A cry for acceptance
Thousands of immigrant and labor rights demonstrators marched through downtown Portland Monday, while similar demonstrations paraded through Salem, Eugene, Medford and cities across the nation.
Brandishing United States and Mexican flags, a lively crowd in the South Park Blocks at Portland State cheered speeches by Latino, Shoshone, Arab, Anglo and African-American activists, chanting “si se puede,” or “yes we can” in Spanish.
Yesterday’s demonstration was part of a several-month series of actions responding to the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of HR 4437, a law that would classify undocumented workers as felons.
Immigrants nation-wide abstained from work, school and shopping in what was called the “Great American Boycott” and the “Day Without an Immigrant.”
Labor rights are also celebrated worldwide on May 1, in commemoration of Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket Riots that led to the eight-hour workday.
“Today is a historic day,” said Christina Perry-Gonzales, a Portland State University student and member of the Movimiento Estudantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), from a podium in front of Smith Memorial Student Union. “Today marks a new beginning in immigrant and labor rights – estamos unidos!”
“We are immigrants, the ghosts of the building,” Santiago Emiliano, a janitor from the labor union SEIU local 49, told the crowd. “We come to clean while the tenants aren’t there. Mister Congressman, make sure you know the difference between a worker and a terrorist.”
Catalina Coz, an outreach worker from Catholic Charities, said in an interview that immigrants’ rights intersected with the issue of human trafficking.
“When you’ve been trafficked, there is always the threat that the police will deport you,” Coz said. “You’re a criminal even if you’re a victim.”
Though Latinos were the most visible group at the demonstration, many communities participated in Monday’s protest.
Carrying a sign reading “Makibak Huwag Matakot” – Dare to Struggle, Don’t Be Afraid – Rossella Deleon, from the PSU Filipino group Kabaigan, said “It’s an issue that involves all of us. Not many people realize, but one million of the eleven million undocumented workers are Filipinos, so we want to stand in solidarity.”
Gary Clay, an African-American who spoke in the Park Blocks, agreed. “This doesn’t just affect you, but also my brothers from Africa,” he said, referring to the Latinos in the crowd. “The treatment of immigrants is an insult to all those who struggled in the civil rights movement, fighting for the human rights of all people.”
The Associated Press said more than 5,000 people marched in Portland Monday, with another 4,000 marching in Salem.
Not everyone in Portland supported the march. One counter-protester, holding a small laminated sign reading “illegal immigration voids the relevance of my legal vote,” said he felt that immigration needs should be balanced against other concerns, such as the need for a living wage. “I’m concerned about the carrying capacity of the North American continent,” said the man, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals.
Many at the demonstration expressed the hope that the coalition of immigrants and labor would continue working together after May 1.
“This is the beginning of the movement, not the end,” said Reverend Steven Witte, executive director of the Oregon Farmworkers’ Ministries. “The immigration movement and workers’ rights go hand in hand. There is a better dream for this world and I believe it is God’s dream.”
