Faith, Labor, and Civil Rights Groups Unite for National Day of Dignity and Respect for Immigrants

Today the National Day of Dignity and Respect for Immigrants, broadest and most diverse movement in history, will unite the vast immigrant communities in America with faith, labor, and civil rights groups.  There will be marches and rallies in over 40 cities across our nation calling for Congress to pass immigration reform this year, including a clear path to citizenship. Participants will demand respect for the hard work and for the many contributions immigrants make to the nation’s culture, economy, communities, and faith.

Marcher will demand commonsense immigration reform with legalization that leads to citizenship, immigration rules that promote family unity and protect worker rights, an end to the destruction of families through deportations, and a halt to massive wasteful spending on unneeded border militarization and for profit immigrant detention prisons.

The call to march explains:

We march for an America where our hard work is honored; where our many contributions to the nation are respected; and where our families and children can dream of building lives of dignity and without fear. We cannot let the continued failures of Washington result in more families torn apart, more abusive employers and poverty wages, more children who cannot dream. We march for a better America for all, and we invite all our friends to join us.  It’s time to raise our voices and make sure Congress hears our call for Dignity and Respect!

There is a growing list of national and local groups and national leaders calling for these marches. This includes labor, faith organizations, immigrant and civil rights groups, community organizations, and youth groups. Initial conveners include the ACLU, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, Alliance for a Just Society, Alliance for Citizenship, American Jewish Committee, America's Voice, APALA, Asesores de Conmigua, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, CAMBIO, Center for Community Change, Church World Service, Credo, CWA, Family Immigration Organization, Farmworker Justice, FIRM, Gamaliel, Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional, Immigration Equality Action Fund, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Jobs with Justice, LCLAA, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, LULAC, Mi Familia Vota, NAKASEC, NALACC, NALEO, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Employment Law Project, NCLR, Organizing for Action, PICO, Presente.org, Religious Sisters of Charity, SAALT, SEIU, UAW, UFCW, UFW, UNITE HERE, United We Dream and US Action.  

In Chicago there will be a March of  Faith, Family and the Next Generation starting at 9 am at Union Park, Ashland Avenue and Lake Street sponsored by  L.E.A.P., Red de Oracion, and Familia Latina Unida y La Fuerza Juventud. In addition a caravan  will leave from the Union Park Rally to drive  to Wheaton to demand Representative Peter Roskam vote for a path to citizenship.  The Caravan is sponsored by ICIRR, SEIU, AFL-CIO, OFA, and Evangelicals for CIR.

To find one of the other 40 or so events near you visit http://octoberimmigration.org/events .