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Join Us for Our April 10 Rally for Immigration Reform!

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On Wednesday, April 10, tens of thousands of community, labor and immigrant rights supporters and immigrant families will converge on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, urging Congress to pass common sense immigration reform in 2013 that includes a clear and direct path to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Immigrant families will be the centerpiece of the rally, and will share their stories about how our broken system has devastated their families. Every day that Congress fails to pass legislation, 1,100 families are torn apart, workers continue to suffer abuse, and children are traumatized by the loss of a parent.

In addition to the rally, advocates will also be lobbying their members of Congress directly for action on immigration reform.  States and cities around the nation will be holding dozens of “echo events” in solidarity with the Washington, DC rally.

The rally is organized by local organizations including CASA de Maryland, SEIU 32 BJ, and is supported by the Alliance for Citizenship and the Center for Community Change—and comes as the Senate Gang of 8 prepares to release its upcoming Senate immigration bill.

Check out the event website at www.citizenship-now.org.  We’ll be hosting a live-stream of the rally on this blog.  Also check in on Twitter and Facebook on Wednesday for live updates and pictures.

WHAT: National Rally for Citizenship at U.S. Capitol

WHERE: West Lawn of U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 10, at 3:00pm

WHO: Tens of thousands of immigrant families and their supporters

Speakers Include:

  • Keynote: Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP
  • Mary Kay Henry, President, SEIU
  • President Bob Kin, President of the UAW
  • Lily Eskelsen, Vice President of the National Education Association
  • Immigrant Rights Activist and Grammy-award winning superstar Olga Tañon
  • Gustavo Torres, Executive Director, CASA de Maryland
  • Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-04)
  • Dolores Huerta, historic civil rights leader
  • D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray
  • Hector Figueroa, President, SEIU 32BJ
  • Son Ah Yun, Executive Director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
  • Faith Leaders including UMC Bishop Carcaño, CEO Church World Service Rev. John McCullough, Rabbi David Saperstein, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition Rev. Gabriel Salguero, and more
  • Elizabeth Alexander will read a bilingual interpretation of her 2009 inaugural poem
  • Immigrants will speak to the devastating impact of broken immigration system, including Elia Lizzet de la Cruz Valencia, who had a 6-year odyssey to reunite with her three U.S. citizen children
  • Bachata Sensation Andy Andy, Romantic Crooner Alvaro Torres and Indy Latino-fusion band Santa Cecilia