The May Day demonstration that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to Downtown Los Angeles included a diverse mix that went well beyond the Latino community.
Estimates of the crowd that proceeded up Broadway to City Hall on May 1 ranged from 60,000 to 250,000. The turnout got a boost in part from a recently passed law that gives law-enforcement officers in Arizona the right to question about their immigration status, and to arrest anyone who cannot show proof of citizenship or legal residency. But organizers stressed the quality of the turnout as much as its quantity, in any case.
Latinos, whites, blacks, Asians, Muslims and Jews came together carrying banners with slogans such as: "This country is based on immigrants," "Keep our Families Together," "Obama, we voted for you, now do the right thing," "Boycott Arizona," "No reform, no reelection," "Stop the Raids," "We do not support racism," and "Do I look illegal?".
Some of the more dramatic entries in the march also reflected a diverse base of support, with Chinese dragon dancers complementing Aztec troupes. Rock music played along with cumbia, salsa and banda. The visuals of the event were just as colorful, with a preponderance of U.S. flags accompanied by the banners of Mexico, El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Cuba, Colombia, Peru and Argentina, among others
Signs with messages from all religions also stood out. But the main image could seen at the stage where Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Roman Catholic Archbishop Roger Mahony addressed the crowd. The foot of the stage featured an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Roman Catholic "Patroness of the Americas, with the late pontiff John Paul II.
"Today we march together, and I've been told that there are more than 250,000 of us," said Villaraigosa, citing one of the higher estimates of the crowd. "I don't know exactly how many we are, but I do know that we are united — white, Latino, Jewish, Christian, American, black. Today we join with one voice...today we send a message across 3,000 miles to our capital — we need fair immigration reform."
Villaraigosa, who recently announced his support of efforts to stage an economic boycott against Arizona, pointed out that many of the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have children who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They fought over this great country, and we will fight for them, too," he said. "It's time for immigration reform, and we want it today, not tomorrow, we want it today."
California State Senator Gil Cedillo told the crowd that Obama is in the White House because of the Latino vote.
"I want to say this to Obama: Don't forget that the value of your word is very important for our community," Cedillo said, recalling the president's campaign promise to achieve immigration reform during his first year on the job. "We're still waiting with patience, faith and dignity."
The crowd also included a contingent of celebrities, led by radio personality Eddie "El Piolin" Sotelo. Famed musicians and Cuban immigrants Emilio and Gloria Estefan turned out, and so did filmmaker Chris Witz, who is the grandson of famed actress Lupita Tovar, a native of the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
"This is a message of unity, that we should not be afraid, and that we must keep pushing our demand for immigration reform, which is taking too long, so now is the time to make some serious noise," said Emilio Estefan. "In Arizona they're confusing crime with migrants, but us migrants come to work and to do good things for this country."
El Piolin suggested that the immigrant community should also continue working on other campaigns such as "It's time, Citizenship!" and voter registration for the upcoming elections.
"We did not come to just work in the U.S., but also to participate in the decision-making," he said. "That's what we're doing."
Nora Alicia Estrada is a writer for Impulso.
Photos by Impulso.
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