Lenox — The Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) held its sixth annual Beacon of Hope benefit at Shakespeare & Company on Sunday, June 8.
The mission of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, which was founded in 1997 as the New American Citizenship Coalition, is to advocate for the rights of immigrants and to help them through various programs and initiatives. The organization provides more than 800 individuals annually with legal services, education, and resources.
Hundreds of residents attended the annual fundraising event.
At press time it was not known how much the annual event raised for the organization.
“There have been a lot of positive things that’s happened to us despite everything that has been going on with the immigrant community,” BIC Executive Director Melissa Canavan told The Berkshire Edge. “There are days where it has been difficult because of policies [enacted by President Donald Trump’s administration] that directly impact our community. It takes some time to understand them because sometimes these policies are not enacted when they are announced. But our responsibility is to understand how these policy changes are going to affect individuals, what the deadlines are, and how we need to help people navigate their particular situations.”
When asked about the current state of Berkshire County’s immigrant community, Canavan said “I think in general the community is rightfully scared.”
“I think what makes it difficult right now is that there is so much uncertainty,” she said. “We don’t know when ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is going to be in our communities. We don’t know who they are going to take, and we don’t know any of the details until ICE shows up at that very moment. This causes a lot of fear for individuals and affects their day-to-day lives.”
Canavan said that the best way residents can support the immigrant community is to continue to educate themselves about immigration policy changes.
“It’s important to support organizations that support the immigrants that are being affected, either by volunteering for organizations or serving as a board member,” she said. “It’s also important to understand the rights that immigrants have, including understanding specific immigration topics.”
She said that BIC has continuously updated its website and its social media pages about federal and state policy changes in regard to immigration laws.
“I think right now it is an important time for our community to step up to support immigrants,” Canavan said. “We’re lucky to live in a region where our immigrant community has, for the most part, been supported in the past, but we need to think about the long-term big picture. We need to think about our neighbors, families, friends, and the people who are making a difference in our community and making Berkshire County special place to live.”
“I think that considering everything that is happening, we are a beacon of hope to the community,” BIC Board President Josh Hochberg said. “Our name and our mission puts us on the front line of the immigration community. We’ve doubled down on our mission to focus on the legal services and education that we provide for immigrants.”
Hochberg said that, despite the current challenges facing immigrant support organizations, BIC is currently “healthy, well funded, well staffed and succeeding in our mission.”
“We couldn’t be happier with our staff and our volunteers,” he said. “If anyone in the immigrant community needs help, feel free to call us.”
“BIC is more important that ever because the immigrant community, as a whole, is under attack,” BIC Board Member and Education Advocacy Committee Chair Kate Barton said. “It has always been important to help people navigate our immigration system to become citizens and get jobs. But it’s now also very important for immigrants to know that this organization stands with them. There is a huge amount of false information about immigration policies flying around, and these policies change on an almost daily basis. BIC is here to give the immigrant community the truth.”
For more information about The Berkshire Immigration Center go to its website.
