Monday, April 10, 2006

The March Through Dallas


I walked in the Mega March on Sunday.

I was certainly not alone--somewhere between 350,000 and 500,000 people took part in the amazing show of concern over current discussions in our Congress about immigration reform.

A month or so ago, the 109th U.S. Congress put forward H.R. 4437: Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005.

The legislation would make it a felony to be in the country without proper documentation. In addition, the bill would also make it a felony punishable by prison time and stiff fines for anyone to assist those here without proper documentation.

Late last week the U. S. Senate failed in its attempt to pass a much more open immigration reform bill.

The combination of the Senate's failure and the passage of H. R. 4437 turned the crowds out and into the streets.

The march was an amazing experience.

This march was a family affair. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, children of all ages walked hand-in-hand through the streets of Dallas from the Cathedral de Guadalupe to City Hall.

They laughed.

They sang.

They shouted.

They showed up!

But, most importantly, they were together.

Even though almost half-a-million people gathered, the Dallas Police only had to make one arrest according to last night's news report. The experience was amazingly orderly, polite and patient. Even though it turned out to be a very warm spring afternoon and the crowded conditions had us packed from curb to curb as we walked, no one lost their cool.

The peaceful nature of the march bordered on the surreal.

It was clear the police (who were everywhere) enjoyed themselves--laughing and speaking to the participants. It seemed they were amazed by it all as well.

I don't think I have ever seen as many American flags at one time or in one place before.

It was very clear that everyone understood what is at stake in the current immigration debate.

The signs that people held and the slogans they chanted--particularly the strong "U. S. A." cheers--made it very clear that I was spending the afternoon with people eager to become American citizens.

A number of the signs and posters referred to work, labor. One sign read simply, "We are willing to do the dirty work."

Another read, "Immigrants pay taxes too!"

When we arrived at the plaza in front of City Hall, there were speeches by a number of local Latino leaders. The crowd fanned out across the area and back into Downtown Dallas for as far as I could see. The photos in today's Dallas Morning News will surprise people, I know.

At one point the classic rock anthem, "Coming to America" blared out across the crowd.

People shouted for joy and everyone tried to dance!

As I walked out of downtown yesterday, a couple of things were very clear to me.

Congress, especially the House of Representatives, has a problem. There is simply no feasible way to send millions of hard working people with families out of the country.

And if it were possible, why would we want to lose people like this?

We need people like the ones I marched with yesterday afternoon.

There is nothing new here. People like these immigrants built our nation. They are no different than my Scotch-Irish ancestors.

We are all immigrants.

The presence of us all explains the magic that is America.

I saw it again yesterday on the streets of Dallas.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"We figure that there are two ways you can be condemned. You can be condemned for including people that God excludes. Or you can be condemned for excluding people that God includes. We decided in our church that if we had to choose, we would be condemned for including people."

Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.,
Senior Minister, Riverside Church NYC

Anonymous said...

I live downtown. I must admit that I was worried at the thought of 100,000 people invading "my space." I couldn't have been more surprised or pleased. The 350,000 to 500,000 were peaceful, polite, courteous and kind. We all have a lot to learn from them regarding Christian behavior.

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing we'd all agree that there is enough debate on immigration policy to sink a flotilla of ships. In an effort to understand the issues, we found the following especially useful for their clarity, brevity and (relative)objectivity.

NY Times Q&A (5 minute read)
http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/
international/slot1_032406.html

National Immigration Forum (issues, legislation, links)
http://www.immigrationforum.org/
DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=732

Migration Policy (succinct CHART comparing legislation pending in 109th Congress)
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/
ITFIAF/legislation_jan06.pdf

Watching America (what the rest of the world is saying about US) http://www.watchingamerica.com/

And when you're done....
try this for reflection and restoration:
http://www.gracecathedral.org/
labyrinth/interactions/index.shtml

BTW, I marched with seven others, all of us supporting immigration reform, civil rights, human rights and social justice. The day was made to order; the winds of grace were blowing.

Janet Morrison-Lane said...

This was the most amazing march...and probably one of the most amazing things I've been a part of. From infants to the elderly...dark brown to very white skin...tatooed teenagers...entire families...everyone joined in. Though most of the crowd were Mexican, even the Black Panthers showed up to support! Everyone was so friendly! Vanessa, Nathan, Vanesia and I made friends on the bus ride over. As we marched, several adults went up to Vanessa, Nathan, and Vanesia (all kids under the age of 12 and all 3 African-American) to shake their hand and tell them thank you for being a part of this. As I reflected on the march and thought about the stereotypes I've heard...drunk Mexicans... abusive husbands...gang banger teenagers...I thought about the march and realized I saw none of that. From the looks of it, most people had come with their entire family...mom, dad, and kids (even the toddlers and teenagers were marching with their families). I heard one lady say that this was the proudest she's ever been to be an American. I must agree with her. Admittedly, I've been very cynical through most of my adult years about this American society we live in that seems to benefit those with the most. However, being a part of that march may have renewed my hope. To watch people who have been oppressed, denied services, and made invisible, yet they still come out and proudly shout "U-S-A"...Wow! What a testimony! If they believe that strongly in our system, I'm certainly willing to be right there beside them.

Janet Morrison-Lane said...
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