In the early 1980s, immigration enforcement in California’s agricultural valleys was impossible to ignore. Immigration and Naturalization Service agents patrolled the fields, packing sheds and rural roads, arresting workers. My parents, like so many others, left for work before sunrise with a quiet worry they might not make it home. As kids, we were told to go straight to school and straight home, careful not to draw attention. The fear was not always visible, but it shaped how we lived.
My path out of those shadows came through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan; a reminder that our nation once found common ground in offering people a chance to belong. That law gave me legal status and the opportunity to live without fear.
BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat
Oscar Chavez
In one generation, I went from a kid working in the fields to leading a community foundation, not because I was exceptional, but because I was given a chance to belong, to study, work hard and give back to the community that embraced me.
That opportunity changed everything for me. It turned fear into possibility. And it taught me something I have carried all my life: when we invest in people, when we replace fear with fairness, we unleash potential that strengthens us all.
While it may be difficult to shape federal immigration policy from here in Sonoma County, we can choose how we respond and how we raise our voices to help shape what comes next. We can speak out against cruelty and fear and build a wider circle of concern for our immigrant neighbors. That is within our power, and it matters. Because belonging is not created by laws; it is built into how we treat one another, every day.
Today, many of our neighbors live in the same uncertainty my family once experienced.
Across the country, families are being separated by aggressive immigration enforcement actions. The people most at risk are the same ones who harvest our food, care for our loved ones and keep our economy strong.
At Community Foundation Sonoma County, we have spent decades partnering with local nonprofits, donors, and community leaders to build a more just and connected Sonoma County. This year, through a series of listening sessions with immigrant families and the organizations that serve them, we heard something unmistakable: safety remains their top concern.
Safety is not only about avoiding harm; it is about being able to live freely and plan a future. It is knowing your rights, reaching a lawyer when you need one, getting timely, accurate information from people you trust. It is having a place to connect with others, share a meal and celebrate a birthday without fear. It is the simple, powerful ability to belong.
That is why Community Foundation Sonoma County created the Fund for Belonging to stand with immigrant families and strengthen the systems that support them. It is a partnership among community members, donors and local nonprofits that is based in research and community voice. Thanks to a generous $500,000 matching commitment, every dollar donated will be doubled, bringing up to $1 million in new resources for our community.
In 2025, the Fund for Belonging will focus on expanding access to trusted legal information, creating welcoming spaces for connection and support and promoting economic stability for immigrant families. These priorities were shaped by what we heard directly from the community: they want safety, stability and connection.
Some may ask why we should support neighbors without legal status. My answer is simple: while this land has always been home to Native peoples, the United States has been shaped and strengthened by generations of immigrants seeking a better life.
When families can stay together, our communities become safer, stronger and more prosperous. And when people can work, go to school and gather without fear, their contributions ripple outward, paying taxes, sustaining essential industries, buying homes, raising children in our schools and enriching the cultural fabric that defines Sonoma County.
That spirit of shared humanity is what makes Sonoma County the vibrant, generous community we love and what will carry us forward if we choose to stand together.
I know this because it is my story. Legal status gave me a future I could never have imagined, and I have spent my life giving back to the country and community that gave me that chance. My gratitude for that opportunity drives me to make sure others have the same.
We have a choice: we can look away from our neighbors’ struggles, or we can step forward together, investing in fairness, hope and a Sonoma County where everyone belongs. The American dream is not inherited; it is built, day by day, together.
Join us in standing with our immigrant neighbors and investing in the shared future of Sonoma County through the Fund for Belonging. Together, we can turn fear into belonging and possibility into lasting change.
Óscar Chávez, the president and CEO of Community Foundation Sonoma County, is a member of The Press Democrat’s editorial advisory board.
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