Contact: Christine Neumann-Ortiz
Cell: 414-736-2835
Voces de la Frontera urges workers not to risk their jobs to participate in April 10 Actions
Immigrant rights organizations around the country have declared April 10 as a day of national action calling for comprehensive immigration reform that is reasonable and humane.
Voces de la Frontera, the lead organization in Milwaukee’s recent “Day Without Latinos” demonstration on March 23, which drew 30,000 participants, is supporting the April 10 Day of Action in Milwaukee, Madison, and Washington DC.
Candlelight vigil April 9, 2006
Voces de la Frontera will be holding a candle light vigil on April 9, 2006 to commemorate the 417 workers that died on the border last year. People will gather at Voces de la Frontera, 1027 S. 5th Street, in Milwaukee for a candlelight procession that will start at 6:30PM and walk to St. Patrick’s Church at 723 W. Washington Street. Various religious leaders will bless the buses and cars of the delegation from Wisconsin that will be traveling to Washington DC to participate in this national mobilization.
Register for Washington DC ASAP
If persons want to go to the march in Washington DC they can call Voces de la Frontera at 414-643-1620 to register and pay $80 for their seat.
April 10, 2006 March in Madison, WI
On April 10, 2006 Voces de la Frontera is one of several organizations planning a second large-scale march and rally in Madison. The vent will start at 10:30AM at Brittingham Park (West Washington Ave. & Park St.) and end at the State Capitol. The program is from 12:00-1:00PM. Immigrants and supporters will again call on US Congress for a path to citizenship for 12 million immigrants currently in the United States.
While Voces de la Frontera supports the Madison demonstration, as there is a large and growing immigrant population in and around the state’s capitol, the organization is concerned that there has been some talk of April 10 being a “walk-out” or even a “strike.”
“To call for a walk-out on April 10 creates an unnecessary risk for immigrant and Latino workers to take at this time and it will not move the cause forward,” Christine Neumann Ortiz, Director for Voces de la Frontera explains. “The country is mobilized and that is powerful. Our next steps must be thoughtful and deliberate and tied to national developments as they proceed. We encourage employers to accommodate workers who wish to participate in the march on April 10th but Voces de la Frontera is not encouraging or asking workers to walk off their jobs. Nor at this time are we are asking students to join a walk-out without authorization.”
Business leader Ernesto Nava, who helped coordinate over 200 Milwaukee businesses to voluntarily close for the Milwaukee march, “Many companies are willing to support their employees in this historic, civil rights movement. This thoughtful approach to participation should be applauded and continued.” Several unions are also negotiating the time off for their workers as well. ###
