Various local organizing groups will host a rally, discussion and concert on Friday about immigration policy, featuring activists, artists and community members.
The “People of the Americas Unite for Immigration Justice” event is organized by the Romero Institute, Lakota People’s Law Project, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Resource Center for Nonviolence and Heart Tribe Presents. It will open with a rally at 4 p.m. at the downtown Santa Cruz clock tower. A paid program is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, featuring a recorded message from labor leader Dolores Huerta, and a panel with Camila Chavez, Chase Iron Eyes and Daniel Sheehan. The event wraps up with a concert by Brazilian musician Poranguí.
Additionally, event organizers are encouraging attendees to vote yes on California’s redistricting ballot measure on Election Day, Nov. 4. They argue that passing Proposition 50, a measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and redrawing the state’s congressional districts would ensure the representation of disenfranchised communities in Congress to counter Republican-led restricting efforts in Texas.
In a news release, Huerta urged solidarity in the face of political division, and pointed to federal immigration enforcement raids as something that “creates a hole in the fabric of our community.”
“The very rights we fought for are being torn away from our families and communities,” she wrote, “We know Santa Cruz will come together for this special event to march and link arms together – immigrants, campesinos and communities of color – across every border and every field and stand tall.”
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