Rep. Pramilla Jayapal speaks at WA For All Coalition press conference

This morning, FAN joined Rep. Pramila Jayapal and our partners from the WA For All Coalition as we cry out for justice in the face of ICE's killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero and the death of Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva in ICE custody.

As people of faith and conscience, we uphold the sacred dignity of every human life, and we will not remain silent in the face of the ongoing brutality of Mass Deportations. ICE violence is not isolated. It is part of a system that must be held accountable and abolished. Please watch and share this powerful press conference and join us as we continue to advocate and work to build communities where everyone who calls Washington home is safe. 

Over the coming months, as we navigate rising political tensions, fear, and anxiety, we offer space for faith communities to come together and build power to take action against injustice. Please read on to see how you can join us.

The right to vote is sacred, fought for over generations and defended throughout the years. In the current administration, we have seen a renewed effort to suppress and limit the right to vote of communities of color, suppress voter turnout, and purposefully create confusion and sow mistrust in our electoral system.

As trusted messengers, faith communities can share accurate, up-to-date information about voting and have the relational networks to encourage voter turnout through honest conversations and timely reminders. We hope you will join us for the following opportunities to learn about and act on voting rights.

• Primary ballots are being mailed out! FAN is part of a non-partisan coalition of community organizations encouraging voting through the Northwest Artists Against Extinction artwork. Make your plan to return your ballot in an official ballot drop-box by August 4 and join a Get Out the Vote event near you with Save Our Wild Salmon. We will have a few hubs in Spokane, Seattle, and Wenatchee with posters and voting info cards.
  
  
• Lift up the Voting Rights Act and the 61st anniversary of its signing on August 6 with FAN and the League of Women Voters WA through preaching/teaching on the weekend of July 31-August 2 and LWV events, candidate forums, and Day of Civic Action on August 8. You can also find Day of Civic Action events, candidate forums, and interviews at Find Your Local League. FAN will be sending out a special Voting Rights Act resource in the coming weeks.
  
  
• Join FAN’s Engaging Our Faith Communities for Free & Democratic Elections workshop on August 11, 6:30-8pm on Zoom. 
  
  In this non-partisan training, we will cover:
• • What our faith traditions say about voting and the democratic process
  • The current attempts to keep eligible Americans from voting through federal interference, voter intimidation, and false anti-immigrant claims of non-citizen voting
  • Non-partisan ways you can engage your faith community in the electoral process, including ballot initiatives, and supporting free and democratic elections
  • Example programming and actions that your faith community can take to uplift and make visible the sacred right of voting and our shared values of democracy and voice
    

As always, we will continue to share local opportunities and action alerts to protect voting rights in our e-news. Stay tuned for one-pagers and resources on our website.

We are gearing up for our regional gatherings (formerly known as "clusters") in August/September/October. Locations will include East King County, Hood Peninsula, Seattle, North King/Lower Snohomish County, Spokane, Tacoma, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Yakima, Wenatchee, and perhaps Bellingham. Look for dates coming soon.

You can also help shape FAN priorities by joining an issue workgroup or convening table throughout the year:

• • Criminal justice reform/police accountability
  • Economic justice
  • Environmental justice
  • Faith and Labor
  • Housing and homelessness
  • Interfaith Network for Indigenous Communities

Contact fan@fanwa.org for meeting dates.

Image: Kristin Ang (Left), FAN Policy Engagement Director, and Dr. Joyce del Rosario (Right), FAN Executive Director, speaking at our 2025 Annual Dinner

Join us as we celebrate 15 years of advocating for the common good at our annual fundraising dinners: Sunday, October 18, 5–8pm at Seattle University, or Sunday, November 8, 5–8pm at Gonzaga University in Spokane. Come connect with our multi-faith community, celebrate the impact we've made together, and help launch FAN's next 15 years of justice-seeking work. Registration and sponsorship details coming soon — we can't wait to celebrate with you!

• Join the Solidarity Day with La Resistencia and NW Quakers outside the NW Detention Center in Tacoma on July 25, 1:00 - 3:00 pm. RSVP here 

• Attend or volunteer at the Canoe Journey 2026 hosted by the Nisqually Tribe July 29-August 5. 

• With increased funding for ICE, we are seeing deportations and detentions ramp up. Sign up and receive training for a local Deportation Defense group:
  • Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (statewide)
  • Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW (Seattle area)
  • East King County Rapid Response (East King County) Email here.
  • Rapid Response/Accompaniment Training with Wenatchee for Immigrant Justice on July 29, 5:30 - 7:30 pm (Wenatchee) RSVP Here.
  • Accompaniment training offered by PJALS, Refugee & Immigrant Connections, and Manzanita House on July 23, 5:30 - 7:30 pm (Spokane). RSVP Here.
  • Yakima Immigrant Response Network (YIRN) (Yakima). Email Here.

We always post the E-News to our website at fanwa.org/news/.

Stay connected with our emails! Please be sure to list fan@fanwa.org as a safe sender by adding us to your contacts.