#immigrants day

[pixoplanet]

It's October 28th, US National Immigrants Day. On this day in 1886, US President Grover Cleveland dedicated the 🗽 Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, proclaiming that on that day, "Liberty" would "magnify France beyond the seas." The dedication was followed by a fireworks display and the city's first every ticker-tape parade.

The copper statue of Libertas, the Roman goddess of Liberty, was a gift from the French people to the American people. It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. After its dedication, the statue became an icon of freedom and of America, seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants.

The US prides itself on being a nation of immigrants. One of the most oft-repeated quotes in American history, from poet Emma Lazarus's sonnet "The New Colossus," is written in bronze and is on display inside the statue's pedestal: "Give my your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The past five years in America, however, have been marked by all-too-frequent demonizations of immigrants. Today is a good day to reflect upon the countless contributions generations of immigrants have made to our nation and recommit ourselves to our values as a welcoming melting pot. ☮️Peace… Jamiese of Pixoplanet

[kidorg]

A Successful 17th Annual Immigrants' Day of Action!

There’s nothing like the power of a coalition! Early morning on Wednesday, March 5th, a diverse delegation of two hundred and fifty immigrant farm workers, day laborers, students, family members, service providers, faith leaders, educators, and supporters converged in Albany for the New York Immigration Coalition’s 17th Annual Albany Immigrants’ Day of Action! Delegation members shared important stories with some three dozen state legislators to urge them to support the four million immigrant New Yorkers that make up our great state.

We said: We need the New York State DREAM Act! We need driver’s licenses for all, regardless of immigration status! And we need increased funding for legal and social services for immigrants! Together we presented the NYIC’s Immigrant Equality Agenda to move our state forward!

Special gratitude to Assembly members Marcos Crespo,  Ron Kim,  Francisco P. Moya,  Félix Ortiz, Luis Sepulveda, and Senator José Peralta, for supporting and joining us for a series of morning panel discussions on the priorities laid out by our communities.

And a big thank you to our member groups from Rochester, Buffalo, Hudson Valley, Long Island, and every borough of New York City for their commitment to making their communities in New York better places for immigrants. Our collective voice was heard as DREAMers, farmworkers, and families shared their stories side by side with advocates at legislative meetings throughout the day!  Below is a photo re-cap of our work in Albany this week.

And this is just the beginning! We will continue to follow up with our State’s elected officials to pass the New York State DREAM Act, to educate our legislators on why we need drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, and to increase funding for immigrant services.