working Conditions
Given the industry’s stark inequality, musicians either will join a collective mass struggle will slowly witness the complete destruction of artists’ working conditions.
Read MoreMusic and Social Justice Resources Project
The Society for Ethnomusicology’s Music and Social Justice Resources Project is a repository of material on how people worldwide are currently using music to address issues of social conflict, exclusion/inclusion, and justice. We welcome notices on public events (e.g., rallies, performances, conferences) and other general news; proposals/reports on projects involving community engagement, activism, or advocacy; syllabi, lesson plans, and other educational material; information on activist organizations; and research articles.
Read MoreThe Contributions of Immigrants to American Culture
The standard account of American immigration focuses on the acculturation and assimilation of immigrants and their children to American society. This analysis typically ignores the significant contributions of immigrants to the creation of American culture through the performing arts, sciences, and other cultural pursuits.
Read MoreImmigrants Created American Music. A New Festival Tells Their Stories
Carnegie Hall’s Migrations Festival, a partnership with more than 75 organizations in New York, is presenting concerts, panels, walking tours and dance workshops. Learn more about how this new festival changed the music landscape for migrants.
Read MoreSongs of Immigration and Migration
As Europeans colonized North America, beginning with the Spanish and French in the 1500s and the British and Dutch in the early 1600s, colonists brought their cultural entertainments along with them. Learn more about the history of songs of immigration and migration through the ages.
Read MoreThe Echoes of Immigration: Music as a Method for Creating Political Change
Music is an underestimated tool in facilitating and making change. Whether that change be on the communal, political, or societal level, music is a way to connect and encourage dialogue. The context and structure of music is unlimited and that is one potential source of its power.
Read More21 Savage, The Music Industry And Immigration
What happened to 21 Savage is draconian but so is what is happening to tens of millions of immigrants across this country.
Read MoreVIDEO AND AUDIO RESOURCES
Radical Musings with Rosanna Arquette
Combining her love of music, connecting with the most creative thinkers of our time, Radical Musings with Rosanna Arquette features intimate chats and insightful interviews with today's newsmakers of politics, entertainment and social justice.
Listen NowWomen Making History: Justice for Migrant Women w/ Time 100's Mónica Ramírez
Recent Time100 Next recipient and migrant rights activist Mónica Ramírez joins Pod is a Woman to kick off Women's History Month and Pod is a Woman's Women Making History series.
Listen NowTu Futuro, Tu Voz Your Future, Your Voice: Advice About the Immigration Legal Process for Youth
The ABA Commission on Immigration is proud to share the following video: Tu Futuro, Tu Voz (Your Future, Your Voice), featuring four young adults from Central America who crossed into the United States as unaccompanied minors. This video was created as a resource for youth who are currently undergoing immigration proceedings, and the lawyers who represent them.
Watch NowImmigration Webinar Series
A free webinar series exploring immigration at the intersection of nation security law, public international law, and US constitutional law.
Watch NowMilestones, Immigration And Justice Music
New York Times' Caitlin Dickerson talks to us about her reporting from the U.S.-Mexico border and the children who either can't be found or can't be united with their families. And we hear from Nancy Sanchez, a Southern California singer who just released the powerful song "The Kids Are Still in Cages."
Listen NowSurviving the Music Industry Podcast
Sit down with legends, risers, songwriters, session musicians, industry execs, etc., as they recount their biggest hits, past failures, battling addictions, racism, sexism, bankruptcies, foreclosures, and even homelessness to get where they are today. All the while host, Brandon Harrington, is still trying to survive the music industry.
Listen NowImmigration Lawyers Podcast
Discussions, interviews, and analysis of immigration law and business practice.
Listen NowImmigration Stories: We The Aliens Podcast
We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with immigrants from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream.
Listen NowImmigration Nerds Podcast
Founded in 1978, Erickson Immigration Group provides comprehensive business immigration, global migration, and compliance solutions that enable companies to hire the best and brightest talent from around the world.
Listen NowImmigrantly Podcast
Hosted by Saadia Khan, Immigrantly is a weekly podcast that deconstructs the archaic stereotypes of what it means to be an immmigrant, a child of immigrants, a person of color, and everything in between.
Listen Now
REDIRECT: Immigration Law and Perspectives
REDIRECT is a weekly dive into the world of immigration law and its human consequences. Refugees and border walls, rhetoric, and politics.
Listen NowConciencia Collective
Conciencia Collective, an alliance against racial and social injustice comprised of over 35 executives from the Latin music industry including activists, journalists, artist managers, publicists, lawyers, directors, and on-air personalities, come together to discuss immigration issues faced by Black and Brown communities.
Watch NowMusic as an Immigrant
A two-part series that shows that music crosses all borders and influences us all.
Watch NowThe Hamilton Mixtape: Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)
Official music video for Immigrants (We Get The Job Done) by K'naan featuring Residente, Riz MC & Snow Tha Product
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