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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 246 Moving from Exclusion to Belonging described how her community is always brought to the table too late in the process: “Most time projects don’t work for immigrants because things have already been decided for them.”1204 One leader of a community diversity effort contrasted two ways of involving immigrant communities, one which is more likely to be successful and the other which can drive people away: “An ally is hand-in-hand, side-by-side as opposed to charity, which is ‘I’m going to do this for you and lead you.’ When you ask people what they want, they say respect and to be asked.”1205 Immigrants often did not feel they were being asked to participate as allies and equals. Immigrants’ fear that they are being asked to participate only as a token representative rather than a true participant was intensified in situations where organizations were not very diverse. Multiple people mentioned that, “I get anxiety when I am the only person of color in the room,”1206 or “If I go to a meeting and I’m the only immigrant or refugee, then I don’t feel included.”1207 One activist described her typical experience interacting with an organization that did not have experience with diversity: “*You+ feel strange and unwanted because you are a different-looking person. They try to be nice but they overdo it and it makes you feel uncomfortable.”1208 Potentially willing participants find themselves the target of repeated solicitations by organizations seeking more diversity, intensifying their feelings of being singled out as representatives of a community rather than on their own merits: “There are a small number of leaders from minority communities who are regularly approached. Everyone calls [this person] when they need the perspective of an African-American woman, for example.”1209 Once part of a group, they may be asked to speak on behalf of their group. One advocate described his frustration with that experience: “I get a little mad when they say, ‘We need to figure out how to engage the Hispanic population.’ I can’t speak for the whole community.”1210 More successful efforts at fostering immigrant involvement focused on bringing together immigrants and long-term residents as equal participants in a joint effort. One suburb created a multi-cultural advisory committee to advise the police department and other government agencies 1204 Interview 129. 1205 Interview 95. 1206 Interview 78. 1207 Interview 97. 1208 Interview 129. 1209 Interview 95. 1210 Interview 78. Most time projects don’t work for immigrants because things have already been decided for them.”