Joining the Fight for Fair Immigration Reform

By: Jose Andrade, Age 19

This weekend, April 1st and 2nd, YARG staff (me and Danielle) and members (Judith and Jose L.) will travel to Newark, NJ to attend an Immigration rights training and march. This is a youth advocacy training to sharpen our skills as youth leaders and non-violent demonstrators.

At this training youth are going to learn how to use skills effectively to help their organizing and learn organizing tactics to help them win campaigns in their home cities or states.

"Young people from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia are broadening their message for fair reform. Guest speakers at the training include civil rights movement leader Jaribu Hill who will instill the significance of young people‚’s positive and peaceful roles in social movements of the past." (From the Center for Community Change Press Release)

If you don't have anything to do this weekend, you might want to drop to New Jersey and participate in the activities.

See Below for Full Media Release

Students Join Fight for Fair Immigration Reform

Sharpen Advocacy Skills at Youth Training, Kicks Off with Youth March and Rally

WHERE: Essex County College, 303 University Avenue, Newark (training)
Grace Episcopal Church Office, 950 Broad Street, Newark (rally)

WHEN: April 1^st, 2006 at 9:00 am (training); 12:00 pm at Grace Episcopal Church (rally)
April 2^nd, 2006 at 8:30 am (training continues)

(Newark, NJ) In the past week, thousands of young people across the country have actively joined the fight for immigration reform. Youth are visibly taking action through non-violent demonstrations and school walk-outs from coast to coast in hope of influencing their political leaders to pass immigration legislation that’s fair and humane and include the DREAM Act.

Although The DREAM Act, legislation that would provide an opportunity to achieve a college education and a path to citizenship to undocumented students who were raised in the country, was recently approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the fight is not over. Hundreds of young people whose lives could be changed or whose peers would be affected by the immigration reform measures still under consideration, will congregate this weekend to acquire leadership and organizing skills during an intensive capacity building training and Rally.

Young people from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia are broadening their message for fair reform. Guest speakers at the training include civil rights movement leader Jaribu Hill who will instill the significance of young people’s positive and peaceful roles in social movements of the past.

As part of the training the youth will engage in a rally and march from Essex County College to Grace Episcopal Church where several community leaders, labor unions, clergy members and young people will speak. Candidates for mayor of Newark are also expected to attend.

Newark hosts the second of five youth trainings organized by the Center for Community Change (CCC) and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement. Additional trainings are planned through early May in Phoenix, Salem and Nashville to motivate the energetic young participants into becoming the advocates they aspire for as immigration protests intensify around the nation.

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The Center for Community Change is a nonprofit, nonpartisan low income advocacy group that promotes the development of community organizing as a national force for social and economic justice. FIRM (Fair Immigration Reform Movement) is a coalition of grassroots community organizations nationwide, working on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform and immigrant rights and is convened by Center for Community Change. www.communitychange.org.