May 1st 2012: International Worker's Day!
Brazilian Immigrants March for Social and Economic Justice!
by Natalicia Tracy, Executive Director, Brazilian Immigrant Center
International Worker's Day! It was an event to celebrate our accomplishments, a day to reflect on our day-to-day struggles, and an occasion to speak out against injustices. Whether speaking against corporate America, foreclosures, anti immigrant laws, or racism, marchers from all walks of life, and from countries all around the world, called out their messages of hope and struggle in Everett, East Boston, and Chelsea in parades and rallies on May 1, 2012.
To celebrate International Worker's Day, the Brazilian Immigrant Center came together at this year's march with many immigrant groups, such as Centro Presente, Vida Verde, Chelsea Corroborative, Dominican Development Center, NUBIA, and Casa do Trabalhador MetroWest, as well as other groups in support and solidarity with immigrant workers, such as Women's Institute for Leadership Development, Boston New Sanctuary Movement, Justice at Work, and labor unions SEIU 615, 1199, etc.
In spite of the rainy day, hundreds of people came together in unity with positive messages to inspire and give hope to one another, and to build the energy to continue the long fight for social and economic justice. As many know right now, anti-immigrant Senate bill 2061 sits pending approval in the Massachusetts legislature on Beacon Hill. With sister organizations we are constantly fighting such bills that aim unfairly to harm our community. All of us at the Brazilian Immigrant Center invite the community to come forward to fight for our rights! This is our home and our community, and we should be glad to live in a country where we can speak out, take action, and make a difference. We have the power to create good policies, and also the power stop bad ones from being enacted into law. It is up to us to shape what kind of society we want to live in, remembering that what we think does impact our lives today, and may do so tomorrow!
We should heed again Pastor Martin Niemoller's famous 1937 poetic warning about the Nazis’ actions before WWII:
"First, they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
By joining together with other immigrant groups and allied organizations, not only on May Day but every day, we can make our voices heard and help build a just society for all who live and work here.
by Natalicia Tracy, Executive Director, Brazilian Immigrant Center
International Worker's Day! It was an event to celebrate our accomplishments, a day to reflect on our day-to-day struggles, and an occasion to speak out against injustices. Whether speaking against corporate America, foreclosures, anti immigrant laws, or racism, marchers from all walks of life, and from countries all around the world, called out their messages of hope and struggle in Everett, East Boston, and Chelsea in parades and rallies on May 1, 2012.
To celebrate International Worker's Day, the Brazilian Immigrant Center came together at this year's march with many immigrant groups, such as Centro Presente, Vida Verde, Chelsea Corroborative, Dominican Development Center, NUBIA, and Casa do Trabalhador MetroWest, as well as other groups in support and solidarity with immigrant workers, such as Women's Institute for Leadership Development, Boston New Sanctuary Movement, Justice at Work, and labor unions SEIU 615, 1199, etc.
In spite of the rainy day, hundreds of people came together in unity with positive messages to inspire and give hope to one another, and to build the energy to continue the long fight for social and economic justice. As many know right now, anti-immigrant Senate bill 2061 sits pending approval in the Massachusetts legislature on Beacon Hill. With sister organizations we are constantly fighting such bills that aim unfairly to harm our community. All of us at the Brazilian Immigrant Center invite the community to come forward to fight for our rights! This is our home and our community, and we should be glad to live in a country where we can speak out, take action, and make a difference. We have the power to create good policies, and also the power stop bad ones from being enacted into law. It is up to us to shape what kind of society we want to live in, remembering that what we think does impact our lives today, and may do so tomorrow!
We should heed again Pastor Martin Niemoller's famous 1937 poetic warning about the Nazis’ actions before WWII:
"First, they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
By joining together with other immigrant groups and allied organizations, not only on May Day but every day, we can make our voices heard and help build a just society for all who live and work here.
