(Good evening Adelante Forward readers– passing on a press release from ACTION of Lansing. Hope to see you there! I will definitely be there supporting my community! ~Allena)

Lansing, MI – ACTION of Greater Lansing – Civil Rights for Immigrants will Rally and March in honor of the lives have been lost due to our broken immigration system.

Rally and March will begin at 10:00am on Thursday, October 31st, 2013.  Union Missionary Baptist Church, 500 S Martin Luther King Blvd. People from all over the 8th District will come together march and rally in solidarity with leaders from  Action of Greater Lansing, Michigan United, and Faith Leaders.

“We march today in honor of the children, mothers and fathers that have lost their lives due to this broken immigration system. As people of faith we can’t stand by seeing families being torn apart and we can no longer stand aside and watch these horrific circumstances to continue. I’m tired of this polarized witch hunt that is happening, these are not numbers or statistics these are real families being hurt” – Maximo Anguiano, Chair of the civil rights for immigrants task force, Action of Greater Lansing.

For the last seven years leaders from across district eight have tried to meet congressman Mike Rogers thirteen different times. Congressman Mike Roger’s has refused to meet face to face. “Seven years and we still haven’t been able to meet with the congressman. We are his constituents and he is our elected official you would think that he would make time for the people who elected him into office” – Anguiano says

There will be actions held across the nation through the month of November. They are in response to the present national gridlock, a dialogue which focuses on elected officials and newsmakers and often does not include the voices of the immigrant as it relates to policy and protecting their civil rights. Rallies, prayer vigils and civil disobedience are part of Gamaliel’s “Dream For All” campaign.  The campaign works to uphold the dignity of individuals, and guide immigration policy and to keep families together.

ACTION of Greater Lansing addresses root causes of community problems by organizing for systemic change.  ACTION is not a direct service organization, nor are we a political organization that endorses specific candidates. Rather, we hold public officials accountable to make needed systemic changes that will improve the lives of many in the community simultaneously. We accomplish these goals by building powerful relationships in the community and organizing for direct action.  ACTION of Greater Lansing is an affiliate of the Gamaliel Network.

ACTION will  come together and discuss findings of their June 8 Porch Patrol canvass at the Community Problems Assembly on June 18, from 6:30-8:30pm at Cristo Rey Church (201 W. Miller).  All are welcome to attend and become part of the solution as we examine the issues facing our communities and what can be done about them.   ACTION currently coordinates three task forces based on previous year issue campaigns: Children’s Health, Equity and Access, Civil Rights for Immigrants and an Education Task Force focused on improving the graduation rate.

Click on the link for a larger PDF: ImmigrationHearingsInfo

Can you tell I’m excited? :}

Cristo Rey’s annual fiesta begins this Friday, May 24. Everyone and their mother will be there- don’t be left out! Click on the pic for the schedule (larger).

Click on the graphic for a larger image.