Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc.

Rural & Migrant Ministry (RMM) was established in 1981 as a non-sectarian 501(c)(3) organization to serve the immigrant, migrant, and farmworking communities in resource-deprived rural communities in New York State.

RMM’s mission is to create hope, justice, and empowerment with farmworking and rural families in New York by building community and developing leaders through advocacy, education, and the arts. We envision a New York State where farmworking and rural families are empowered, are treated with dignity and respect, and have the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.

RMM carries out its mission through four centers across rural New York, with the main office located in the Hudson Valley. There are five main programmatic areas:

Youth Empowerment. Since the 1980s, RMM has been firmly committed to empowering rural children to create opportunities for themselves while at the same time learning how to change their world. RMM program offer a variety of experiences that nurture awareness, creativity, problem-solving and leadership development. RMM youth travel for many miles from isolated communities in order to develop and lead their own programs. In the process, they internalize the concepts of self-worth and hope.

The Rural Academy of the People. Experiential and popular education are key components of RMM’s efforts to strengthen rural leaders. RMM hosts the Liturgia Rural Worker Education Center in Wayne County, Spark Center in Sullivan County, and the Amandla Rural Education Center on Long Island, as well as an array of leadership development programs in the Hudson Valley. RMM also facilitates a network of rural women’s organizations across the State that meet annually at the state-wide Rural Women’s Assembly.

Accompaniment. Through the Accompaniment Program, RMM accompanies rural workers – especially farmworkers – who seek to improve working and living conditions. For over fifteen years RMM has coordinated the statewide Justice for Farmworkers Legislative Campaign that has sought to ensure that the voice of the workers is heard at the policy-making tables that impact their lives.

The Immigrant Legal Rights Project. IRLP’s work includes legislative strategies, impact litigation, grassroots assistance, rapid response, Know-Your-Rights and Train-the-Trainer workshops, and partnerships with legal service providers that include law clinics and pro bono law firms.

The Community Good Federal Credit Union and Financial Equity Program. As the immigration crisis continues to build, RMM remains dedicated to shaping a more just, rural New York State through nurturing leadership, changing unjust systems and structures, and standing with the disenfranchised. To that end, RMM has embarked on a pioneering initiative in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of New York, to launch the Community Good Episcopal Federal Credit Union, to create financial equity among rural and farmworking families in New York.