CRG Year in Review: Chimmigrants

The New Colossus is a sonnet by Emma Lazarus that was written in 1883 and then cast onto a plaque at the foot of the Statue of Liberty as a welcome to immigrants from all over the world:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

In February 2020, Chime hosted a panel discussion on the immigrant experience in the United States. It aimed to give immigrants a voice while educating fellow Chimers on what it’s like to need a visa to do your job, not have the right to vote in a place where you pay taxes, and live far away from family traditions, and home.

“After the panel, we realized that there’s a significant group of immigrants — first and second-generation — at Chime,” says Cat Corcoran, an Instructional Designer on our Member Services team. “We decided to form a Chimer Resource Group (CRG) to give a voice to immigrants at Chime.”

That group is known as Chimmigrants, and its mission is to bring people from different cultures together, provide community and connection through differences, and empower all Chimers to share their personal experiences. Cat is one of the group’s co-leads. She’s originally from Ireland, where she lived until her early twenties before moving to Shanghai. She moved to the Bay Area as an immigrant eight years ago. “It means a ton to have a group of people who have a shared experience of immigrating to the U.S.,” she says. “I, personally, felt represented watching the panel and even more so when this CRG became a reality.”

Why CRGs matter

As an immigrant herself, Cat can’t state the value of CRGs enough. “It’s so important for people’s voices to be heard and for them to feel seen and understood — being part of CRGs helps us find our voices and share our stories,” she says.

The way Cat sees it is that Chimmigrants — and all CRGs at Chime — help Chimers work together better because they provide connection and a closeness that otherwise wouldn’t exist. They’re a constant reminder that every Chimer is human (which is one of our company values!), and though we may seem different, we’re actually quite alike. “Uniting over our differences — by sharing our stories and really seeing each other — we become closer as a team and more empathetic to our colleagues and members,” she says.

Chimmigrants in 2020: A recap

In the short time since starting the CRG — which was right before the pandemic hit, in fact — Chimmigrants has hosted several events and proved to be an invaluable resource to all Chimers throughout an eventful year.

For example, the group hosted an event with our Head of Government Affairs, Chris Massey, about the visa process. Chris shared his in-depth knowledge of the government process, what to expect, and the experience of obtaining a visa. Chimers shared their stories of getting a visa, worrying about traveling, and personal challenges with the immigration process.

Chimmigrants also held happy hours and get-togethers for Chimers to simply connect. “We hosted a Quiz Night focused on raising awareness of different cultures and traditions around the world,” Cat says. “We asked members of Chimmigrants to share their favorite traditions to include in the quiz.”

Cat is most proud of the group for getting together and ramping up in an otherwise unconventional year. “We’ve been able to bring people together in tough times and get a critical CRG off the ground,” she says. “That’s no small feat.”

During the November election, Chimmigrants organized an election support group to discuss the stress that accompanies an election and how immigrants were coping. And as part of voter education month at Chime, Chimmigrants spotlighted the immigrant voting experience — of not voting. “We shared what it’s like to live in a country, pay taxes, be part of political discussions, yet still not vote,” Cat says. “Chimmigrants shared why that can be hard, and it was nice to have our voices heard during that time, even if it wasn’t on a ballot.”

It hasn’t always been easy, but they’ve made a lot of progress. Driving meaningful connections virtually has been the biggest challenge for the group, especially since every Chimer had a lot on their plate in 2020. “We’ve worked to support each other through the challenges of virtual connection and realized, together, that there’s no playbook for how to run a CRG during a global pandemic,” Cat says.

But the group has turned lemons into lemonade and made the most of it. For example, for Chimmigrants who haven’t been able to return home to see family in their home countries for the holidays, the group will highlight their favorite traditions and how they’ll celebrate this year without traveling. “There’s something comforting about sharing your culture with others even if you can’t be living in it,” Cat says.

A look to 2021

In the spirit of continuing to give a voice to and connect Chimers, Chimmigrants will host its second annual immigrant panel discussion in the new year. They’re also planning on partnering with the Workplace Experience Team to delight Chimers at home. “We want to help Chimers experience other Chimers’ cultures in different ways while we’re still working from home, such as snacks and small treats,” Cat says. And as Chime grows globally, Chimmigrants hopes to connect across borders with our office in Vancouver and build more connections across the company.

“Chimmigrants is the newest CRG, but we’ve had an awesome first year,” says Cat. “Next year, many of us hope to be able to meet in person for the first time and elevate the immigrant experience at Chime even further.”

Here’s hoping — and to a successful 2021 for Chimmigrants!