San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission Honors Local Immigrant Leaders

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL, NORTH LIGHT COURT SAN FRANCISCO — On Monday, June 9, 2025, the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission, in partnership with the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs, will recognize the contributions of eight local immigrant rights leaders, supporters and champions at a ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, North Light Court. In honor of Immigrant Heritage Month, the 2025 Immigrant Leadership Awards celebrate community leaders and organizations for their dedication and fearlessness in fighting for the rights of immigrants in San Francisco.

This year’s honorees include:

• Amy Dai, a mother who works with families in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing and became known as “the best-kept secret of Chinatown” after organizing 32 families at 2 Emery Lane to successfully fight a mass eviction.
  
• The San Francisco Rapid Response Network, a 24-hour community-led hotline that connects individuals who have interactions with immigration enforcement with immediate legal support.
  
• Jethro Patalinghug, a Filipino artist and filmmaker who as drag persona Virginia Please creates educational TikToks dedicated to advancing queer rights and social justice.
  
• Reem Assil, a Palestinian-Syrian chef who founded the bakery and restaurant Reem’s California, and wrote the award-winning cookbook Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora (2022).
  
• Valeria Suárez, a queer migrant from Lima, Peru who helps other youth get leadership and professional work experience through the DreamSF Fellowship program.
  
• The Language Access Network of San Francisco (LANSF), a coalition of six community-based organizations that worked with City leaders to make improvements to San Francisco’s local language access law in 2024.
  
• Juanita MORE!, the drag icon of over three decades who uses her platform to fundraise for charities, and helped create The People's March & Rally in 2020 to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community.
  
• El Tecolote, the bilingual news outlet that has provided public-service journalism to Latinx communities since 1970.
  

WHAT: 2025 Immigrant Leadership Awards

WHO: San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commissioners, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie (invited), San Francisco City Administrator Carmen Chu (invited), Honorees and Community Members

WHEN: Monday, June 9, 2025 at 5:30 pm

WHERE: San Francisco City Hall, North Light Court
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco

REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/ircawards2025

Performers include: Jeff Pierre aka INFINITE JEFF; Raíces y Voces by Coro Nueva Era; Jacqueline Aguilar.

Art exhibit: Works from "Mass Sanctuaries," curated by Rebeca Abídail Flores & Fátima Ramirez, courtesy of Acción Latina.

Interpretation will be available in Spanish, Chinese, Filipino, and Arabic.

About the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission (IRC)
Comprised of 15 voting members, the IRC advises the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on policies that impact San Francisco’s immigrant residents and workers.

About the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA)
The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is a policy, compliance, direct services and grantmaking office. OCEIA’s mission is to promote inclusive policies and foster immigrant assistance programs that lead to full civic, economic and linguistic inclusion.

REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/ircawards2025