Mobilizing Faith Leaders and Media Attention in the Wake of ICE Violence

Problem

Immediately following the tragic murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE, the Episcopal Diocese of New York sought to bring together faith leaders from all religions to show solidarity and that the City could come together to honor the loss and publicly confront broader concerns about ICE violence, unchecked enforcement, and democratic accountability. With limited lead time and a crowded New York media environment, the action required rapid conceptualization, clear moral framing, and a platform capable of delivering sustained visibility rather than a single-cycle news hit.

Solution

One World Associates conceptualized and organized the vigil, strategically leveraging Multifaith Monday’sstanding weekly gathering of faith leaders at Columbus Circle to maximize visibility, credibility, and press engagement. The team led media relations end-to-end—drafting and servicing advisories, conducting targeted outreach to top-tier New York, immigration and religion reporters, managing press on the ground, and issuing a post-event release with images and videos captured on-site to extend the news cycle and reinforce the call to action.

Result

The vigil drew an estimated 300 attendees—ten times the typical crowd of about 30 at Multifaith Mondaygatherings—and drew on-site coverage from all five major New York City TV stations (ABC, NY1, FOX, CBS, and NBC), as well as international religion and news publications. The resulting coverage delivered an estimated 9 million in total potential national viewership, generating approximately $1.3 million in national publicity value, alongside 1.7 million in potential local viewership and about $124,000 in local market publicity value.