Families Belong Together
PollyWebber Designs: Wearable Art with a Message
There is a pressing need for immigration reform in the United States. The Dreamers captured the hearts of a majority of Americans, and the taking of the children captured their outrage. It is time to bring this issue forward whatever way possible. This is my small contribution.
My refugee-themed triptych, “Refugee Dilemma,” uses multiple traditionally hand-hooked rugs to tell a story about people fleeing from persecution to a safe haven. Indeed, it is a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of people who seek refuge from their places of origin annually throughout the world. The dilemma comes from people feeling that they have no choice but to leave their homes for an unknown and insecure future.
Fleeing from Persecution
Hooked in 2017, this rug borrows the iconic image from San Diego traffic signs warning motorists of people running across the freeway from Mexico.
Caught in the Covfefe
Hooked in 2018, this rug is original in its design, and here, “covfefe” means the inhumane hell that refugees, and especially children, have been put through at the border, in recent times.
Safe Haven
Hooked in late 2017, this rug symbolizes the achievement of every immigrant’s dream, to be safe from persecution, in a country where they will be appreciated. It is only aspirational at this moment, sadly.
©Polly A. Webber. All rights reserved
Wearable Art for Sale
On sale through this website are scarves, ties and tee shirts with designs from the above refugee-themed rugs. Photos appear below. Profits from sales ($10 per item) go to several different immigrant rights groups who are providing extraordinary services to migrant families along the southern border, particularly to women and children. A list of the organizations that receive donations is provided below. Please contact me for more information.
| PRICE LIST | ||
| Item | Available Sizes | Price |
| Scarf | one size | $40.00 |
| Tie | one size | $30.00 |
| Women’s Tee(order one size up) | M, L, XL, 2X | $40.00 |
| Men’s Tee (order normal size) | M, L, XL | $40.00 |
Prices do not include shipping, sales tax and insurance. I usually send items via Priority Mail. One item should cost about $12 to send. The cost for multiple items depends upon their weight and the destination. Please send me your order and I will respond with the cost of shipping, sales tax and insurance. Contact information is below the photos..
The scarf was my first product with these images. The original Fleeing from Persecution is on the right with a reversed image on the left. The original Caught in the Covfefe is second from the left, with the reverse image at second from the right. They are all pointing to the center, Safe Haven. A draped photo of the scarf appears below.
The tie is modeled by one of the first people who bought it! He wore it to Immigration Court and won his asylum case that day! It is made of polyester.
The women’s tee shirts come in M, L, XL and 2X. They run very small, so choose at least one size up. I am wearing the XL in this photo. I have men’s shirts in M, L and XL in this same design. The tees are 100% cotton but seem to be pre-shrunk.
This is the other men’s tee shirt design. The tees are 100% cotton but seem to be pre-shrunk.
The graphic on the men’s tee shirt is over the chest area.
This graphic, taken by PhotosbyMarissa.com, appears on the back of each tee shirt, men’s and women’s. The photographer thoughtfully arranged the scarf so that it continues to reflect the refugee narrative.
The scarf is made of chiffon and drapes beautifully. It can be worn like this or tied together.
The scarf is presented in these 3″x 3″ boxes, making it a perfect gift item!
Please email me with your order, at popster49@gmail.com and include your name, address and phone number. If you order a tee shirt, please include the size, whether men’s or women’s, and which design if it’s a men’s shirt. If you order a scarf, you can also choose which gift box you would like. I will respond via email. Please note that I take payment via Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or check.
These are the 501(c)(3) organizations that receive profits from my sales:
Al Otro Lado Border Rights Project: alotrolado.org
Article KPBS: https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/jul/26/al-otro-lado-immigration-case-rule-changes-revoked/
We are a bi-national, social justice legal services organization serving indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. Our mission is to provide legal services and to uplift our immigrant communities by defending the rights of migrants against systemic injustices in the legal system. Our comprehensive cross-border programming and litigation work integrate trauma-informed practices. We engage vital partnerships and thousands of volunteers to provide essential legal services to migrants at the Southern Border in Tijuana and throughout Southern California. Al Otro Lado’s work is also centered in fighting for all families that have been torn apart by unjust immigration laws.
ASISTA Immigration Assistance: https://asistahelp.org
Article Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/16/zero-tolerance-u-visa-victims-crime-women-undocumented
Our Vision: Immigrants live in a just world free from violence.
Our Mission: Advance the dignity, rights, and liberty of immigrant survivors of violence.
To do this we:
- Provide comprehensive, cutting-edge technical assistance and resources to those assisting noncitizen survivors of violence in the immigration law arena;
- Train lawyers, domestic violence and sexual assault advocates, law enforcement personnel, and civil and criminal court judges; and
- Work closely with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other government officials to ensure the law is implemented as Congress intended.
Kids in Need of Defense (K.I.N.D.): https://supportkind.org
Article WNYC News: supportkind.org/media/hundreds-of-migrant-children-separated-from-parents-end-up-in-ny-heres-one-of-their-stories/
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is the leading national organization working to ensure that no refugee or immigrant child faces immigration court alone.
In partnership with 644 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations, KIND has served more than 20,000 children since 2009, and trained over 49,000 private sector attorneys, paralegals, and law students to provide them with high quality representation in their deportation proceedings. KIND promotes protection of children in countries of origin and transit countries and works to address the root causes of child migration from Central America. KIND also advocates to change laws, policies, and practices to improve the protection of unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in the United States, by educating policymakers, the media, and the broader public about the violence that is driving children out of Central America and their need for protection.
Legal Services for Children: https://www.lsc-sf.org
Legal Services for Children provides free representation to children and youth who require legal assistance to stabilize their lives and realize their full potential.
Through a holistic team approach utilizing legal advocacy and social work services, our goal is to empower clients and actively involve them in the critical decisions that impact their lives. LSC uses this model to achieve safety and stability at home; educational success; and freedom from detention and deportation for our clients.
RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in Texas)): https://www.raicestexas.org
Article: https://www.raicestexas.org/2019/07/01/irap-raices-file-challenge-to-trump-administrations-latest-attack-on-asylum-seekers/
Current immigration policy denies entry to refugees fleeing violence, detains people in abusive detention centers, and separates parents from their children. This intentionally dehumanizing policy is being carried out by the people we elected; this policy is a reflection of us, and if we do not take action, this will become who we are. The soul of America is at stake, and RAICES is at the forefront of the fight to ensure human dignity for each and every person.
- The Children’s Program provided legal services to over 4,700 detained children, including thousands held in a tent city in Tornillo, TX.
- We’ve established the largest Bond Fund in the nation, paying out $4.7 million to date to release individuals from detention and reunite separated families.
- Through our San Antonio Bus Station Project, RAICES staff and volunteers helped more than 9,000 adults and 12,000 children released from detention understand their legal rights.
- Our Volunteer Program trained over 5,000 volunteers and pro bono lawyers to perform essential tasks such as accompanying people to ICE check-ins and preparing detained clients for credible fear interviews.
Safe Passage Project (New York Law School): https://www.safepassageproject.org Article in NYT: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/opinion/children-immigration-court-lawyer.amp.html?fbclid=IwAR30CI-IfWEn6JNqNfCMxqyNsvbliYXzZAXIU-SSLZCZrkFamV3DDAiYtac
Safe Passage Project is a highly-focused nonprofit immigration legal services organization. We provide free lawyers to refugee and immigrant children in the NYC-area who face deportation back to life-threatening situations, despite their strong legal claim to stay in the US.
These children embark on a long and dangerous journey to the United States seeking safety from the gang violence, parental abuse and neglect, sexual assault, poverty, and trauma they knew at home. In 2017, the federal government reported nearly 40,000 children travelling alone seeking entry at the United States-Mexico border – a number that has held depressingly steady. The New York Immigration Court, one of the busiest immigration courts in the United States, has more than 15,000 juveniles on its docket.
Immigrants are not entitled to court-appointed legal counsel. As a result, more than half of immigrant children must go through immigration proceedings without the aid of a lawyer. Unable to effectively argue their claim for the legal protections they may qualify for, more than 80% of these children are issued deportation orders. To many, this means returning to the danger from which they fled. That’s where we come in.
Thank you for looking at my website! I hope to hear from you soon!
Polly Webber was an immigration lawyer in San Jose, CA for 18 years before becoming an immigration judge in 1995. An officer in the American Immigration Lawyers Association for many years, she was National President in 1989-90. Over her last ten years on the bench, and in retirement since January 2017, she has been a fiber artist, mainly in traditional rug hooking and yarn arts.
For her these activities are forms of meditation that have been an important counterbalance to the pressures and intense focus of being an immigration judge.
PollyWebber 