Building a Bigger We: Changing Hearts & Minds on Immigration in Rural and Small-Town America
Type
Policy Brief or Report
Year
2020
Level
State
State(s)
Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania
Policy Areas
Civil Rights, Community Development
U.S. Gallup polls indicate that individuals living in rural and small-town communities have a hostile view towards immigrants in the United States. In 2019 People’s Action launched a campaign in Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania with the goal of “building a bigger we”, or community development that includes immigrants and refugees. Through the utilization of deep canvassing, People’s Action hoped to reshape voters’ worldview and aid them in realizing that immigrants and people of color are not the drivers of scarcity and minimal job opportunities, but are equally impacted by the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. The results of this campaign show that deep canvassing was effective in persuading voters of all backgrounds to become more supportive to immigrants.