• March 10th: March for Immigrant Rights: National Coming Out of the Shadows Day
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 2:00pm - 6:00pm From Union Park ( Ashland & Lake ) to Federal Plaza ( Dearborn & Jackson) (See Flyer and Facebook)
Chicago will come out of the shadows for a mass mobilization on March 10th, 2010
The Immigrant Youth Justice League is working with community organizations for a mass youth-led immigrant rights mobilization in Chicago, and national coordinated actions by youth and students starting on March 10th, 2010 in support for a path towards legalization.
IYJL members have been “coming out” or openly identifying as undocumented immigrants, and speaking about our stories, as a strategy to get the issue of immigration in people’s minds, and on the national agenda. In collaboration with the national youth-led network United We Dream, students and youth from around the country will be organizing “coming out of the shadows” actions between March 10th and March 21st, starting right here in Chicago.
We live everyday in fear and we are tired of it. We want to be able to talk about our lives and our stories without fearing persecution or deportation. We are not free to travel, go to school, work, live, but we refuse to be helpless.
In Chicago on March 10th , 2010 youth are calling for a community mobilization from Union Park to Federal Plaza, ending with a mass coming out direct action demonstration by undocumented youth. This “coming out of the shadows” is meant as a call for leadership from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who has been supportive of immigrant youth, but has not taken action to pass immigration reform this year. IYJL has also extended an invitation for a place at the table to the Senator, as well as President Barack Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, so that they can hear the proposals for immigration reform from the people that are affected the most.
“I’m going to the march because I’m tired of being oppressed. I’m just like everybody else, with dreams and goals. I’m marching because I am fighting for my rights.”
• March 18, 2010: Chicago Actions to End the Wars and Occupations Now!
ENDLESS WAR: Seven years ago, the US invaded Iraq -- a war that continues with no end in sight. In December, President Obama began to escalate the war in Afghanistan -- when only 100 Al Qaeda members remain in that country. Scheduled Iraq troop withdrawals still leave thousands of contractors and mercenaries behind as occupiers. In the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the US continues to finance Israel’s war on Palestine.
Now, the Obama administration has introduced a budget that includes the largest amount for “defense” spending ever -- while freezing domestic spending for human needs. There is no health care bill, no action on climate change. All Washington can agree on is to feed our tax money to big banks and an endless war.
Politicians' excuses for these failures have ranged from blaming immigrants and other working people to scaring us with 'terrorist' threats. These same politicians will not end the violence until we force them to. With rampant job losses and cutbacks in social services, it's time now more than ever to oppose costly wars that rob precious public resources from housing, healthcare, education, and a host of other public needs.
Join us -- and thousands throughout this nation to mark the grim anniversary of seven years in Iraq.
End the Wars & Occupations Now! Fund People's Needs, Not Corporate Greed
March 18: 5:30 PM, short rally at Federal Plaza (corner of Adams & Dearborn Streets), followed by permitted march on Michigan Avenue. And join us in mobilizing for a united march on Washington, DC on Saturday, March 20th. Buses available from Chicago.
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