And They've Been Waiting Such a Long Time

On this most beautiful of spring afternoons here in this small town of 5000 plus souls, I participated in what I can only call an uplifting march for Immigrant Justice. The crowd gathered on the spacious grounds of St. Michael's Catholic Church, wearing white shirts and waving American flags. Children ran around exitedly, babies slept in strollers, young men strutted their stuff, older couples nervously clung to one another. Amazingly, the march began right on time, filling the neighborhood streets from the Catholic church to the town park beside the Presbyterian Church. We chanted: Sí se puede, and Un pueblo unido jamás será vencido, into the April sunshine as we walked.

At the park a stage had been set up for the speakers, many of whom are dear friends of mine. The Colombian priest from St. Michael's (they have two priests for our church, one is Father Ed and one is Padre César) opened the speeches with a prayer and benediction, a young woman played the guitar and sang. There were speeches by union organizers, ministers of several denominations, students, naturalized citizens who have Made Good. Everything spoken in Spanish was translated into English by a cadre of students from area high schools (that second generation I keep mentioning). Every speaker was cheered, flags were waved, babies held on shoulders - the old Chicago song "Saturday in the Park" comes to mind. "You'd think it was the Fourth of July."

It could not have been more replete with American patriotic fervor, gotta tell you, if it had been the Fourth of July. These are people who love this country in a way that only those who have known life in lands with corrupt governments, desperate economies, political persecution, can love a Promised Land. The event was entirely peaceful, a celebration of hope and determination, speeches were full of Biblical allusions and Díos bendiga Américas, the afternoon ended with a mariachi band playing a few numbers and a big guy who is a Methodist minister from Santo Domingo telling everyone who worked the evening shift to go on to work now. My favorite speaker was, of course, a former student of mine - but the most uplifting was a nurse who works at the clinic here in town, whose parents crossed illegally into California in the eighties, and obtained amnesty in 1986, enabling her to become a citizen, go to college and get a nursing degree. She gave her speech in both languages, and urged all potential nurses in the crowd to never give up hope, their dreams also could come true.

So, that's all. My afternoon in the park with what must have been a thousand immigrants, a few other gringos, more police presence than was needed, and an absolutely palpable feeling of optimism and hope. As one of my students who helped organize the event said to me: "We have been asleep, and this House bill has woken us up. We are standing at the beginning of something big, with our eyes wide open. There is no stopping this now."

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