The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion (GINI) initiative was created by the City of Gainesville and community organizations to address the barriers and challenges preventing Gainesville from becoming a more welcoming and inclusive community for its foreign-born neighbors. The following Questionnaires were based on discussions GINI has had with the immigrant community and Steering Committee members.
All candidates listed were sent GINI Questionnaires for the 2022 Primary and again for the 2022 General Election. Those who responded to the first questionnaire and passed to the next round received a “Follow-up” to their initial responses. These follow-ups appear after the initial question as an expansion or addition to their original answer.
Click on the Position you want information about and then click the Candidate's names to see their responses to the questionnaire.
Elected / General Election Candidates / Defeated in Primary REP = Republican / DEM = Democrat / NOP = No Party Preference
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our County’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants, whether parents or students, are safe and fully included?
I support policies that ensure all students receive a free and appropriate public education. Efforts need to be made to ensure that non-English speaking students receive support so that they can understand instruction and participate in the school community.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to Alachua County School services?
During my first term I supported the effort to establish a position so that the district could hire an interpreter and contract with translation services agency.
How would you help ensure that any outreach efforts by the Alachua County Schools reach immigrant parents in their preferred language?
I have recommended translation of documents and messaging into other languages. I will continue to support such efforts.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification by Alachua County Schools?
I have read about the program. I think it serves a good purpose for community members that are not able to get a state issued identification card. I reached out to the zoning office to see if this identification was accepted by the District when children were enrolled but I haven’t received the answer. I will support its acceptance.
With nearly 20% of K-12 students in our community being either foreign-born or the children of immigrants, how would you support our immigrant neighbors overcome barriers to education (language, transportation, technology, etc.)?
I support policies that ensure all students receive a free and appropriate public education. Efforts need to be made to ensure that non-English speaking students receive support so that they can understand instruction and participate in the school community and have access to resources and support to attend school.
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Ms. McGraw was accidentally sent the Questionnaire for City and County Commission. The following are her answers to that questionnaire.
Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our city’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants are safe and civically engaged?
As a candidate who has always advocated for the rights of minorities and those who are often disenfranchised, I firmly believe there must not only be policies in place to protect immigrants from harm, but also people in place to apply the established policies and subsequent consequences equitably. There must be policies that require the engagement of all stakeholder groups, excluding no one through the inadequate translation of materials, informal communication systems that limit access to those who are not deeply involved in PTA/PTO/School Advisory Council or other often elite groups of influencers, or programmatic barriers such as planning and making decisions without a representative population of people during the traditional workday. Additionally, there should be policies that ensure an audit of immigrant support programs annually to ensure the impact is eliminating the disparities and the limiting or eliminating of funding to programs that are not meeting the data supported needs of immigrants within the community. Finally, there must be sanctions and other costly consequences for businesses, schools, staff, and individuals who place immigrants in dangerous situations, exclude them for active participation in civic or social organizations and activities, limit access to information due to inadequate interpreters or materials in native/preferred languages, and to anyone who publicly, privately, or otherwise implements or perpetuates institutional practices and systems that inherently, as a common practice, fail to provide adequate support without bias or discriminatory undertones.
Given that immigrants paid over $22 million in state and local taxes, how do you believe we should recognize the contribution by this integral community?
We can recognize this tremendous contribution by highlighting the impact of the contributions of immigrants. This can happen by stating very plainly on various platforms and through various channels how much of what gets done in the community is through the tax related contributions of immigrants who are tax paying citizens. Besides blatantly and unapologetically bringing attention to the impact the immigrant dollar has on the many programs and services enjoyed in our community, it is also important to discuss the access or barriers immigrants encounter when trying to access the very services or programs they help fund. Another way to bring attention to and dismiss or dispel assumptions about immigrants is to engage them through problem -identification and problem-solving committees, create safe opportunities to be heard and to celebrate the value of those contributions, and facilitate the inclusion of immigrants by actively and intentionally seeking out and inviting in all diverse ideas, perspectives, and solutions. We open doors and invite in the people and partner with them to tell their story and support their interests. We recognize the contributions by making them public, dispelling with facts and data the perception of some who feel immigrants drain the economy with little financial footing in the community and by sharing the impact, and celebrating the accomplishments made because of the work or financial impact immigrants make on the community.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to city services such as housing and utilities?
As a school board member, ensuring everyone has access to county services starts with ensuring everyone is valued by the decision makers and that there are checks and balances in place to remove barriers and facilitate equitable practices. One way is to ensure immigrants in our community have an advocate or support system to intervene and connect them with services when barriers grounded prejudice arise. Additionally, there could be training for immigrants on how to navigate inequitable systems and a demand to provide all information in the readers native language or in braille when conducting business. There is also a need to build a community of people who can and will earn and respect the trust of immigrants in our community by open, honest, safe dialogue and advocacy. Also, demanding ADA and other accommodations and modifications for those who need additional support due to a disability and connecting actions to laws by employing legal sanctions can make a difference as well. These things would help build stronger relationships and ensure immigrants feel safe to share information and seek help from people they trust. We build trust when we are genuine and truly an advocate who has their best interests at heart. Finally, we can ensure our schools are equitably resourced, information is readily available in many languages or methods, and support services are shared and easily accessible. When instances of discrimination, exclusion, or a devaluing of minority interest occurs, punitive corrective actions must happen swiftly and consistently until organizations realize the traditional exclusion of immigrants and minorities is an unacceptable practice that is being consistently monitored and reported to agencies that support equitable practices, access, and opportunities for all.
Immigrants made up close to 10% of essential workers in both health care and food services at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. How would you help ensure that outreach efforts regarding public health and resources by the City reach immigrant communities?
This happens only when there is a free flow of information and access is not limited by discriminatory institutional practices. I serve on many community boards and in several civic/social organizations with many of the “heavy-hitters” and decisionmakers in our community. Many of the people I serve with have the ability and responsibility to address issues and facilitate change. I would certainly use my voice and access to bring to the attention of those who can make decisions the disparities and publicly push for changes needed when the information is available. Additionally, I would find ways by building relationships and to access the immigrant community in ways that build trust and lead to the formation of partnerships where everyone is valued, heard, and engaged. Sometimes, this may mean speaking up on behalf of others, representing their position in my comments, sharing priorities, and making connections to expand access, and opening doors that elevate the voice of those who are often overlooked. Finally, I can ask questions that lead to self-examination, rethinking practices, and expanding access to quality services for our most vulnerable populations.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification across County services?
I am familiar with the HRC’s Community ID. I was asked a question about the value of this ID just a few weeks ago when I shared my thoughts about equity with a local community organization’s leadership. According to comments I heard during that session, people are hesitant to accept the ID because it is “not state issued” and “gives illegal people a fake way to pass as a citizen.” I explained that the card is designed to help ensure everyone has access to quality services often limited when immigrants, other residents, and even local home-grown citizens do not have the documents required to receive a state issued identification card. These individuals also include people recently released from jail, migrants in certain areas for seasonal work or in response to a natural disaster, and even the elderly. Everyone needs a reliable, recognized, form of identification to make most any business or personal transaction today. The value is obvious but not well known. To improve that, I could again utilize my various circles, partnerships within the business community, and my platform to increase awareness and advocate for the acceptable use of these IDs. Fortunately, I have been grounded in this community for a long time and have found favor with many local, state, and national organizations and businesses. I think the more people hear about it, understand the purpose of it, and make connections to the various uses by all populations, it will become more understood and more accepted.
Both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County Commission recently voted to create an immigrant liaison position to help facilitate communication with and connect the immigrant community to municipal government. How will you support this position at the city-level and what do you hope to see achieved by this role?
I always encourage and support the addition of positions that expose, recognize, and address inequities while empowering the victims of such practices with the knowledge, skills, access, and protections needed to eliminate discriminatory barriers and uproot discriminatory institutional practices no matter how subtle or unexposed. The issue I have is hiring people who do not have the background and track record to make a true impact because of relationships and hiring people who want to do the hard work but are limited by those who fear exposure, are not truly interested in resolving issues, or who don’t understand the time and money it takes to revamp antiquated systems. Those who speak loudly about equity but really don’t want to see the change occur or those who don’t see discrimination as a current problem or priority make the impossible for this work to happen. The school board hired an equity person to write an equity plan for implementation. The plan was weak, at best, and when criticized because of the shallow thinking supporting the plan, it was placed on the proverbial back burner. Unfortunately, those hired to do the work and had the capacity to do it were quickly ostracized and limited in their efforts by the consumption of menial, unrelated, tasks. This happened until all these quality folks, with years of research and practice behind them, left the district leaving us in more of a crisis than ever. I would support this position by making people aware it exists and providing support and cover for the person charged with doing the work when needed to make a monumental impact. I would hope to see a series of authentic practice and program evaluations throughout the city and the empowering of community immigrants and minorities through programs and opportunities to have a voice and impact change. Additionally, I would love to see, as a result of this position and the services it provides, institutional biases and hidden discriminatory practices uncovered and dismantled so it is clear that our community has a more inclusive way of work and anything short of equitable support and engagement is unacceptable..
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Understanding that immigrants make up over 10% of our County’s population and nearly 25% of its total population growth, what policies do you see as necessary to ensure immigrants, whether parents or students, are safe and fully included?
Schools should be welcoming to all students. It is difficult to be in a new country with a different language, customs, expectations, and rules. Spending the majority of your day in a school which is different from what you are used to or having children who are spending their day away from you can be stressful. Schools must work to build relationships with their immigrant families. Administration and teacher can make welcome calls and check in with students and parents on a regular basis to see how they are doing and if there are issues navigating the system. Engaging families is important. It is also important to determine which communication method the parent feels most comfortable with – email, phone, etc. Schools can also hook families up with community services – including English classes – to help with the transition.
With over 10,000 Limited English Proficient immigrants in our community and another 10,000 with a hearing disability, how would you help ensure everyone has equitable access to Alachua County School services?
When parents enroll students, it is indicated on registration forms if another language is spoken in the home. The district does a pretty good job of identifying the students and hooking them up with the services they need to be successful in school. ESOL students are identified in Skyward (the district data base system), so all schools have access to the information regarding immigrant students placed in their schools.
How would you help ensure that any outreach efforts by the Alachua County Schools reach immigrant parents in their preferred language?
I am not entirely sure what outreach efforts the district has in place regarding this. I think at the very least the district should have people within the district that could be called upon to translate.
Are you familiar with the Human Rights Coalition’s Community ID? How would you help to normalize the acceptance of this identification by Alachua County Schools?
I am familiar with the Community ID. Having the flexibility to use this in place of a driver’s license when registering students for school should be district policy – if it is not already.
With nearly 20% of K-12 students in our community being either foreign-born or the children of immigrants, how would you support our immigrant neighbors overcome barriers to education (language, transportation, technology, etc.)?
School districts should provide support for language barriers by providing interpreters as needed, communicating via preferable choice, making families feel welcome, and connecting with parents regularly to ensure that they are understanding what is happening with regards to their child’s education. Administration and teachers working to establish relationships goes a long way towards making immigrant parents feel comfortable asking questions or getting clarification on issues.
I looked over the questions, and my response is that we have good Board Policy that includes immigrants in its education plan and delivery as well as in our services. I will continue to support those policies. My role as a School Board member is to improve student outcomes. I will continue to support and increase our efforts to provide all of our students with a world class education.