Watch livestream of the civil disobedience:
Non-Violent Direct Action to Occur at Base of the Capitol
Update at 3:17 PM: We bumped this post to show livestream of civil disobedience.
Today, October 8, tens of thousands of people from across the country will gather in the nation’s capital to demand the House Republican leadership pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. After the rally at the National Mall and march to the U.S. Capitol, two hundred of the attendees – national and local community and labor leaders, impacted immigrants, civil rights and faith leaders, and Members of Congress, will end the event at the steps of the U.S. Capitol with nonviolent civil disobedience aimed at underscoring the urgent need to vote and pass fair immigration reform this year.Speakers at the rally include Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA), Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), civil rights leader Julian Bond, AFT Pres. Randi Weingarten. Other Members of Congress, national and local community, faith, and labor leaders will be standing on stage during key moments before the march begins.
Some of the national and local leaders participating in civil disobedience will include Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO, Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, Bruce Goldstein, Executive Director of Farmworker Justice Fund, Gustavo Torres, President of CASA in Action, Bernard Lunzer, Vice-President of the Communication Workers of America, Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, Abel Nuñez, Executive Director of the CARECEN DC office, D. Taylor, President of UNITE HERE, Maryland Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, John Stocks, Executive Director of the National Education Association, Maria Elena Durazo, President of the LA County Federation of Labor, New Haven Alderman Delphine Clyburn, Joslyn Williams, President of the DC Central Labor Council, Jaime Contreras, Vice-President of SEIU 32BJ, Giev Aaron Kashkooli, Vice-President of the United Farmworkers, Terry Cavanagh, Executive Director of SEIU MD/DC State Council, Javier Valdes, Co-Director of Make the Road New York, Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of Illinois Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and Javier Morillo, President of SEIU Local 26.
Faith leaders include Sister Pat Rogucki, Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Pastor Sandra Jones, Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church Donna Schaper, Pastor Alice Harrington of Southside Presbyterian Church, Father Clete Kiley, Reverend Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Reverend C.D. Witherspoon, President of the Baltimore Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Reverend Dr. Sharon Stanley of the Refugee and Immigration Ministries of the Disciples of Christ Church, and Reverend William Barber, II, President of the North Carolina Conference of the NAACP.
Among the dozens of impacted immigrants engaging in nonviolent direct action are Daniel Niño, a DREAMer from Maryland, and Alejandra Cruz, an activist with the Latin American Coalition of North Carolina who hopes to one day become a teacher.
Before the act of civil disobedience:
The Camino Americano: Rally & March for Immigration Reform will feature popular Latino artists, members of Congress and prominent immigration reform advocates from labor, civil rights, faith and community groups. Following mass mobilizations in more than 160 cities, the event serves to continue the broad movement’s plans of escalation for the month of October to ensure Congress votes and approves immigration reform before the end of this year.
WHAT: Camino Americano: March for Dignity and Respect
WHERE: Program begins at National Mall; following with a march to U.S. Capitol
WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
WHO: Los Tigres del Norte and Lila Downs
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart who will be joined by Members Congress from both political parties, civil rights leader Julian Bond, national and local labor, immigration reform and faith leaders.
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