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Protecting Our People, Communities, and Organizations: Local Action in a Time of National Crisis
| Date: | March 28, 2025 |
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The current instability and rapid changes in the United States federal government have raised unprecedented threats and concerns for nonprofits and community groups in Buffalo Niagara.
Our communities face severe risks, and the nonprofit sector that serves their needs is itself under attack due to federal cuts and threats. Policy shifts, funding instability, and legal uncertainty place immense strain on organizations that serve people most in need of protection and benefits—workers, BIPOC folks, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and low-income communities. Hard-won progress toward racial equity and justice is now under attack, with decades of progress being rolled back.
This virtual workshop series is one effort to equip nonprofits and community groups in Buffalo and Western New York with the knowledge, resources, and strategies needed to protect our people, our communities, and our organizations in this time of crisis. This series is presented in partnership with the Nonprofit Support Group and the John R. Oishei Foundation.
Each session will:
1) Take stock of what we know to date about federal changes in that area;
2) Share key resources such as legal guidance, legal support/hotlines, helpful guides and fact sheets from state and national partners;
3) Discuss local action including advocacy for city, county, and state policies that can mitigate the harms of federal changes.
Registration for each workshop is available in the descriptions below.
Nonprofits Under Threat: Advocacy to Fight Back
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 12:30 - 2pm
The Trump administration is flagrantly cutting funding for fair housing, food banks, environmental justice, scientific research, and so much more. These are funds that our Buffalo community desperately needs—to help those who are struggling and to protect our community as a whole. Thankfully, as nonprofits, we can fight back.
In this workshop, we’ll talk about how nonprofits can both lobby and advocate in government. What’s legal? What’s the difference between advocacy and lobbying? How do you report your lobbying activities to comply with state and federal regulations? Join us in this session to learn how you can advocate for the resources and policies that Buffalonians truly deserve.
Stepping Up for Workers' Rights and the Labor Movement in New York State
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 12:30 - 2pm
As the Trump administration attacks the labor movement and workers’ rights across the country, New York State is stepping up. The New York State budget being adopted now includes new resources to protect labor rights and the state agencies that guarantee them. What are these state protections, and what more is needed? As concerned residents, how can we support the thousands of federal workers in Western New York whose jobs are under threat? During this session, we'll hear from federal workers organizing to defend their jobs, and discuss how we help them. Presented with Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab.
Rise & Resist: Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 12:30 - 2pm
The Trump Administration is maliciously working to erase transgender people from legal recognition and is rolling back essential LGBTQ+ protections. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how recent executive orders have impacted trans’ folks access to passports and other travel documents and how they threaten essential services for our LGBTQ+ community. What actions can we take locally to push back? Our presenters will discuss local and state policies that we should be advocating for, how to get involved, and local services that are available to help protect trans and other LGBTQ+ Buffalonians. Presented with Our City Buffalo, GLYS WNY, and Equality NY Buffalo Chapter.
Immigration Policy and Practice: What’s Happening and What Can We Do?
Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 12:30 - 2pm
In this session, local immigration policy leaders will speak about recent changes to federal immigration laws and what they’re seeing on the ground in Buffalo and Western New York. We will discuss what steps our city, county, and state governments can take to protect immigrants from unjust enforcement policies. We will also learn how we should react if approached by an ICE agent, at home, at work, or out in public. For U.S. citizens who want to help protect their communities, we’ll talk about local volunteer opportunities and other ways to help. Presented with New York Immigration Coalition and Justice for Migrant Families.
Protecting Privacy, Data Security, and the Right to Protest
Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 12:30 - 2pm
In this workshop, we’ll discuss what’s at stake for both our data security and our ability to speak out in the face of growing government surveillance and overreach. We’ll start by looking at the big picture — from federal attacks under Trump that undermine our civil liberties, to state and local policy responses we can pursue to keep our communities safe and free. We’ll also connect these struggles to the growing militarization of police nationally and the City of Buffalo’s plans for a new police firing range near the Central Terminal. You will hear from both local and statewide organizers about how you can get involved in securing our right to speak out against injustice. Presented with the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and LOLA (Liberation for One, Liberation for All)
Additional workshops will be announced in the days ahead, including on fighting for medicaid and health equity, and more.