Photo Essay: May Day in Spokane draws hundreds in support of immigrant rights

Photos and News Story by Gen Heywood | FāVS News

By 5 p.m. Thursday, hundreds gathered at the Riverfront Clock Tower in Spokane to hear encouragement and offer solidarity with the immigrant workers of the region and nation.

May Day Immigrant Rights Rally — Hundreds stood in solidarity with immigrant workers and their rights at Riverfront Park at the May Day Immigrant Workers Rally and March are seen here marchcing across a park bridge. / Photo by Gen Heywood (FāVS News)

The faith and values that brought people to this event

“I am here because we need to sustain the marches and the protests. It’s the only way to push back against this administration and all the rights and funding they’re taking away,” the Rev. Jim CastroLang said. “I work for Thrive International. I’m director of policy and advocacy, and we work primarily with housing for refugees and asylum seekers both here in Spokane as well as in Tacoma. We house over 500 people, and then we have a number of other support programs surrounding them. It’s the core of faith to make what Jesus asks us to do happen here in community on this earth and bring people together in justice and peace.”

“I’m here because I wanted to support the immigrants both in Spokane and across the country and stand against the illegal deportations of immigrants: Palestinian immigrants, Hispanic immigrants, all immigrants,” Abby Saks said. “I’m here with Jewish Voices for Peace. So we’re against the genocide that’s currently going on against Palestine that the U.S. is funding, and I wanted to speak out against that as a Jewish person.”

“I am here today because I think we have a constitutional crisis,” said Jan Wingenroth, an eight-year member of the League of Women Voters. “I think executive overreach has just gone above and beyond. Our immigrants need to be represented. They need to have due process, and that’s not happening. And that is just ridiculous. Everyone in our country, no matter whether they’re citizens or not, are allowed due process.”

Suzi Hokonson was also with the League of Women Voters “because this is democracy.”

As an enrolled tribal member of the Ottawa tribe, Donell Barlow reminded everyone that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”

She spoke about how tribal life was lived without borders, following the migration patterns of the animals. She talked about how important it is for people to come together and to support one another. She read from her poetry, raising issues of divisions, sovereignty, patriarchy, oligarchy and executive orders on birthright citizenship.

“I just want to leave you with this message, even though I know it can be incredibly difficult. They’re trying to actively divide us. We need to find common ground within each other,” she said. “We need to be able to see how we relate to one another because it’s love that’s going to fight this revolution that’s going on currently.”

After the song, Abigail Bocanegra spoke about the community’s need to confront their sadness and grief.

“We see the violence and deportations everywhere in our nation, but there’s also something happening that we’re not tending to, that we’re not talking about. And that’s emotional deportation,” Bocanegra said.

“I consider myself to be a listener and observer of things and of people and relationships, and what I’ve been listening to and observing is a divide and the emotional deportations that are happening within our own families, our homes, ourselves. It’s happening with our children, our spouses, our neighbors and our friends. We’re becoming divided because we’re allowing that anger and that rage to inform our decisions in reckless and reactive ways. We’re not walking and living this time place of collapse from a place of self-awareness, of carefulness and responsiveness of listening to what needs to happen,” she said.

She warned against letting rage build up so that we give into the divisiveness.

Bocanegra shared a Mayan saying that “You are my other self.” She said while our country that prioritizes individualism, she asked everyone to notice each other and to begin to build relationships.

Sharing her family’s journey as immigrants from Colombia in the 1970s, Jennyfer Mesa, described how she learned to speak up, show up, have a strong work ethic and have a deep love and appreciation for this country.

Mesa recognized how difficult the current situation in our government is and asked everyone to be brave enough to stay involved with demanding due process. She spoke about how “when immigrants rights are under risk, everyone’s rights are under risk. This is not only my problem. it is your problem as well.”

“Be brave like undocumented workers,” she said. “They’ve got big visions, and they’re not stopping because they got big visions. We need to be big thinkers, bigger visionaries and show our love to each other so that we can win.”

“I’m here because I and our church really care about refugees and immigrants and their protections,” the Rev. David Gortner said. “It all boils down to Matthew 25. The parable that Jesus told of the final judgment, separating the nations as sheep and the goats. It’s not individuals, it’s nations. It’s the ‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and you visited me or you didn’t.’ That’s what it boils down to when it comes to judging the nations.”

“I am motivated as a Jew who feels so strongly that we have to fight for rights and justice,” Shirley Grossman said. “Our country is in a lot of trouble, and the only thing that can make it right is all of us — every single one of us — standing up, holding that sign, calling, protesting and doing everything we can to help. We have to. There’s no choice. Our children and our grandchildren are depending on it. My country needs us now.”