[Peace-discuss] co-sponsor the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride

Sun Sep 21 21:09:59 CDT 2003

I think there will be good support for this event.  I suggest we put 
it on our next agenda, but give some indication now that we will 
likely support it.  Does anyone disagree?

At 6:11 PM -0700 9/21/03, Linda Evans wrote:
>Hey all,
>
>This was waiting for me when I got home from the AWARE
>meetings and it was mentioned in our 3-5pm meeting
>tonight.
>
>What does everyone think?  You can email the list or
>me personally at veganlinda at yahoo.com.
>
>Linda
>
>September 21, 2003
>
>Dear Linda,
>
>My Name is Demian Kogan, and I am a student at the
>University of
>Illinois.  I
>am contacting you about an opportunity for your
>organization to
>co-sponsor the
>Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride stop in
>Champaign-Urbana.
>
>Beginning on September 20th, nearly one thousand
>immigrant workers and
>their
>allies will board buses in Seattle, Portland, San
>Francisco, Los
>Angeles, Las
>Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Boston
>and cross the
>United
>States over the next 12 days. The new Freedom Riders
>will travel some
>20,000
>miles of U.S. highways and stop at more than 100
>cities, towns and
>workplaces.
>
>
>The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride from Illinois will
>be leaving from
>Chicago
>on Saturday August 26th, and will travel through
>Northern, Central, and
>Southern Illinois making stops in 9 cities with an
>array of events
>including
>rallies, press conferences, direct actions, and other
>activities.  One
>of the
>cities that the bus will be stopping at will be
>Champaign.
>
>The group that is organizing the bus from Illinois is
>called the
>Illinois
>Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).
>Myself and two
>other
>students Lian Alan, and Diana Mora, have been working
>closely with
>ICIRR on
>this campaign, and we are responsible for a large part
>of the planning
>process
>for the Champaign-Urbana Freedom Ride stop. The riders
>will be here on
>September 29th and 30th.  We are planning a rally at
>the Champaign
>County
>Courthouse in Urbana at 101 E. Main Street, for the
>evening of the 29th
>at
>7:00pm. We have invited local politicians, community
>members, and
>students to
>rally behind this event.
>
>The events have local and national relevance as
>immigrants work for:
>-- Driver Licenses
>-- Hospital Interpreter Services
>-- Access to Higher Education
>-- Legalization for Immigrants
>-- Workers Rights
>-- An End to Special Registration Programs
>
>
>We are hoping to get a great turnout for the big
>public event, the
>Rally on
>the 29th, and we thought that your organization would
>be interested in
>co-sponsoring this event.  Co-sponsorship entails
>publicizing the event
>to
>your members, and committing to bring people out to
>the rally on the
>29th. If
>you'd like to make a financial contribution of any
>amount, it would be
>greatly
>appreciated.  I have included a copy of the email
>announcement for you
>to
>distribute to your email list below.
>
>
>
>Please contact me at dakogan at uiuc.edu  or 384-0196 if
>you have any
>questions. 
>You can also reach Lian at lianalan at uiuc.edu, or Diana
>at
>mora at uiuc.edu. 
>Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to
>hearing from you. 
>I have
>included some links that you may be interested in
>looking at for more
>information.
>
>Immigrant Worker Freedom Rides national website:
>www.iwfr.org
>Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
>website:
>www.icirr.org
>New York Times article about the national campaign:
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/17/national/17IMMI.html
>
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Demian Kogan
>
>
>
>*********************************************
>RALLY for IMMIGRANT RIGHTS!
>Immigrant Worker Freedom Rides Rally
>
>Monday, September 29th 7:00p.m.
>
>Champaign County Courthouse
>101 E. Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801
>*********************************************
>
>Immigrants in our community need:
>-- Driver Licenses
>-- Hospital Interpreter Services
>-- Access to Higher Education
>-- Legalization for Immigrants
>-- Workers Rights
>-- An End to Special Registration Programs
>
>Beginning on September 20th, nearly one thousand
>immigrant workers and
>their
>allies will board buses in Seattle, Portland, San
>Francisco, Los
>Angeles, Las
>Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Boston
>and cross the
>United
>States over the next 12 days. The new Freedom Riders
>will travel some
>20,000
>miles of U.S. highways and stop at more than 100
>cities, towns and
>workplaces
>to focus public attention on the injustices of current
>immigration
>policies.
>
>
>The Illinois Freedom Rides bus is coming to
>Champaign-Urbana to
>highlight the
>local movement for immigrant rights ! You have a
>tremendous opportunity
>to
>take part in history in the making by attending the
>Immigrant Worker
>Freedom
>Rides Rally in  Urbana-Champaign! Speakers will
>include: Immigrant
>Freedom
>Riders, Local Immigrant Rights Speakers, and Local
>Politicians.
>
>
>The event is inspired by the Freedom Rides of the
>Civil Rights
>Movement, and
>the Illinois Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride bus will
>travel through
>Northern,
>Central, and Southern Il, while buses leave from 9
>other cities across
>the
>entire United States. The buses will then go to
>Washington D.C. to meet
>with
>local representatives, and then culminate in New York
>City to celebrate
>the
>rewriting of history.  Donít miss this opportunity to
>locally take part
>in
>this national campaign for immigration policy reform.
>
>Sponsored by:  Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and
>Refugee rights
>(ICIRR),
>East Central Illinois Refugee and Mutual Assistance
>Center (ECIRMAC),
>and
>Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC).
>
>For more information, or to volunteer or donate,
>contact:
>
>Demian Kogan: dakogan at uiuc.edu
>
>Immigrant Worker Freedom Rides national website:
>www.iwfr.org
>Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
>website:
>www.icirr.org
>
>
>=====
>"There are some things you need just to stay alive:  food, water, a 
>place to live, clothes to keep warm, help when you are ill or 
>injured... Peace is having the things you need."  (Peace Begins with 
>You by Katherine Scholes, children's book)
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 

Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
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fax. 217-333-2214
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