Photo Credit: Joe Brusky
Demonstrators are more than halfway through their 90-mile journey to the state capitol to demand citizenship for immigrant essential workers. While physically tired, spirits remain high, and they are optimistic that their calls for change will be heard.
“This is more than a news story. This is a social movement,” says Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera. “This is a civil rights fight, a labor fight.”
Immigrant rights organization Voces de la Frontera is on day five of their nine-day march from Milwaukee to Madison to demand that President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes citizenship for all immigrant essential workers and their families.
The march began on Sunday, June 20 outside of the Voces de la Frontera office in Milwaukee with free activities, food and COVID-19 vaccines. Their goal: to get to Madison by Monday, June 28 for a mass demonstration at the state’s capitol.
Over 30 organizations are either joining the march along the way or helping with donations, including the Waukesha Labor Council, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association and the Milwaukee Plymouth United Church of Christ.
“People need to see that this election mattered,” says Neumann-Ortiz. “It's really an opportunity for people to come together to put pressure on Biden and our Democrats in Congress.”
Powerful Together
Seventeen-year-old Brayan Reyes and his two younger brothers, 12 and 7 years old, are among the demonstrators on the 90-mile march. Reyes says his father, an immigrant factory worker, inspired him to fight for a path to citizenship for all essential workers. “If we work together, we are powerful together,” Reyes says. “I want people to stand and fight for their rights.”
Kelly Lempa, a member of the Milwaukee Plymouth United Church of Christ, joined the march on Wednesday. As a social worker, she’s witnessed the obstacles undocumented families face daily.
“This year, in particular, undocumented families have just struggled both economically and emotionally,” Lempa says. “And we see the effects in our students and just the stress and the pressures that they're under in school, and so I'm here for them, my community.”
As the demonstrators reach their final stretch, Neumann-Ortiz invites all to join in any way they can.
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“People are invited to continue to sponsor and join, whether it's financially with a donation or walking with us on one of our stops along the way and helping to build for the main day, which is in Madison, to really send that message to Biden and democrats in congress about the importance of them getting this done this year,” she says.
You can follow their march to Madison at the Voces de la Frontera Facebook page.
