Centering on Our Mission in Times of Violence

By: Emily Konouchi | 2021 Board Member

Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors provides affordable, high-quality immigration legal services to immigrants, educates the public and faith-based communities about issues related to immigration, and advocates for immigrant rights.

This mission statement guides the daily work of TNJFON, and it's also the lens through which we watch important, and most recently quite scary, events unfold. 

For example, on Christmas Day in downtown Nashville, a man set off a bomb that destroyed and damaged buildings across several blocks. The explosion was heard several miles away. It knocked out infrastructure and interrupted internet and phone service for days. It left people without homes and without jobs. 

Just a couple weeks later, a joint session of Congress gathered to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election. The proceedings were interrupted by a violent mob invading the Capitol building. In the chaos, people were killed and gravely injured. Democracy was under attack -- this was something no one alive had ever witnessed in America. 

At TNJFON, when events that strike fear and uncertainty occur so close to home, our hearts and minds turn to our clients and the thousands of undocumented people in our community. 

We reflect on how many of them fled violence and political turmoil to seek safety in the US, only to see the same violence and political turmoil unfold in their new home. 

We reflect on how the events we experience collectively as Americans have a unique effect on an invisible population that's already disconnected from family, working on the frontlines and sometimes in the lowest-paying jobs, and unsure if something as basic as seeking healthcare for a child could cause them to be considered a public charge.

And in this reflection, we help. Our team answers calls to our DACA hotline. They send out DACA toolkits to inform and prepare clients for the process ahead. And they train volunteer lawyers to take on cases that will change the trajectory of clients' lives. 

In times when we all feel knocked down by events in the news, TNJFON stays focused on our mission to help some of our most vulnerable neighbors. 

As a board member and volunteer, I'm inspired by this work and by the strength of TNJFON's clients who seek the American dream.

And I'm hopeful that in this new administration, we can not only undo some of the decisions that have put them in harm's way, but we can become an even safer place for undocumented people to live and thrive.