Thirty thousand people, I being one of them, marched from the South Side of Milwaukee to Veterans Park on the lakefront yesterday for immigrant rights. Milwaukee’s march, according to the New York Times was the largest this year. Our Students United for Immigrant Rights group (SUFRIR) at Riverside, consisting of around fifteen members brought over fifty people to the march. The students had a meeting at St. Patrick’s Church before the march. Some students were given blue graduation gowns to bring attention to the fact that undocumented people struggle to continue their education here in the United States because their status does not allow federal aid to be given for post-secondary education. Others were given a shirt with the slogan “First 100”, a direct message to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain that in the first one-hundred days of office as president, a major priority is to make dignified and just immigration legislation. Other themes were to have just legalization, access to drivers licenses, fair international trade agreements for workers, good jobs and health care for all, stopping the raids, separation of families and social security no match letters. Students led the march because we are the future. We are taking the most action and the time is now.
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I felt so inspired by marching and chanting “Sí, se puede”. am a United States citizen. I was born here. My parents were born here. Their parents were born here so why should I care about immigrants or their rights? I don’t know any of my relatives from Germany or Ireland so I have no connection with them. But depending on what side of the family they are on my great or my great-great grandparents came here from Europe. I don’t know exactly when or why they came here, but I’m sure it was to have a better life for their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, or great-great grandchildren, me. So the real question is… how can I not care? My family risked their lives to come here and there was no guarantee that they would be able to find work or make it here. They took that risk so I could have the life I have today. It would be an insult to them if I did nothing about the current broken immigration system. When they saw Lady Liberty, a sight for sore eyes, I’m sure, accepting them as citizens with open arms, I wonder how they felt about her and the country. She represented freedom, unity, and a chance for a better life. Since then, that reputation has been sullied. “There’s no more room in the inn”. Our borders are sealed so shut to keep the “aliens” out. It’s been awhile since members of my family came to the United States, a world war, a depression, another world war, and after that peace was few and far between. So we, as an American people, a government, have changed. Somehow we lost the center of what the United States truly represents: Freedom, Unity, and Immigrants. When we lose our center, things fall apart.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
The United States is the gyre. When the gyre spins, centrifugal force causes the center to become weak and when the center becomes too weak and fragile, the whole thing is broken. We, as people of the United States are the falconers and our government is the falcons. They can’t hear our desperate cry for help and reform; they turn a blind eye to us, or worse create even harsher laws against us. The center of our values as Americans is growing thin. There is no more compassion or rationality towards the people who are like our forefathers, immigrants. The foundation of American justice is cracking due to laws that strip the rights of our people. The government is becoming heartless by separating innocent immigrant families. Luckily, there are people like myself who realize and are taking action right now to restore the rights that have been taken away from immigrants. We are not going to lose this battle. We are not going to give up. We will not be silenced. We will be fighting, marching, and protesting until justice is restored in the United States. We will fight until every injustice is rectified, no one is left behind. No one is illegal. No families should ever be separated. The social security no match laws hurt all workers. People should be allowed to work and live where they desire. Most of all, everyone is created equal, they should be treated as such. The time is now to take action. I, as one person may not be able to change this, but as a born United States citizen with that damn social security number, it is my right and my duty to try. United we are strong; we must unite and fight for justice because an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Perhaps we may not need to march next year because of the reforms that may take place in the next year. Presidential candidates, the clock is ticking. What are you going to do with your first one-hundred days in office?
