Dozens of supporters of immigration policy change gathered in southwest Detroit on Saturday to mark the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic march in Washington, D.C., with a message that he, too, would have wanted to see big changes in the way America deals with immigrants.The “Revive the Dream” event outside St. Anne’s Church drew about 75 people and marked the 50th anniversary on Wednesday of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.King would have fought U.S. efforts to deport immigrants, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence told the largely Latino crowd. Half a century ago in his historic speech in Washington, King “said it was time to cash the check from the bank of justice” to provide opportunities for black Americans, Lawrence said, paraphrasing King’s speech.“Today, I’m saying it’s time to cash the check of opportunity for immigrant Americans,” she said to loud applause. Flyers at the event showed that some liberal political groups in Detroit have merged to combine the political impact of black Americans with that of immigrants seeking citizenship.When the last speaker finished outside St. Anne’s, the event’s emcee, Adonis Flores, 25, of Detroit shouted: “Marchemos al Parque Clark!” the Spanish phrase for “Let’s march to Clark Park.” That triggered a procession by the group from St. Anne’s Church, a center for community organizing on behalf of immigrants, to the nearby park that’s a social hub for Detroit’s Latino community, Flores said.Before marching off, the crowd heard more than an hour of speeches. Some were by immigrants from Mexico, Dominican Republic, India and other nations. Others were delivered by a NAACP organizer, a UAW member, a speaker on behalf of raising the minimum wage and another in favor of changing banking laws.The rally was needed because “We have a dream as well — for immigration reform,” said Raquel Garcia Andersen with the Dearborn-based nonprofit group Michigan United. The group is a statewide coalition of more than 50 faith, labor, business, social service and civil rights groups across Michigan, Andersen said.Michigan United members are frustrated that legislators in Washington have repeatedly stalled proposals by President Barack Obama to create paths to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the U.S., instead maintaining a system that results in numerous immigrants being deported, Andersen said. She said the nation’s immigration policies threaten non-immigrants as well in the workplace.“If we didn’t have so many employers paying people under the table — and we know about people making $3 an hour — we wouldn’t have the problems in trying to raise the minimum wage. But a lot of employers, the shady ones, can pay undocumented immigrants (who aren’t U.S. citizens) really low wages,” she said.Volunteers with Michigan United meet weekly at St. Anne’s, leaders said. The church, founded in 1701 with the formal name of Ste. Anne de Detroit, has served successive waves of immigrants including French, Irish and now Mexicans, according to its website. It is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the nation, the website says.“We are all here to help people, whether they are black, white, green or yellow, and we need to come together” to work for political change, UAW member Cindy Garcia told the crowd.“I want you to go home and think — what is your dream,” said Garcia, 41, of Lincoln Park, who said she works on an assembly line at the Ford truck plant in Dearborn.“We need your help to change these ignorant laws” on immigration, she said.At the rally, a 21-year-old Detroiter passed out flyers that exhorted readers, in both English and Spanish, to travel to Washington this week for an immigration-rights march Wednesday — 50 years since King spoke.“We have at least 500 people going from Detroit,” said volunteer Shandria Vaughn. If enough people attend from around the country, lawmakers will realize that change is needed, Vaughn said.“I’m excited, and I think Dr. King would be,” she said
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 01:17:36 +0000
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