Thousands of activists gathered on the south steps of the Capitol on Friday evening and marched to City Hall in support of improving treatment of immigrant workers and the reformation of laws to recognize them as contributing members of American society.
International Workers Day, commonly known as May Day is the annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement over the past century. Activists across the country use this day to call for better treatment of immigrants.
When you work a day, you should get paid a day, said Teresa Parkinson, a volunteer with the Workers Defense Project, an immigrant rights organization.
Parkinson said there are businesses, restaurants and construction companies in Austin that do not pay immigrants for their work. If the workers report these businesses for malpractice, they risk being deported.
I know immigrants are being mistreated, Parkinson said. They have a right as humans to be paid for the work that they do.
Caroline Keating-Guerra, an organizer of Fridays march, summed up the event as a rally for immigrant rights reform, which includes immigrant access to health care and education, a pathway to legalization and ending government raids and family separation.
In a speech prior to the march, Eric Tang, an assistant professor in UTs College of Liberal Arts, described May Day as a celebration of the relationship between humans and the work they do. He said Americans must ensure that the rights people earn for being contributing members of society are respected.
Many times [immigrants] are marginalized, ghettoized and pushed out of the mainstream of American society, Tang said.
MartÃn Ruiz, a member of the Workers Defense Project, said the government needs to recognize immigrant participation.
[This march] is more than about being Hispanic, Russian, Asian, rich or poor, Ruiz said. Its a day that workers can take to the streets and reclaim a more dignified life for themselves and their families.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Directed by Jason Cato Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
http://zgraphix.org
Photography by Jason Cato
Cinematography by Keegan Godsey and Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to:
http://workersdefense.org
http://buildaustin.org
International Workers Day, commonly known as May Day is the annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement over the past century. Activists across the country use this day to call for better treatment of immigrants.
When you work a day, you should get paid a day, said Teresa Parkinson, a volunteer with the Workers Defense Project, an immigrant rights organization.
Parkinson said there are businesses, restaurants and construction companies in Austin that do not pay immigrants for their work. If the workers report these businesses for malpractice, they risk being deported.
I know immigrants are being mistreated, Parkinson said. They have a right as humans to be paid for the work that they do.
Caroline Keating-Guerra, an organizer of Fridays march, summed up the event as a rally for immigrant rights reform, which includes immigrant access to health care and education, a pathway to legalization and ending government raids and family separation.
In a speech prior to the march, Eric Tang, an assistant professor in UTs College of Liberal Arts, described May Day as a celebration of the relationship between humans and the work they do. He said Americans must ensure that the rights people earn for being contributing members of society are respected.
Many times [immigrants] are marginalized, ghettoized and pushed out of the mainstream of American society, Tang said.
MartÃn Ruiz, a member of the Workers Defense Project, said the government needs to recognize immigrant participation.
[This march] is more than about being Hispanic, Russian, Asian, rich or poor, Ruiz said. Its a day that workers can take to the streets and reclaim a more dignified life for themselves and their families.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Directed by Jason Cato Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
http://zgraphix.org
Photography by Jason Cato
Cinematography by Keegan Godsey and Jeffry Zavala
To learn more go to:
http://workersdefense.org
http://buildaustin.org
No comments:
Post a Comment