Undocumented Immigrants Ride Through the South, Headed for a DNC Coming Out

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/169259/undocumented-immigrants-ride-through-south-headed-dnc-coming-out


Photo: Fernando Lopez, courtesy of the No Papers No Fear Ride

Party conventions always attract more than just delegates. Although this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) will have its share of fans, onlookers and protesters, one particular group will hold a historic presence when they arrive next month. That’s because the workers, students, mothers and fathers who are participating in a new kind of Freedom Ride are all undocumented immigrants.

UndocuBus is transporting about thirty people across ten states this summer, as it approaches Charlotte, North Carolina, for the DNC. It’s making stops on the way to pick up new riders, and to meet with supporters. Whatever happens at the convention will depend on how federal immigration authorities—as well as the DNC itself—responds to the riders’ presence.

Getting on UndocuBus in Phoenix, Arizona, was no easy task for the riders. The city is home to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and members boarded an old single-deck bus that was repurposed and painted bright mint green with the words “No Papers No Fear” in English and Spanish on both sides. The bus will travel through states like Alabama, which has what’s considered the nation’s most draconian SB 1070–style law.

At Voting Rights Watch, we’re engaging community journalists as our eyes and ears on the ground. Early on, we decided the term “citizen journalist” would imply that only people born in the United States or naturalized through a process could weigh in this electoral season. Instead, we want to feature the voices of community journalists who may be undocumented and cannot vote, yet still have a stake in the electoral process.

[BumRushDaShow]

1. Good luck

One often has to endure the blood, sweat, and tears - and the sacrifice - to achieve human rights.

It's been 51 years since African Americans (and others) rode buses through the south for rights and here we are still fighting today for the damn vote (despite 4 Constitutional Amendments and multiple Voting rights laws).