Immigration reform hits home for Oaklanders in Tuesday vigil
on May 2, 2013
Frank H. Ogawa Plaza looked a little bit like Vatican City Tuesday, as the dramatic afternoon light illuminated the faces of nuns, priests and immigrant families who gathered together in prayer and supplication. The goal: comprehensive immigration reform, an end to the raids that separate families and unity among different groups and coalitions of Americans.
A guitarist changed the lyrics of popular Motown song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “Ain’t No Migra Strong Enough” while the crowd sang along in imperfect pitch. Perhaps most surprising was the number of young children. They were everywhere, playing chess on the steps of the plaza, instructing the smaller ones in the rules of an invisible game, holding the hands of crying grownups.
These photos explore some of the diverse faces that have a stake in immigration reform and a desire to see a policy change here in Oakland. The red hearts they wear represent the deported or undocumented.
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- Ivan De Los Santos wears a heart for his father, who lives in Mexico and is trying to gain legal status from outside the US. De Los Santos (son) grew up in Richmond. He recently returned from military service. Photo by: Anne Hoffman.
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- Stella Goodpasture has been a Dominican nun since 1948. She feels immigration reform is the most compelling social justice issue of our time. “I’m another you, you are another me,” she says, quoting a song that encapsulates her views on immigration.
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- “I wrote my mom’s name, and I wrote me plus peace and love, and you,” said Andrea Cervantes, 11.
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- A vigil attendee wears boots popular in Mexico.
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- Frank H. Ogawa Plaza during the vigil.
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- Alberto Mendoza looks at his daughter, Jade. “I have family members who need everything that’s happening right now,” he said. “It’s hard, you see people stressed out” over their status. Mendoza recently received legal status in the US himself.
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- These men stand behind a pro-immigrant banner.
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Thank you for this rich, moving photo documentary.