On Sunday, Washington State Delegation Marched for America

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National organizers of the "March for America" on March 21st had been hoping to draw over 100,000 people from across the country to the event. They didn't hit that number. They more than doubled it.
 
More than 200,000 Americans - some media outlets estimated half-a-million people! - flocked to Washington, D.C. last Sunday for the largest issue rally of the Obama Presidency. Nearly 1,000 buses crisscrossed the country from as far away as San Francisco to rally on the National Mall. They represented a diverse coalition of immigrant communities engaged in the campaign to win comprehensive immigration reform this year. A delegation from Washington State, organized by the Washington Immigration Reform Coalition (WIRC) FOR America, also flew to the nation's capital and reflected the strength and diversity of the larger crowd (see photos). Our delegation represented a variety of countries of origin, faiths, and native languages, along with cities from across the state, including Mount Vernon, Mattawa, Yakima, Vancouver, Issaquah, Tacoma, and Seattle.

Washington State is not only a leader in the national movement for reform, but our delegation - including WIRC members from OneAmerica, El Centro de la Raza, SEIU 775, and Casa Latina - was literally at the front of the rally. We arrived by 10:30am for a march that didn't start until six hours later. And OneAmerica Executive Director Pramila Jayapal was one of the first speakers to address the massive crowd from the main stage with the Capitol Building behind her (see video). The weather was sunny and delightful and people throughout the crowd were proud to represent their state coalitions and organizations: truly a reflection of a 50-state campaign. Despite the positive mood and high energy, however, there was tangible frustration in the crowd. In other words, this was not a celebration. That will come after a comprehensive immigration reform bill is passed!

Speakers at the rally included, among others, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, NAACP, Asian American Institute, Move On, UFCW, Church World Service, United We Dream, Celts for Immigration Reform, SEIU International, and several U.S. Representatives, including Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) who brought the house down (see photos from the national campaign). In addition, President Obama addressed the crowd on gigantic video screens in a taped video message.
 
Energized by the day's events, WIRC leaders met that evening to strategize about turnout for "Stand Up Seattle for Immigration Reform," a local rally planned for April 10. If the "March for America" can surpass expectations, then we're convinced that Seattle's rally can be larger than we even dreamed! We formed committees to focus on reaching out to targeted communities, from East African and Latino youth to retired people, from business groups to churches and mosques. As the weekend wore on, delegates from different communities started to share and learn more about one another and strategize about how to engage their communities. For example, two delegates came up with an idea of how to connect documented and undocumented youth to mobilize together.

Planning for the "March for America" began only eight weeks ago. In that short time, not only did the national campaign draw hundreds of thousands of Americans to the capital, but it got the attention of President Obama and Congressional leaders. The movement for comprehensive immigration reform is gaining momentum and pushing local and national elected officials to take action. Political insiders and press that were writing off immigration reform a couple months ago are now saying that it is the next big issue after health care reform. Some of us discovered - and many others were reminded of what they already knew - that movement strategy drives legislative strategy.
 
We may have returned home exhausted from an intense and active weekend, but we're also committed to using the enthusiasm from the "March for America" to make Seattle's contribution to the National Day of Action on April 10th the biggest immigration reform rally in the history of Washington State! 

See video and photos of the "March for America"