The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) recently joined BAIRC as a member, but has been working with many of our member organizations since the 2006 May 1st mass mobilizations. It was the mass mobilizations and the lack of African immigrant and African American participation that stirred two clergy to convene a group of Black leaders from the Bay Area to discuss the role of African Americans in the immigrant rights debate, and more importantly, to raise consciousness and rage about the racial inequity of our current immigration policy.

BAJI co-founders Reverends Kelvin Sauls and Phillip Lawson have a long and impressive history of civil rights work that brings together people from all over the world and walks of life.  Rev. Phillip Lawson has been a leading voice in rallying Black support for the fight for human rights at the U.S.-Mexico border and is also a founder of the statewide Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ICIR). Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Rev. Saul’s life long commitment to spiritual and physical health continues to build important connections between the U.S. and Africa. 

This work was a natural progression given the relationship between BAJI members and the Priority Africa Network (PAN), an organization that continues to bring together African American and African immigrant communities to raise U.S. awareness of the sociopolitical conditions in Africa.  In direct response to repressive immigration “reform”, members of BAJI expanded their framework of African American and immigrant solidarity to include other immigrants of color, documented and undocumented. 

A national organization, much of BAJI’s work is grounded in the Bay Area. Last year, the group led a series of “Conversations About Immigration” in predominantly Black churches and amongst Black students to identify the commonalities between immigrants of color who migrate and the specific history of economic exploitation and racial discrimination experienced by the African American community.

“While the U.S. benefits from international trade, it actively creates poverty and politically unstable living conditions in many nations around the world including African countries and the more familiar nation associated with immigration, Mexico,” explained Gerald Lenoir, BAJI’s coordinator in Oakland.

Earlier this year, BAJI circulated a letter in solidarity with Mexican immigrant guest workers living and working in slavery conditions in Amite, Louisiana. In the letter, Gerald Lenoir writes:

“The thirty men come from the indigenous community of San Luis Potosin, in Mexico, to work for Bimbo’s Best Produce, Inc.  US trade agreements have destroyed their economy and forced these men to become cheap, exploitable workers. …. The workers invited BAJI to a meeting and described their living conditions…. As African Americans we recognize what you are describing and we are with you.”

We are proud to have BAJI counted as one of our member organizations.