This is the birth of a new civil rights movement.
The mass marches, high school walkouts, and strikes across America are a declaration by the Latino community of the birth of a new mass, civil rights movement. On Saturday, March 25, over one million people marched through the streets of Los Angeles.
This mass civil rights movement is tremendously powerful. In a matter of days, the mass protests across the country have shifted the balance of power. We are defeating the racists and their attacks on immigrants. We are saying loud and clear that we will not accept racist degradation of immigrants and minorities. We will not accept second-class status.
The mass demonstrations have given a voice and power to every oppressed person in the U.S. and throughout Central and South America. For black and other non-Latino minorities in America, these demonstrations show the way forward in the fight against racism - a struggle for mass power expressed in militant, mass action. The demonstrations stand for the highest and best principals to which people in America aspire - equality, justice and freedom.
The demonstrations also say, "No More!" No more to racist disrespect! No more to marginalization! We demand full rights and equality for all immigrants. We demand to be treated as human beings, as brothers and sisters, and we will accept no less.
Over a million people marched in L.A., hundreds of thousands marched in Chicago, tens of thousands in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Phoenix, Atlanta, and other cities and towns coast to coast. High school students have walked out their schools for each of these marches. In Georgia, 80,000 workers went on strike.
This new mass movement makes clear that the attacks on affirmative action and integration can and will be defeated, that all of the recent racist attacks can be beaten back and reversed. We must build mass organizations in our schools, workplaces, and in our neighborhoods. The youth of BAMN have been and will be a decisive part of the leadership of this new movement. We must spread the word about the need for ongoing organization of a militant, integrated, youth-led civil rights movement.
Already, the movement has shown how much mass struggle can accomplish in a short time. This is only the very beginning. Freedom and equality await. They are ours to win.
