Frank Sharry is the founder and executive director of America's Voice, a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
immigration reform
Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigration ...
group.
Early life
He was raised in
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census.
The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...
, by an Italian-American mother and an Irish-American father. He graduated from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1978, majoring in history and American studies. He was captain of the soccer team his junior and senior year, served as a
resident advisor
''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...
his senior year and was active in student protest efforts regarding the role of private and selective eating clubs in college life and university investments in firms operating in a South Africa ruled by apartheid.
After graduation he taught secondary school for a year at the United World College of Southeast Asia in Singapore. He left to work for the American Council for Nationalities Service (ACNS) in Singapore and Indonesia to assist with the resettlement of boat refugees fleeing war-torn Vietnam in search of temporary safe haven in Indonesia.
He returned to the United States in 1980 and worked for ACNS in
Fort Chaffee, Arkansas
Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center is an Army National Guard installation in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith. Established as Camp Chaffee in 1941, renamed to Fort Chaffee in 1956, Fort Chaffee has served as a United ...
, helping to resettle Cuban refugees who arrived from the Cuban Port of Mariel. He then moved to the ACNS main office in New York to direct a special nationwide resettlement program for Cuban Refugees, and then was promoted to oversee the nationwide resettlement program in 27 cities for refugees from Southeast Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Political advocacy
In 1986 Sharry left ACNS and moved to
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
where he became the executive director of Centro Presente, a local organization that worked with Central Americans who had fled civil war and human rights violations in their countries of origin to seek safe haven in the greater Boston area. While there he helped to found the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, a statewide immigrant advocacy organization.
In 1990 he was hired to become the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, one of the nation's premier immigration policy organizations based in
Washington, D.C.
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
It has been directly involved in every major legislative policy debate related to immigration since its founding in 1982. At the Forum he emerged as one of the leading pro-immigrant spokespeople, appearing frequently on television and radio, being quoted regularly in print publications, and addressing audiences throughout the country.
During his tenure at the Forum, he helped win relief for Central American and Haitian refugees, protected family reunification, and promoted a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's immigration system that would simultaneously reduce illegal immigration through smart enforcement, provide a path to legal status and citizenship to undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and reform the legal immigration system.
America's Voice
In 2008 he left the Forum to become the founder and executive director of America's Voice,.
an organization that serves as the communications arm of the immigration reform movement. Since its inception America's Voice has advocated for liberal immigration reform, including amnesty.
Sharry has also been featured in the documentary film series ''How Democracy Works Now'' by filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini. The series features 12 films about the immigration debate in America
from 2000 through 2007. The last film in the series was aired on HBO in March 2010 under the title ''Senators' Bargain''. It shows Sharry working with both Senator Edward Kennedy and the Bush White House for an immigration compromise that would have legalized most of the nation's 12 million undocumented immigrants, a compromise that was defeated on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Film
Sharry is featured in the documentary film ''Last Best Chance'
Story Twelve of the series ''
How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories#Series synopsis, How Democracy Work Now'', from filmmakers
Shari Robertson
Shari Robertson is an American film director and Film producer, producer. Her filmmaking credits include ''How Democracy Works Now, Twelve Stories: How Democracy Works Now'', ''Well-Founded Fear'', ''These Girls Are Missing'', ''Inside the Khmer ...
and
Michael Camerini
Michael Camerini is a British-born American film director, producer and cinematographer. His filmmaking credits include ''FRONTLINE: Immigration BattleNiger:Tales of Resilience'' '' Twelve Stories: How Democracy Works Now'', ''Well-Founded Fear' ...
. A cut of the film premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
in March 2010, under the title ''The Senator's Bargain'
He also appeared in ''The Game Is On'
Story One in the series How Democracy Works Now. Frank is shown in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
giving a training seminar for media. Other films he appears in through the series include:
*Story 2: Mountains and Cloud
where he and
Cecilia Muñoz
Cecilia Muñoz (born July 27, 1962) is an American political advisor who served as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Obama, a position she held for five years. Prior to that, she served as the White House Direct ...
discuss being at a potential "watershed moment" for comprehensive immigration reform.
*Story 7: Ain't the AFL for Nothin
where he is shown helping with media for the Freedom Rides in 2003, and working behind the scenes with
Capitol Hill, Hill staff.
*Story 8: The Road to Miam
which includes a focus on Sharry's efforts to foster a comprehensive immigration reform bill with Sen.
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
and
Luis Gutiérrez
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez (born December 10, 1953) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2019. From 1986 until his election to Congress, he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the ...
as sponsors.
*Story 9: Protecting Arizon
shows his activity fighting against the Protect Arizona Now ballot initiative.
*Story 11: The Senate Speak
features Sharry in behind the scenes of Capitol Hill intrigue.
See also
*
Immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
* ''
How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories''
References
External links
''How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories'' - Series page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharry, Frank
American lobbyists
Princeton University alumni
People from Hartford, Connecticut
Living people
American people of Irish descent
American people of Italian descent
Year of birth missing (living people)