Over the past month I have been supporting Yakima Community Aid in their campaign to hold the Yakima Health Board accountable.
In late August, the Yakima Health Board voted to send a letter to federal enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), urging them to target unlicensed Yakima food workers and labeling them a “criminal enterprise.” You can watch that meeting here: YouTube link.
In response, Yakima Community Aid drafted a community sign-on letter that CLS signed on to. They also launched a petition that received over 800 signatures.
The community came together around three clear demands:
- Immediately retract the letter sent to federal enforcement
- Publicly affirm that the Health Board will not cooperate with immigration enforcement
- Commit to building culturally competent, educational, and supportive food safety programs in collaboration with workers, vendors, and community organizations
On September 24th, more than 30 community members attended the Health Board meeting, many gave public comments, and 79 people submitted written testimony. As a result, the Health Board voted to retract the letter—meeting the first of the three demands. The group will return at the next meeting in October to continue advocating for the remaining two.
You can keep track of Yakima Community Aid’s ongoing work on Facebook or Instagram.
You can also read coverage of this important effort in the Yakima Herald.
Noemi Yaneli Sanchez
Interim Manager of Community Engagement
Recent Comments