Celebrating immigrant heritage in downtown Los Angeles
CJ Dablo | 12-19-2009 | Comments |
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LISTEN to the story:They chanted in Spanish several times, “When? Now!”
Dozens of immigration rights advocates rallied at a plaza near near Los Angeles' historic Olvera Street to celebrate the city's diverse immigrant identity.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, organized the city's first official celebration of International Migrant's Day. This week, the L. A. city council approved a resolution to recognize December 18 to honor the city's immigrant heritage.
“And we ask that we not only remember those contributions, but that we give immigrants respect and dignity. And when we're asking for respect and dignity, we're asking for just laws. We're asking for comprehensive immigration reform,” City Councilmember Jose Huizar said at the rally.
Huizar advocates reforming federal immigration laws, and notes the very real problem of how the current laws have affected immigrant families.
“It's a disgrace that in this century,” he said, “our federal policies on immigration are separating families simply based upon where you were born.”
It's personal for Huizar. He is the first immigrant to serve on the city council. Previous laws allowed Huizar's family to immigrate legally from Zacatecas, Mexico to America because the councilmember's little brother was born in the U.S.
Huizar was three at the time.
But federal laws have changed and now immediate family members of a U.S. citizen don't necessarily enjoy that privilege.
Left: Monica Garcia, President of the Board of Education at the Los Angeles Unified School district, was one of 18 community leaders who were honored at International Migrant’s Day celebration.“I really look forward when I can celebrate with my friends and see their families together without fearing that the mom or the dad are gonna be deported,” Sara Zapata de Mijares said.
Zapata de Mijares is the president of the Mundo Maya Foundation. Her organization and CHIRLA requested that the city council officially declare Friday to be International Migrant's Day.
The United Nations already recognized the day on an international level nine years ago.
Other organizations which represented a variety of ethnic constituents voiced support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, a bill that was presented to Congress last Tuesday by Illinois representative Luis Gutierrez.
The bill would not only help keep immigrant families together. It would also address the very real problem of immigrant worker exploitation.
Julia Quintero Munoz was one of the immigrants honored at the rally. She says she was exploited by her former employer who took advantage of her immigrant status.
Munoz started work as a maid in 1988. And for about 20 years, she was only paid $150 a week.
Speaking through a translator, Munoz said that she worked from 6:00 in the morning till 10:00 at night for six days a week.
“If we think about this economy, we're all talking about how we're going to get out of this?
How we're going to get out of this?” Huizar said.
He addressed concerns about the timing of immigration reform in this economy. Critics of immigration reform say American jobs need to be protected. But Huizar says migrant labor is a benefit to Americans.
“We're going to get out of this because of the work, the energy, enthusiasm that immigrants bring to this country. That's what drives this country to get a better economy. That's why we're going to get out of this recession.”
Supporters at the rally agreed. With drums and noisemakers, they marched down from the plaza and then continued the celebration together over an international meal at a nearby reception hall. They're hoping their voices will be heard in Congress.
Tags: chirla coalition for humane immigrant rights los angeles comprehensive immigration reform for america’s security and prosperity act of 2009 immigration jose huizar mundo maya foundation