Updated:

‘You are our voice’

By
1186
0

Latest

Maru Mora Villalpando, targeted for deportation, refuses to be intimidated. She continues to fight for the people.
PHOTO/ENRIQUE CERNA, CROSSCUT

 
Editor’s note: Maru Mora Villalpando is a mother and leader of the immigrant rights movement. She has been targeted for deportation because of her activities defending undocumented immigrants held in inhumane private deportation prisons. Here are some comments from Maru after attending the president’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.
“When Senator Cantwell’s office called me and invited me to join the State of the Union address in Washington, DC, I felt it was my opportunity to show Trump himself that we are not going to get intimidated, we are going to continue working. People in detention called me throughout the day and told me, “We cannot be there. But you have been the voice. We have selected you.”
“[At the address] it was easy to see how he [Trump] was pitting people against each other, low-income workers of either brown, Black communities, white communities, but also scapegoating my community, immigrant communities. It was really shocking to me to see how he utilized people’s tragedies to blame my community, my immigrant community, for those tragedies.
“Even though the majority of people there were clapping for him, I knew that people outside would not agree with them.”
(Some material for this statement is from Democracy, Now!)

+ Articles by this author

The People’s Tribune opens its pages to voices of the movement for change. Our articles are written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Articles entitled “From the Editors” reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement for change. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff. The People’s Tribune is a 501C4 organization.

Featured

Maureen Taylor, Michigan Welfare Rights -

Progressives? Conservatives? Left? Right? Who Do They All Represent?

The billionare class paints the economy as very good based on rising stock market episodes that don’t filter down to most blue-collar people. Let’s concentrate our efforts on those fighting for the needs of the many.
Indira Treon-Mutuma -

A Somali Perspective on Life in Minnesota

The words “Nobody wants you here,” may have been directed at one Somali family, but they do not define Minnesota’s Somali community. By listening to the voices of Somalis themselves, a different story emerges, one of belonging, resilience, and community.
Alexandria McKenzie -

50 Years Later: The Man Who Refused to Let Allensworth Disappear

While a historical site cannot bring back the haven of possibility that the town of Allensworth in the state of California once was, its presence forces a reckoning for anyone it reaches — a ceaseless act of resistance in itself.
From the Editors, People's Tribune -

ICE Killings Are Increasing, But So is the Resistance

If we allow ICE, as a servant of the powerful, to kill or deport our working class sisters and brothers then we are not only immoral, we’re setting ourselves up to be next in line for the detention centers.
From the Editors, People's Tribune -

Message to Congressional Black Caucus On Endorsement of AIPAC Funded Candidate

The Black vote is key to winning Democratic Party elections. Today, in MI and nationwide, African Americans are expressing abandonment by a Party that funds candidates who do not represent their interests, as seen in Michigan’s Senate race.

More from the People's Tribune