The actor raising money for ACLU, International Rescue Committee efforts to defend immigrants.
Indian American actor and comedian Aasif Mandvi is organizing an all-star “deportation jamboree” on April 26 to support the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and their efforts to defend the rights of immigrants and refugees.
The live event will feature some of the coolest names in comedy and music, such as Lewis Black, Wanda Sykes, Anoushka Shankar, Connie Britton, Questlove, Mandy Patinkin, Heems, Grace Weber, Hasan Minaj, Roy Wood, Jr., Sasheer Zamata, Maysoon Zayid, Seth Herzog, Aparna Nancherla and Rajiv Satyal. There will also be special surprise guests, according to the actor.
“As an immigrant and the child of immigrants I want to raise as much money and as many voices as we possibly can to support the work of the ACLU and the IRC as they fight for the rights of immigrants and refugees,” Mandavi wrote on Instagram.
Aasif Mandvi’s Deportation Jamboree from fictionless on Vimeo.
The event will be held at City Winery NYC on 7 p.m. Organizers are accepting donations through a CrowdRise page and offers a grand prize including a pair of VIP tickets to the Deportation Jamboree, trip and accommodations for two to NYC and a chance to meet the performers and special seating at the event.
The first ten people to donate $250 or more will also receive a limited edition #DeportationJamboree poster signed by talent performing at the event. Every $10 is an entry to win.
Proceeds from this campaign will be collected by the Edward Charles Foundation and split between the ACLU and IRC, the organizations that fights as the guardian of liberty and responds to the world’s most humanitarian crises.
In a video posted on Vimeo, Mandvi says: “I’m an immigrant, you know, like 41 million other immigrants in this country. But luckily my family didn’t have to come here escaping war or famine. But many immigrants come here as refugees… like that doofus Albert Einstein, or Frederick Douglas.
“[Constitutional] rights are under attack for millions and millions of people. Does that make you depressed? Does that make you do something? Well, me, too. And that’s why I am throwing Aasif Mandvi’s Deportation Jamboree.”
The actor said that the jamboree is “not a celebration of deportation,” and it’s “against deportation.”
Social Media Updates:
As an immigrant and the child of immigrants I want to raise as much money and as many voices as… https://t.co/OrhwXFLMN1
— aasif mandvi (@aasif) April 5, 2017
I'm throwing an All Star #DeportationJamboree in support of #immigrant & #refugee rights. Donate to win VIP tkts. https://t.co/E73GUfKC5v pic.twitter.com/ZMC2PoZVRP
— aasif mandvi (@aasif) April 4, 2017
(This post has been updated.)