Alabama Fellowship Activates Student

Tuesday, August 1st, 2017

PBF Summer Fellow Julie Pittman has had a very active fellowship and reports on her experiences:

“I have had an action-packed fellowship with Adelante Alabama Worker Center,” notes Julie. “In addition to a long-term research project investigating potential employment claims under Alabama state law, I have participated in bi-weekly wage theft clinics all summer. Through these clinics, I have made phone calls to employers, supported several delegations to confront employers, and recently participated in a protest to claim unpaid wages in Centreville, Alabama, county seat of the widely popular podcast S*Town. I have also drafted a number of motions to support wage theft claims that have arisen from these clinics.”

Julie goes on to share, “Because immigration status so often interacts with workers’ ability to successfully organize for better conditions, I have also advocated for immigrants’ rights on many different fronts this summer. I drafted a response for evidence for a U visa application for a victim of an employment related crime. I also drafted an ordinance to make Birmingham a sanctuary city, met with city councilors to present the ordinance, and supported a citywide March for Sanctuary as a legal observer. Finally, I have participated in the #ShutDownEtowah campaign throughout the summer, in an ongoing effort to close one of the worst immigration detention centers in the country.”