Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride 2003

In September 2003, a coalition of community groups, labor organizations, and communities of faith planned the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride to dramatize the living and working conditions of millions of immigrants in the United States. Trained in history and nonviolent action by the same Civil Rights leaders who prepared the anti-segregationist Civil Rights activists of the 1950s and 1960s, immigrant workers moved from the shadows to center stage, retracing the steps of earlier Civil Rights heroes to seek the American Dream. These workers and activists rode across the country from thirteen American cities to converge at the Capitol calling for just immigration reform.

I trained with the Riders and rode the two-week route from Los Angeles through the borderlands and the South to Washington DC and New York City. Their strength, poise, and optimism was inspiring.

..:: Get on board to see images from the Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride ::..

Please allow a moment for the images to load and note that additional resources about the Freedom Ride, about immigrant America, and about reforming our immigraton system are included in the last frame from the ride.

Many thanks to the creative and talented Andy Huang, who designed the presentation of these images.