If you're interested in learning more about immigration policies and how they impact Santa Barbara, the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is offering an online educational forum, Grants in Action: Immigrants’ Stories – America’s Promise, 5-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28.

The forum will address the work of the Santa Barbara Immigration Legal Defense Center (ILDC) and how a $65,000 Women’s Fund grant to partially fund an immigration attorney has helped advance their work.

The forum is being moderated by Mikki Andina, a member of the Women’s Fund Research Committee and a retired anthropologist and public health nurse.

Claribel Madueña, an attorney and certified specialist in immigration and nationality law, will open the program with a brief history of immigration policy and practices in the U.S. and will join in a panel discussion with Julissa Peña, executive director, ILDC.

Maria Vega, the ILDC’s first full-time immigration attorney, will speak about the work of ILDC, followed by an interview of a current ILDC client providing a personal perspective. The forum offers insights about immigration, and attendees may submit questions to the panelists.

The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara is a volunteer-led collective donor organization that enables women to combine our charitable dollars into significant grants addressing the critical needs of women, children, and families in south Santa Barbara County. For more information, visit d9538.my-dev.org

Kerry Parker for Women's Fund of Santa Barbara