Our Mission

The “Belonging Beyond Borders” campaign has one simple mission: to end anti-immigrant bullying in schools. We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating safe learning environments where all students are treated with dignity and respect.

Who We Are

We are not a formal organization but rather a diverse coalition of concerned educators, parents, students, and community members from across the country. We come from different backgrounds, regions, and perspectives, but we share a common conviction that anti-immigrant bullying must be addressed.

Our Approach

Our approach is straightforward:

1. Raise Awareness: Help people recognize anti-immigrant bullying and understand its serious consequences.
2. Take Individual Action: Encourage everyone to identify concrete ways they can make a difference in their own roles and communities.
3. Create Collective Impact: Build momentum by having many people take small but meaningful actions in their spheres of influence.

We aren’t asking you to join an organization or attend meetings. We’re simply asking you to take the pledge and commit to doing something—whatever you can, wherever you are—to address anti-immigrant bullying.

Why This Matters

In February 2025, 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died by suicide after facing bullying related to her family’s perceived immigration status. Her story made national headlines, but it represents just one visible example of a much larger, largely invisible crisis.

For every case like Jocelynn’s that reaches the news, thousands of incidents of anti-immigrant bullying and harassment occur daily across the country, unseen by the general public. These incidents may not end in tragedy, but they profoundly impact young people’s mental health, academic performance, and sense of belonging. The effects ripple through schools, creating environments where learning is compromised for everyone, and extend into communities, where division and mistrust can take root.

Research consistently shows that anti-immigrant bullying is among the least reported, least addressed, and least publicly acknowledged forms of bullying. This invisibility allows the problem to persist unchecked, while students suffer in silence.

By taking action to address anti-immigrant bullying, each of us helps to shine a light on this hidden crisis and contributes to creating safer, more supportive schools for all students.

Join Us

Taking the pledge is simple. You don’t need to donate money or join a formal group. You just need to commit to taking concrete steps to address anti-immigrant bullying in your community.

Whether you’re an educator who can implement classroom practices, a parent who can have conversations at home, a student who can stand up for peers, or a community member who can advocate for better policies, your actions matter.

Together, through individual actions that create collective impact, we can ensure that schools are places where all students belong.