Social Action Committee Open House with Special Guest Speaker Tolu Olubunmi, Dreamer, Advocate & Activist

Sunday, June 3 @ 10am - 12pm Register Here
 

Social action at Adas Israel is a many branched tree whose limbs hold our 6 teams and its many efforts that range from direct service in the areas of homelessness, housing, and refugee resettlement to social and community activism around housing, climate change, gun violence, acts of hatred, Muslim and African American relations, and refugee and immigrant rights.  Join us as our incredible teams share what they’ve been doing and how you can get involved.

• Hear words of Torah from Rabbi Alexander
• Learn about the work of our 6 teams and the ways you can participate
• Listen to Tolu Olumbunmi, an undocumented immigrant and Dreamer, share her inspiring story
• Enjoy refreshments provided by the Hesed Committee 
   

Born in Nigeria, Tolu was brought to this country at the age of 14.  She had big dreams of becoming an engineer, which she achieved, earning a degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington and Lee University when she was 21 years old.  However, her status as an undocumented immigrant prevented her from working in her field.  Living in the shadows, hiding her immigration status and fearful that she could be deported to a country less familiar to her than the one that shaped her ideas of democracy, opportunity and civic participation, Tolu survived on what she earned from tutoring, editing and odd jobs. Tolu found her voice in 2008, advocating for pro-immigrant legislation at the state and local level, believing that this country can and should do better by all people that call this nation home.  In less than a decade, Tolu made the unlikely journey from an unemployed, undocumented chemical engineer to a respected advocate and internationally recognized social entrepreneur, a World Economic Forum Migration expert, and member of numerous boards and committees focused on social causes. She has been a featured speaker at the World Bank, New York University, and the US Congress.  And her story and work have been profiled by several media outlets, including NBC, TIME, BBC and BET. The Anti-Defamation League named her a 2017 ADL In Concert Against Hate Honoree, stating that her “story is a testimony to the resilience within us all, and will give courage and hope to others who confront inhumanity and injustice.”