C-U Marches for Immigration Reform

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(Compiled from C-U Immigration Forum materials)

On Wednesday, April 10th, over 200 students and community members braved steady rain and cold to support comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Families, students, community and church leaders marched in solidarity from the University Y to the Unitarian Universalist Church, heard speakers and then continued on to a candlelight vigil at the federal courthouse in Urbana. The streets echoed with chants of “What do we want? Citizenship! When do we want it? Now!” and “Tell me what democracy sounds like! This is what democracy sounds like!”

CIRprotestThe event, “Light the Pathway to Citizenship—Don’t Block It,” sponsored by more than two dozen local organizations and congregations, was just one of dozens of events taking place as part of a National Day of Action to build support for CIR in communities throughout the nation. “We want to demonstrate to our elected officials that there is broad community support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” explained Ricardo Diaz, a member of the Steering Committee of the C-U Immigration Forum who organized the event. “There is growing consensus in our country that the time has come to fix our broken immigration system and provide a pathway to citizenship to the many undocumented immigrants living in and contributing to the vitality of our community.”

CIRprotest2With a proposal in discussion at the White House and in Congress, the Champaign-Urbana Immigration Forum counters with a stance we believe to be more humane and just to the millions of Americans living with an undocumented status today. The November elections reset the national debate on immigration reform, forcing even the most ardent opponents of immigration reform to reconsider their position. As a result, there is a narrow window of opportunity to make CIR a reality and provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of our family, friends and neighbors. Learn more about our stance at the C-U Immigration Forum’s website: http://immigration-forum.blogspot.com/

C-U Immigration Forum meets at the University Y every second Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m.

 

 

About Richard Esbenshade

22-year resident of Urbana, taught history for several years at UIUC, specializing in Eastern Europe; longtime activist in peace/green/social justice/solidarity movements; father of two, including Public i alumna Shara.
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