Will Coley
Social Justice Mediamaker
Video clips from Family Unity Tour event @ La Placita
On Friday night, I joined 700 people to meet Congressional representatives at La Placita Church in downtown Los Angeles about the need for immigration reform. Several faith and community leaders spoke, followed by brief remarks from members of the Congrssioanl Hispanic Caucus (Xavier Becerra, Grace Napolitano and Lucille Roybal-Allard). Representative Diane Watson joined shortly after the program started. The centerpiece of the event was testimonies from individuals who have been affected by our unjust laws that rip apart families.
While the assembly was predominantly Latino, one of the faith leaders thanked those in attendence who came even though they themselves weren't immigrants or directly affected. Representative Watson backed this up by pointing out that as an African-American, she is equally concerned about injustice experienced by her neighbors.
This is something that I have often wondered about: why more U.S. citizens aren't concerned about the impact on of our grossly outdated immigration system. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, white Americans were also part of the struggle since injustice affected all of us. Why can't more Americans see that our nation is still not living up to its ideals more than forty years later?
On Friday night, I joined 700 people to meet Congressional representatives at La Placita Church in downtown Los Angeles about the need for immigration reform. Several faith and community leaders spoke, followed by brief remarks from members of the Congrssioanl Hispanic Caucus (Xavier Becerra, Grace Napolitano and Lucille Roybal-Allard). Representative Diane Watson joined shortly after the program started. The centerpiece of the event was testimonies from individuals who have been affected by our unjust laws that rip apart families.
While the assembly was predominantly Latino, one of the faith leaders thanked those in attendence who came even though they themselves weren't immigrants or directly affected. Representative Watson backed this up by pointing out that as an African-American, she is equally concerned about injustice experienced by her neighbors.
This is something that I have often wondered about: why more U.S. citizens aren't concerned about the impact on of our grossly outdated immigration system. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, white Americans were also part of the struggle since injustice affected all of us. Why can't more Americans see that our nation is still not living up to its ideals more than forty years later?
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