Immigrants Make America Great: Richmond residents march in solidarity with undocumented community
Local students, activists, and community leaders participated in the "Immigrants Make America Great' march on 23rd Street on Sunday in support of the immigrant community in the face of increasing threats of deportations under the Trump administration.
The event, organized by students from Kennedy High School, San Francisco State University, West Contra Costa Unified School District teachers, and other community members, aimed to empower the immigrant community and highlight the struggles they continue to face in the United States.
On Sunday, February 2, participants gathered in front of Richmond High School before marching down 23rd Street to Barrett Avenue and returning to the school.
Marchers carried umbrellas or wore rain ponchos and tried to ignore the heavy rain, waving signs and flags as they walked through Richmond's Hispanic Business District.
One of the event's organizers, Ivonne Hernandez, explained how the idea for the march came together after seeing protests happening in other states. Hernandez reached out to another Kennedy High School alumna.
"I reached out to her on my ideas of wanting to do something similar in the Bay Area," Hernandez said.
Hernandez said her leadership teacher at Kennedy and she always helped students advocate when she was in high school.
"We reached out to her, and she said that some of the students in the leadership class at Kennedy were also interested in doing something similar.," Hernandez said. "We started planning on Monday. We met up at Kennedy at 12 p.m. and started brainstorming and that is how the idea came together."
Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez also spoke at the event, emphasizing the importance of solidarity.
"The undocumented community needs to see this to know that we are standing with them. That sanctuary city is more than a word. A sanctuary city is a community," Martinez said.
He also pointed to the historical context of immigration, referencing his family, who lived in southern Texas before it became part of the United States.
"It was Mexico when they lived there, and then it became part of Texas, and then it became part of the US. So the border just made us citizens," Martinez said.
Last week, the mayor and City Manager, Shasa Curl, emphasized the city's commitment to inclusion and community safety in a joint statement reaffirming the city's status as a sanctuary for immigrants in response to recent federal announcements about potential mass deportations while also highlighting deportation defense assistance resources.
Soren Hemmila
Speakers before the march emphasized the importance of collective action and the First Amendment right to speak out against injustices. Attendees were encouraged to participate by holding signs, engaging in cultural expressions, and supporting one another.
"Many of us grew up hearing our families say they would cross mountains, deserts, and rivers for us," one speaker said. "What we didn't realize is that many of them actually did. Immigrants cross rivers, deserts, and mountains for us to have a better life than they were able to have."
The speaker, a first-generation Latina, urged the audience to honor their heritage and become advocates for their communities. "Our responsibility is to learn lessons from what our families have experienced. These lessons will give you more knowledge and understanding of what others go through," she said.
Julie, a Kennedy High School student and one of the event's organizers, also addressed the crowd and shared her connection to the cause.
"My father came here when he was just 16 years old, and he is now here in this crowd supporting me. This community welcomed him and welcomed us here," she said. We have done nothing but work hard and earn everything we have.
Bay Area residents were encouraged to participate in a planned A Day Without Immigrants protest on Monday by refraining from work, shopping, or dining out. The protest was intended to demonstrate how immigrants contribute to the economy and culture.
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