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

[Linda Evans]

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.  Don’t 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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