‘One Day At A Time’ and ‘Vida’ Creators Launch Challenge to Help Immigrants

A challenge is going viral on social media and if the name reminds you of two of your favorite Latinx shows it’s not a coincidence. The #OneVidaAtATimeHugChallenge launched a few days ago with Netflix’s One Day at a Time creator Gloria Calderón Kellett and Tanya Saracho, creator of Starz’s Vida, joining forces to promote the challenge and raise funds for Immigrant Families Together.

The organization offers support for asylum-seeking families once they’ve been released, including housing and clothing and is seeking to raise $2 million.

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A post shared by Gina Rodriguez-LoCicero (@hereisgina)

“Humans need 4 hugs a day for survival. Kids detained at the border are allowed 0,” Kellett tweeted when promoting the challenge asking people to post a photo of them hugging a loved one and to donate to the cause.

Children who are detained can’t be hugged by their caretakers and can’t hug each other, so this human need for physical touch sparked the challenge which has already gotten support from celebs on Instagram including Gina Rodriguez, Yalitza Aparicio, Jaime Camil, and Eva Longoria.

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Gracias @mardetavira y @katedelcastillo Abracémonos!!! . Actualmente, los inmigrantes detenidos, incluidos los niños pequeños, se ven privados de las necesidades humanas más básicas: agua, ropa limpia, comida adecuada, sueño y camas. Los expertos han calificado las condiciones en estos centros de detención, donde los niños están separados de sus padres, "peor que la cárcel" y los han comparado con "instalaciones de tortura". A estos jóvenes no se les permite recibir abrazos ni ningún contacto físico de los cuidadores, o incluso uno al otro. Esto tiene el potencial de crear traumas severos. Todos usamos abrazos como una forma de consolar, alentar, brindar calor y dar amor. Únanse al #OneVidaAtaTime HUG CHALLENGE para fomentar la empatía y recaudar fondos para www.immigrantfamiliestogether.com, una organización que ofrece apoyo integral a los solicitantes de asilo una vez que son liberados: vivienda, ropa y un camino para reunirse con sus seres queridos. #hugitout #fmigrantfamiliestogether #onevidaatatime Abracémonos !!! Currently, Immigrant detainees, including young children, are being deprived of the most basic human needs: Running water, clean clothes, adequate food, healthy sleep, and beds. Experts have called the conditions at these detention centers, where children are separated from their parents, "worse than jail" and compared them to "torture facilities.” These young ones are not allowed to receive hugs or any physical contact from caretakers — or even one another. This has the potential to create severe trauma. We all use hugs as a way to comfort, to encourage, to create warmth, and to heal. Join the #OneVidaAtaTime HUG CHALLENGE to foster empathy and raise funds for www.immigrantfamiliestogether.com an organization which offers comprehensive support to asylum seekers once they are released: Housing, clothing, and a path to reunite with their loved ones. #hugitout #immigrantfamiliestogether #onevidaatatime

A post shared by Yalitza Aparicio Martínez (@yalitzaapariciomtz) on Aug 30, 2019 at 7:47pm PDT

Activist Stephanie Diehl launched the GoFundMe campaign on July 1 and they’ve raised nearly $1.3 million. Since the hug challenge that launched a few days ago, they’ve raised nearly $40k more.

“Bonds typically run $5000-25,000 each. Groceries for a family average $350-450/MONTH. Our average monthly expenses run $65-75,000-WITHOUT a single salary,” Diehl tweeted.

The hug challenge is simple: post a photo of you hugging a loved one, donate to IMT, and tag a friend.

Good news… $37, 341 this morning!! And we are grateful for every dollar which helps us pay bonds, support these families and our partners on the border.

— Immigrant Families Together (@ImmFamTogether) September 2, 2019

“I grew up protected, celebrated, encouraged, and always feeling safe. Never did I doubt that I wouldn’t have enough to eat, a bed to sleep in or the constant affection of my family. Currently, Immigrant detainees, including young children, are not as lucky — all the luck should not have anything to do with this, they should be basic human rights,” Saracho wrote with her hugging photo on Instagram.

As immigrant families fight to be together and survive in and out of detention centers, it’s movements like this that not only help them but raise awareness of their plight.