Residents Oppose Anti-Immigration Bills in the General Assembly and Tell Legislators:
“Don’t let Virginia become the next Arizona!”
Harrisonburg, VA– Virginia Organizing is hosting an immigration forum on Tuesday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg. The forum will focus on preserving immigrants’ rights in the face of a slew of anti-immigrant and anti-democratic bills currently making their way through the 2011 Virginia General Assembly.
The forum will feature Walter Tejada, currently on the Arlington County Board of Supervisors and the first Chair of the Virginia Latino Advisory Council. Tejada has been a community leader in Arlington for over 17 years and has served on many boards and commissions dealing with immigrants’ rights, diversity and civic engagement.
The immigration forum is part of the “Week of Action for Progress, Fairness, and Security” put on by Virginia United for Immigrants Rights, a coalition of community organizations, advocacy groups, and labor unions. The week of action includes ten forums, rallies and events across the state beginning in Alexandria on February 1, and culminating in Newport News on February 9.
The coalition has been tracking the 2011 legislation since the summer of last year. The coalition opposes several law enforcement bills that would discriminate against immigrants and a bill that would keep undocumented students from attending universities in Virginia. The coalition is also supporting legislation that would help legal immigrant women have access to pre-natal care.
The week of action is expected to draw hundreds of participants, and will consist of diverse programming across each region, including cultural events, rallies, candlelight vigils and town hall meetings.
Who: Virginia Organizing
What: Forum: “Don’t let Virginia become the next Arizona!”
When: Tuesday, February 8 at 7 p.m.
Where: Community Mennonite Church
70 South High Street, Harrisonburg, VA
Virginia Organizing is a statewide grassroots organization that brings people together to create a more just Virginia.
