Oct. 3: Riders draw growing media attention
Oct. 2: Lobbying and marching in Washington, D.C.
Oct. 2: Lobbying Congress for immigration reform
Oct. 2: Letter home from Washington
Oct. 1: Arriving in Washington -- an emotional meeting
Oct. 1: Two-time freedom rider Davidov in the spotlight
Oct. 1: 'An incredible journey'
Oct. 3: Riders draw growing media attention
By Michael Kuchta
WASHINGTON - The Freedom Ride isn?t a success unless it generates news coverage that gets people talking about the rights of immigrant workers. From a seat on the Minnesota bus, it seems there?s no doubt the ride is a success.
Reporters are waiting for the buses at every stop ? bathroom breaks excepted. At every stop, selected riders sit and tell their stories one on one ? to television, radio, newspapers, corporate media, ethnic media, labor media.
Nothing?s come close, though, to the gauntlet that awaited us in Washington. In her role as media contact person, it?s up to Kathy Fodness, of SEIU Local 113, to sprint around, tugging riders in front of cameras, microphones and notebooks. As other riders broke into spontaneous celebrations, cameras elbowed their way among them, looking for that elusive best angle.
Of course, riders have had a chance to get used to the attention. Ignore the fact that many have their own cameras and tape recorders.
There are plenty of journalists on the bus with the riders ? embedded, if you will, which takes on a new meaning in Washington hotel rooms, where we?re bunked four to a room.
I?m on the bus, filing for Workday Minnesota. Howard Kling and Randy Croce, of the Labor Education Service at the University of Minnesota, are filming the Minnesota ride not only for local video, but also as part of a national documentary that producers hope to turn into a theatrical release.
Twin Cities freelance photographers Carlos Campos and Alison Quito Ziegler hope to chronicle the ride for later display. Abel Garcia, of Carpenters Local 1392, and Abdulkadi Ali Seef, of the Somali Community Center, are taping the ride for local access cable in Rochester.
Tom Wallace, a photographer for the Star Tribune, has been on the bus all the way from St. Paul. Strib reporter Kristin Tillotson joined us in D.C. and will be going on to New York. David Lee, a photographer for the Washington bureau of US News and World Report, boarded the bus in Baltimore and has been following Minnesota riders around D.C.
Despite the coverage, the irony is that, as riders, we have no idea what?s being said about us. We leave town or are otherwise occupied, so we never see the nightly news or pick up a paper. Access to the Internet is all but impossible.
So keep the VCR ready, and cut out the articles for us, OK?
Oct. 2: Lobbying and marching in Washington, D.C.
 |
| Freedom Riders pose for a photo with Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum (center, back row) after meeting with her at her Washington office. Photos by Michael Kuchta |
 |
| Abdul Jama, of SEIU Local 26, and Jesus Alcantar, vice president of UFCW Local 1161 in Worthington, listen during a lobbying session Thursday with Congresswoman Betty McCollum. |
 |
| Sarah Greenfield, of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 17, and Jessica Armstrong, of the Jane Addams School for Democracy in St. Paul, join 3,000 people on a mile-long march in Washington Thursday night in support of parking workers in the capital. Some of the workers are unionized, some are not; all say they will strike if they do not receive recognition and a fair contract by Oct. 31. |
Oct. 2: Lobbying Congress for immigration reform
By Barb Kucera
WASHINGTON ? After traveling hundreds of miles by bus from Minnesota, the thrill of seeing the U.S. Capitol was even greater than Amina Arte expected.
?This is my first time in Washington,? the Rochester resident said. ?I?m just looking at this Capitol right now and it?s just wonderful.? Arte and about 80 other Minnesotans participating in the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will be at the Capitol Thursday to lobby for reform of federal immigration law.
The Minnesota buses were first to arrive in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. They were greeted by top officers of the national AFL-CIO and other supporters. Gradually, buses from Los Angeles, Seattle and elsewhere began pulling up.
?There was one bus, then another,? said Lu Samaniego, another Rochester resident. ?There were hugs and there were tears. It was very emotional.?
Arte and Samaniego expect to meet with their Congressman, Republican Gil Gutknecht, to discuss the ride?s goals:
1) Reward work by granting legal status to hardworking, taxpaying, law-abiding immigrant workers already established in the United States;
2) Provide a clear path to citizenship for the newest Americans;
3) Restore labor protections so that all workers, including immigrant workers, have the right to fair treatment on the job;
4) Reunite families in a timely fashion by streamlining outdated immigration policies; and
5) Respect the civil rights and liberties of all so that immigrants are treated equally under the law.
Arte, who was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Somalia, said she learned a lot about these issues during her four days traveling on the bus and stopping in communities along the way.
?We are meeting so many different people,? she told Workday Minnesota by phone from Washington. ?Just telling the different stories has opened people?s eyes. I have learned so many things.?
Samaniego said he will tell members of Congress about the need for family reunification. While he and his wife were able to emigrate to the United States from the Philippines, he has been waiting years for his children to get approval to join them. Just when they thought authorization was forthcoming, the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks occurred and the visa process slowed to a crawl.
?I will speak about my family,? said Samaniego. ?How many years I have waited ? and I?m still waiting for my children.?
 |
| Lu Samaniego, a rider from Rochester, is interviewed by Washington reporters after arriving in the nation's capital. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Read a profile of Amina Arte
Read a profile of Lu Samaniego
Oct. 2: Letter home from Washington
Alison Quito Ziegler, a Twin Cities photographer, sent this letter to friends after arriving in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.
Hello again, this time from Washington,
I just had another experience which illustrated to me the impact of the Freedom Ride. Leaving the big rally which brought together all 900 or so riders, I took a cab over to a friend's apartment here in DC. When the driver asked me why I was in town, and I told him I was here for the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, he got excited. (Apparently there was an NPR piece on it yesterday.)
We immediately connected and started discussing the issues we're riding for. The driver told me his story -- he's been working in the U.S. for 31 years from Pakistan, and hasn't been able to visit his wife and kids for 13 years due to outdated U.S. policies. If he leaves to go visit, he may not be able to re-enter the country, but his family can't get visas to visit him here. Can you imagine not seeing your family for 13 years?
This was similar to many stories I've been hearing all week. The immigrant workers who are separated from their loved ones are the most heartbreaking, and there are a number of them on the bus -- it's not an uncommon occurrence, but it's not something that most of us who take our citizenship for granted normally think about. What became clear to me while talking to the cabbie is how un-invisible this problem has already become to me.
Connecting with other riders on the bus takes away my ability to ignore the problems that face so many in this country. Immigrants are everywhere, working everywhere - cleaning our offices, slaughtering our meat, working in construction or food service or IT. These are services we need in order for our lives to function. But this hard work is done for very little pay, and due to fear of getting nailed by the INS undocumented immigrants are in a very precarious, easily exploitable situation. It's no easier for them to get by on $6.60/hour than it would be for us. And naturally this isn't news to most people, but when you're living in a different social class and these aren't the kinds of people you normally associate with personally, their stories don't reach your ears. Having spent time getting to know these kinds of people this week, and hearing story after story of the injustices that face them in this country, is changing my thinking -- and my vision too.
I haven't said anything yet about what a thrill it was to connect today with the hundreds of riders from the other routes. And how we can shake the walls of a very solid church with our collective screams. But I'm still running on a half-tank of gas, so I'll close this email with another quote. This one is from a Japanese rider from the Seattle bus whose name I didn't catch. She and her family had been held in an internment camp during World War II, and she told (like the others who spoke at different times today) a very powerful and riveting story. She closed with this: "When we say 'liberty and justice for all' we don't mean justice for everyone but them. We mean liberty and justice for everybody everybody everybody."
Good night --
Alison Quito Ziegler
Read Alison's first letter home
 |
| AFL-CIO President John Sweeney welcomes riders from the Minnesota buses. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Oct. 1: Arriving in Washington -- an emotional meeting
By Michael Kuchta
WASHINGTON ? Wednesday began with too many speeches. It ended with too many speeches.
In between were easily the most intense, incredible moments so far, as riders from all 10 routes converged in the nation?s capital to bring their message to the people who need to hear it most. But first, there were celebrations.
Minnesota?s buses got here first ? shortly before 3 p.m. Within an hour and a half, buses from all 10 routes squeezed onto the street. Amid a gauntlet of cheers and media, riders from the different cities poured into a park across from their hotel. They dueled with chants and songs. They hugged. They danced. They took countless pictures. They grabbed yet another meal. They got their hotel assignments (four to a room this time around!).
They felt power, as a police escort blocked freeway traffic for them ? during rush hour even. But mostly they soaked in the praise passed their way for their courage, for building a new movement, for shattering the complacency of the nation.
And they also heard challenge -- to never grow tired, to never give up, to act as one to defend the principle that civil rights belong to everyone. ?Our struggle is not for one day,? said Congressman John Lewis, one of the original 1961 Freedom Riders. ?It?s not for one week. It?s not for one month. It?s not for one year. It is a struggle of a lifetime.?
Maria Elena Durazo, the national chair of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, held up the statement of rights that all riders are wearing. When Border Patrol agents stopped the Los Angeles buses near El Paso, Durazo said, ?They took us down. And they split us apart and interrogated us, and tried to pit us against one another. We held up these cards that say we have rights under the Constitution. And the only noise that came out of our mouths was ?We shall overcome?,? she sang. ? And we heard it from room to room. And it gave us strength.?
 |
 |
| Rocky Sarzoza and Eusebio Perez (above), both of Laborers Local 132 in St. Paul, show their union colors. Dora Orjuela and Jorge Hidalgo, from the church coalition Isaiah, get into the moment during the official welcome for Freedom Riders Wednesday night at Bible Way Temple in Washington, D.C. Congressman John Lewis (below), one of the original Freedom Riders from 1961, challenged the 2003 Freedom Riders during Wednesday night?s official ?welcome?: ?Our struggle is not for one day. It?s not for one week. It?s not for one month. It?s not for one year. It is a struggle of a lifetime.? Photos by Michael Kuchta |
 |
 |
| Maria Silva (center) and other riders from Seattle and Portland crossed paths with Minnesota riders Monday night at St. Stephen?s Community House in Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Two-time freedom rider Davidov in the spotlight
By Michael Kuchta
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Minnesota Freedom Rider Marv Davidov is being singled out at nearly every stop his bus makes. Some of it is because he seems to know someone just about everywhere, the result of five decades of activism and radical pursuit of, in his words, ?the beloved society we desire.?
Baltimore is no exception. At a dinner Tuesday night at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, Davidov noted it was the second time he has been to the parish in the last year. The previous time was the funeral of Philip Berrigan, a longtime friend and noted anti-war activist who served at St. Peter Claver early in his priesthood.
Mostly, the spotlight is a way of honoring Davidov for being one of the original Freedom Riders against the Jim Crow laws of the South in 1961.
Davidov isn?t shy about the attention, though he notes, ?So many other people in Jackson and elsewhere paid a price for that freedom, not just us.?
Davidov is also being generous with other riders in sharing the history he has experienced and the wisdom he has gained.
?Anyone seriously pursuing justice in the United States will have an FBI file,? he told riders. At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, he teaches an ?active or even radical practice of nonviolence to bring a revolution in society.
When he speaks about violence, it?s not just physical violence or military violence. He adds the ?violence of the status quo,? a power structure that promotes routine arrests of targeted people, poverty and ?manipulation of one group against another.?
Which is exactly the status quo the Freedom Ride is trying to change.
As a result of Davidov?s first Freedom Ride, he spent 45 days in Parchment Farm, the maximum-security Mississippi State Penitentiary after being arrested at the Jackson bus station. He has been arrested 50 times since then.
?There are situations in life when you?re alone and must make a moral choice,? he said.
Of course, the 1961 Freedom Riders weren?t alone, even in prison, he noted. ?I wept at the nobility of the people there. It was a blessed moment of human solidarity. I realized there was no other place I should be than with those people taking those risks.?
Davidov says he?s spent the rest of his life seeking similar moments, ?which come from people acting together, taking serious risks together, to push the wheel of social change.?
The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride shows every sign of being one of those moments, he says. ?People are watching us. If we stick with it, if we stay connected, we can make a difference.?
Michael Kuchta is editor of The Union Advocate newspaper in St. Paul. Technology willing, he is reporting daily from the Minnesota route of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride.
 |
| Some of the younger riders soak up some sun during a fuel stop Tuesday in Maryland. |
Wednesday, Oct. 1: 'An incredible journey'
Alison Quito Ziegler is a Twin Cities photographer traveling with the Minnesota group. Read her letter to friends at home, in which she describes the ride as a life-changing experience:
Hi all -- Greetings from Baltimore! I wanted to check in since I know most of you have been expecting to see photos from the Minnesota route of the freedom ride. The good news is, I've been shooting up a storm and have lots of great shots that I'd love to share. The bad news is, we've had nothing but technical difficulties so far on the ride - hoping they'll be rectified when we get to DC tomorrow. I've got my first two days' film developed and am hoping to scan the negs in tomorrow, somewhere, somehow...
But the best news is, the computing wreck we're experiencing has been the ONLY snag in what's been an incredible journey so far. Maybe 'humbling' is a better word to describe it, or 'moving', or 'downright exhausting' [I'm running on 10 hours of sleep over 3 nights right now, so if I sound incoherent there's good reason!]. Perhaps it's due to lack of sleep, but the courage, warmth, strength and good character of my fellow freedom riders, and the wonderful people we've encountered along the route, has moved me to tears half a dozen times in the last three days. Highlights include:
--Waiting outside to enter a rally at a church in Milwaukee, we practiced singing freedom songs. The doors opened for our grand entrance. Not knowing what to expect, we came into a room, plus balcony, entirely packed with hundreds of cheering, screaming supporters waving flags and yelling "si se puede."
--Listening to an oral history of the civil rights movement and the Freedom Rides of 1961 by Marv Davidov, and original freedom rider.
--Late at night at a HoJo in Columbus, Ohio, a group of us sat around, hanging out and discussing our day with some riders from the Portland bus we'd hooked up with for the night. Around the table sat a Hmong, a Somali, a Korean, another Somali, two Southeast Asian girls, an African-American, an Irish-American, and me, a New York Jew. It was the most un-forced moment of natural diversity I've experienced.
--Sharing my seat all afternoon with a friend from Kenya -- as we looked out over West Virginia, he commented on how much that American countryside reminded him of home.
--Practicing my Spanish, which has rapidly returned, with new friends on the Spanish monolingual bus. (I've been switching between the English- and Spanish-language bus.)
--Last night, after a rally in a Columbus community center, the directors let some of us tech-needing folks into their offices to use their computers. The maintenance men were instructed to let us stay as late as we needed to. After their work was done, they were hanging out in the lobby of the building, watching football. I had given up for the evening and went out to talk to them. I asked them if they were being paid overtime to stay late with us. Michael answered, "no, but you guys can stay here as late as you want. We heard your rally and we believe in what you're saying and support you all the way." He gave me tour of the day care center, I gave him an extra freedom ride t-shirt.
--Getting down to James Brown on an impromptu dance party on the bus this afternoon.
--Dancing on the sidewalks of Columbus this morning as we added our support to a Justice for Janitors protest.
But really, the best part of this experience is the time we spend getting to know each other and hearing so many stories. I came on this ride expecting to calmly document the events of the week. By the time we reached the Tyson protest in Jefferson, Wisconsin (our second stop), my objectivity was sorely shaken. Now I sing just as loudly as anyone else.
The links between the civil rights movement of the 60's and what immigrants in this country face today are very, very real. As James Lawson, another of the original freedom riders and now a US Congressman, told the crowd in Milwaukee moments before we walked through the doors (we heard a tape of the speech today), "No human being, in the eyes of God, is illegal. No human being, in the eyes of God, is undocumented." We need to change the way we treat immigrants who come to our country seeking opportunities -- like so many in our own familes' histories.
That's all for now -- I'm so tired I've literally started to get the shakes.
Love to all--
Alison Quito Ziegler
Share
Oct. 3: Riders draw growing media attention
Oct. 2: Lobbying and marching in Washington, D.C.
Oct. 2: Lobbying Congress for immigration reform
Oct. 2: Letter home from Washington
Oct. 1: Arriving in Washington — an emotional meeting
Oct. 1: Two-time freedom rider Davidov in the spotlight
Oct. 1: ‘An incredible journey’
Oct. 3: Riders draw growing media attention
By Michael Kuchta
WASHINGTON – The Freedom Ride isn?t a success unless it generates news coverage that gets people talking about the rights of immigrant workers. From a seat on the Minnesota bus, it seems there?s no doubt the ride is a success.
Reporters are waiting for the buses at every stop ? bathroom breaks excepted. At every stop, selected riders sit and tell their stories one on one ? to television, radio, newspapers, corporate media, ethnic media, labor media.
Nothing?s come close, though, to the gauntlet that awaited us in Washington. In her role as media contact person, it?s up to Kathy Fodness, of SEIU Local 113, to sprint around, tugging riders in front of cameras, microphones and notebooks. As other riders broke into spontaneous celebrations, cameras elbowed their way among them, looking for that elusive best angle.
Of course, riders have had a chance to get used to the attention. Ignore the fact that many have their own cameras and tape recorders.
There are plenty of journalists on the bus with the riders ? embedded, if you will, which takes on a new meaning in Washington hotel rooms, where we?re bunked four to a room.
I?m on the bus, filing for Workday Minnesota. Howard Kling and Randy Croce, of the Labor Education Service at the University of Minnesota, are filming the Minnesota ride not only for local video, but also as part of a national documentary that producers hope to turn into a theatrical release.
Twin Cities freelance photographers Carlos Campos and Alison Quito Ziegler hope to chronicle the ride for later display. Abel Garcia, of Carpenters Local 1392, and Abdulkadi Ali Seef, of the Somali Community Center, are taping the ride for local access cable in Rochester.
Tom Wallace, a photographer for the Star Tribune, has been on the bus all the way from St. Paul. Strib reporter Kristin Tillotson joined us in D.C. and will be going on to New York. David Lee, a photographer for the Washington bureau of US News and World Report, boarded the bus in Baltimore and has been following Minnesota riders around D.C.
Despite the coverage, the irony is that, as riders, we have no idea what?s being said about us. We leave town or are otherwise occupied, so we never see the nightly news or pick up a paper. Access to the Internet is all but impossible.
So keep the VCR ready, and cut out the articles for us, OK?
Oct. 2: Lobbying and marching in Washington, D.C.
|
|
Freedom Riders pose for a photo with Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum (center, back row) after meeting with her at her Washington office. Photos by Michael Kuchta |
|
| Abdul Jama, of SEIU Local 26, and Jesus Alcantar, vice president of UFCW Local 1161 in Worthington, listen during a lobbying session Thursday with Congresswoman Betty McCollum. |
|
| Sarah Greenfield, of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 17, and Jessica Armstrong, of the Jane Addams School for Democracy in St. Paul, join 3,000 people on a mile-long march in Washington Thursday night in support of parking workers in the capital. Some of the workers are unionized, some are not; all say they will strike if they do not receive recognition and a fair contract by Oct. 31. |
Oct. 2: Lobbying Congress for immigration reform
By Barb Kucera
WASHINGTON ? After traveling hundreds of miles by bus from Minnesota, the thrill of seeing the U.S. Capitol was even greater than Amina Arte expected.
?This is my first time in Washington,? the Rochester resident said. ?I?m just looking at this Capitol right now and it?s just wonderful.? Arte and about 80 other Minnesotans participating in the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will be at the Capitol Thursday to lobby for reform of federal immigration law.
The Minnesota buses were first to arrive in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. They were greeted by top officers of the national AFL-CIO and other supporters. Gradually, buses from Los Angeles, Seattle and elsewhere began pulling up.
?There was one bus, then another,? said Lu Samaniego, another Rochester resident. ?There were hugs and there were tears. It was very emotional.?
Arte and Samaniego expect to meet with their Congressman, Republican Gil Gutknecht, to discuss the ride?s goals:
1) Reward work by granting legal status to hardworking, taxpaying, law-abiding immigrant workers already established in the United States;
2) Provide a clear path to citizenship for the newest Americans;
3) Restore labor protections so that all workers, including immigrant workers, have the right to fair treatment on the job;
4) Reunite families in a timely fashion by streamlining outdated immigration policies; and
5) Respect the civil rights and liberties of all so that immigrants are treated equally under the law.
Arte, who was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Somalia, said she learned a lot about these issues during her four days traveling on the bus and stopping in communities along the way.
?We are meeting so many different people,? she told Workday Minnesota by phone from Washington. ?Just telling the different stories has opened people?s eyes. I have learned so many things.?
Samaniego said he will tell members of Congress about the need for family reunification. While he and his wife were able to emigrate to the United States from the Philippines, he has been waiting years for his children to get approval to join them. Just when they thought authorization was forthcoming, the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks occurred and the visa process slowed to a crawl.
?I will speak about my family,? said Samaniego. ?How many years I have waited ? and I?m still waiting for my children.?
|
|
Lu Samaniego, a rider from Rochester, is interviewed by Washington reporters after arriving in the nation’s capital. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Read a profile of Amina Arte
Read a profile of Lu Samaniego
Oct. 2: Letter home from Washington
Alison Quito Ziegler, a Twin Cities photographer, sent this letter to friends after arriving in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.
Hello again, this time from Washington,
I just had another experience which illustrated to me the impact of the Freedom Ride. Leaving the big rally which brought together all 900 or so riders, I took a cab over to a friend’s apartment here in DC. When the driver asked me why I was in town, and I told him I was here for the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, he got excited. (Apparently there was an NPR piece on it yesterday.)
We immediately connected and started discussing the issues we’re riding for. The driver told me his story — he’s been working in the U.S. for 31 years from Pakistan, and hasn’t been able to visit his wife and kids for 13 years due to outdated U.S. policies. If he leaves to go visit, he may not be able to re-enter the country, but his family can’t get visas to visit him here. Can you imagine not seeing your family for 13 years?
This was similar to many stories I’ve been hearing all week. The immigrant workers who are separated from their loved ones are the most heartbreaking, and there are a number of them on the bus — it’s not an uncommon occurrence, but it’s not something that most of us who take our citizenship for granted normally think about. What became clear to me while talking to the cabbie is how un-invisible this problem has already become to me.
Connecting with other riders on the bus takes away my ability to ignore the problems that face so many in this country. Immigrants are everywhere, working everywhere – cleaning our offices, slaughtering our meat, working in construction or food service or IT. These are services we need in order for our lives to function. But this hard work is done for very little pay, and due to fear of getting nailed by the INS undocumented immigrants are in a very precarious, easily exploitable situation. It’s no easier for them to get by on $6.60/hour than it would be for us. And naturally this isn’t news to most people, but when you’re living in a different social class and these aren’t the kinds of people you normally associate with personally, their stories don’t reach your ears. Having spent time getting to know these kinds of people this week, and hearing story after story of the injustices that face them in this country, is changing my thinking — and my vision too.
I haven’t said anything yet about what a thrill it was to connect today with the hundreds of riders from the other routes. And how we can shake the walls of a very solid church with our collective screams. But I’m still running on a half-tank of gas, so I’ll close this email with another quote. This one is from a Japanese rider from the Seattle bus whose name I didn’t catch. She and her family had been held in an internment camp during World War II, and she told (like the others who spoke at different times today) a very powerful and riveting story. She closed with this: “When we say ‘liberty and justice for all’ we don’t mean justice for everyone but them. We mean liberty and justice for everybody everybody everybody.”
Good night —
Alison Quito Ziegler
Read Alison’s first letter home
|
|
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney welcomes riders from the Minnesota buses. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Oct. 1: Arriving in Washington — an emotional meeting
By Michael Kuchta
WASHINGTON ? Wednesday began with too many speeches. It ended with too many speeches.
In between were easily the most intense, incredible moments so far, as riders from all 10 routes converged in the nation?s capital to bring their message to the people who need to hear it most. But first, there were celebrations.
Minnesota?s buses got here first ? shortly before 3 p.m. Within an hour and a half, buses from all 10 routes squeezed onto the street. Amid a gauntlet of cheers and media, riders from the different cities poured into a park across from their hotel. They dueled with chants and songs. They hugged. They danced. They took countless pictures. They grabbed yet another meal. They got their hotel assignments (four to a room this time around!).
They felt power, as a police escort blocked freeway traffic for them ? during rush hour even. But mostly they soaked in the praise passed their way for their courage, for building a new movement, for shattering the complacency of the nation.
And they also heard challenge — to never grow tired, to never give up, to act as one to defend the principle that civil rights belong to everyone. ?Our struggle is not for one day,? said Congressman John Lewis, one of the original 1961 Freedom Riders. ?It?s not for one week. It?s not for one month. It?s not for one year. It is a struggle of a lifetime.?
Maria Elena Durazo, the national chair of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, held up the statement of rights that all riders are wearing. When Border Patrol agents stopped the Los Angeles buses near El Paso, Durazo said, ?They took us down. And they split us apart and interrogated us, and tried to pit us against one another. We held up these cards that say we have rights under the Constitution. And the only noise that came out of our mouths was ?We shall overcome?,? she sang. ? And we heard it from room to room. And it gave us strength.?
|
|
|
Rocky Sarzoza and Eusebio Perez (above), both of Laborers Local 132 in St. Paul, show their union colors. Dora Orjuela and Jorge Hidalgo, from the church coalition Isaiah, get into the moment during the official welcome for Freedom Riders Wednesday night at Bible Way Temple in Washington, D.C. Congressman John Lewis (below), one of the original Freedom Riders from 1961, challenged the 2003 Freedom Riders during Wednesday night?s official ?welcome?: ?Our struggle is not for one day. It?s not for one week. It?s not for one month. It?s not for one year. It is a struggle of a lifetime.? Photos by Michael Kuchta |
|
|
|
Maria Silva (center) and other riders from Seattle and Portland crossed paths with Minnesota riders Monday night at St. Stephen?s Community House in Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Michael Kuchta |
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Two-time freedom rider Davidov in the spotlight
By Michael Kuchta
BALTIMORE, Md. — Minnesota Freedom Rider Marv Davidov is being singled out at nearly every stop his bus makes. Some of it is because he seems to know someone just about everywhere, the result of five decades of activism and radical pursuit of, in his words, ?the beloved society we desire.?
Baltimore is no exception. At a dinner Tuesday night at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, Davidov noted it was the second time he has been to the parish in the last year. The previous time was the funeral of Philip Berrigan, a longtime friend and noted anti-war activist who served at St. Peter Claver early in his priesthood.
Mostly, the spotlight is a way of honoring Davidov for being one of the original Freedom Riders against the Jim Crow laws of the South in 1961.
Davidov isn?t shy about the attention, though he notes, ?So many other people in Jackson and elsewhere paid a price for that freedom, not just us.?
Davidov is also being generous with other riders in sharing the history he has experienced and the wisdom he has gained.
?Anyone seriously pursuing justice in the United States will have an FBI file,? he told riders. At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, he teaches an ?active or even radical practice of nonviolence to bring a revolution in society.
When he speaks about violence, it?s not just physical violence or military violence. He adds the ?violence of the status quo,? a power structure that promotes routine arrests of targeted people, poverty and ?manipulation of one group against another.?
Which is exactly the status quo the Freedom Ride is trying to change.
As a result of Davidov?s first Freedom Ride, he spent 45 days in Parchment Farm, the maximum-security Mississippi State Penitentiary after being arrested at the Jackson bus station. He has been arrested 50 times since then.
?There are situations in life when you?re alone and must make a moral choice,? he said.
Of course, the 1961 Freedom Riders weren?t alone, even in prison, he noted. ?I wept at the nobility of the people there. It was a blessed moment of human solidarity. I realized there was no other place I should be than with those people taking those risks.?
Davidov says he?s spent the rest of his life seeking similar moments, ?which come from people acting together, taking serious risks together, to push the wheel of social change.?
The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride shows every sign of being one of those moments, he says. ?People are watching us. If we stick with it, if we stay connected, we can make a difference.?
Michael Kuchta is editor of The Union Advocate newspaper in St. Paul. Technology willing, he is reporting daily from the Minnesota route of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride.
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| Some of the younger riders soak up some sun during a fuel stop Tuesday in Maryland. |
Wednesday, Oct. 1: ‘An incredible journey’
Alison Quito Ziegler is a Twin Cities photographer traveling with the Minnesota group. Read her letter to friends at home, in which she describes the ride as a life-changing experience:
Hi all — Greetings from Baltimore! I wanted to check in since I know most of you have been expecting to see photos from the Minnesota route of the freedom ride. The good news is, I’ve been shooting up a storm and have lots of great shots that I’d love to share. The bad news is, we’ve had nothing but technical difficulties so far on the ride – hoping they’ll be rectified when we get to DC tomorrow. I’ve got my first two days’ film developed and am hoping to scan the negs in tomorrow, somewhere, somehow…
But the best news is, the computing wreck we’re experiencing has been the ONLY snag in what’s been an incredible journey so far. Maybe ‘humbling’ is a better word to describe it, or ‘moving’, or ‘downright exhausting’ [I’m running on 10 hours of sleep over 3 nights right now, so if I sound incoherent there’s good reason!]. Perhaps it’s due to lack of sleep, but the courage, warmth, strength and good character of my fellow freedom riders, and the wonderful people we’ve encountered along the route, has moved me to tears half a dozen times in the last three days. Highlights include:
–Waiting outside to enter a rally at a church in Milwaukee, we practiced singing freedom songs. The doors opened for our grand entrance. Not knowing what to expect, we came into a room, plus balcony, entirely packed with hundreds of cheering, screaming supporters waving flags and yelling “si se puede.”
–Listening to an oral history of the civil rights movement and the Freedom Rides of 1961 by Marv Davidov, and original freedom rider.
–Late at night at a HoJo in Columbus, Ohio, a group of us sat around, hanging out and discussing our day with some riders from the Portland bus we’d hooked up with for the night. Around the table sat a Hmong, a Somali, a Korean, another Somali, two Southeast Asian girls, an African-American, an Irish-American, and me, a New York Jew. It was the most un-forced moment of natural diversity I’ve experienced.
–Sharing my seat all afternoon with a friend from Kenya — as we looked out over West Virginia, he commented on how much that American countryside reminded him of home.
–Practicing my Spanish, which has rapidly returned, with new friends on the Spanish monolingual bus. (I’ve been switching between the English- and Spanish-language bus.)
–Last night, after a rally in a Columbus community center, the directors let some of us tech-needing folks into their offices to use their computers. The maintenance men were instructed to let us stay as late as we needed to. After their work was done, they were hanging out in the lobby of the building, watching football. I had given up for the evening and went out to talk to them. I asked them if they were being paid overtime to stay late with us. Michael answered, “no, but you guys can stay here as late as you want. We heard your rally and we believe in what you’re saying and support you all the way.” He gave me tour of the day care center, I gave him an extra freedom ride t-shirt.
–Getting down to James Brown on an impromptu dance party on the bus this afternoon.
–Dancing on the sidewalks of Columbus this morning as we added our support to a Justice for Janitors protest.
But really, the best part of this experience is the time we spend getting to know each other and hearing so many stories. I came on this ride expecting to calmly document the events of the week. By the time we reached the Tyson protest in Jefferson, Wisconsin (our second stop), my objectivity was sorely shaken. Now I sing just as loudly as anyone else.
The links between the civil rights movement of the 60’s and what immigrants in this country face today are very, very real. As James Lawson, another of the original freedom riders and now a US Congressman, told the crowd in Milwaukee moments before we walked through the doors (we heard a tape of the speech today), “No human being, in the eyes of God, is illegal. No human being, in the eyes of God, is undocumented.” We need to change the way we treat immigrants who come to our country seeking opportunities — like so many in our own familes’ histories.
That’s all for now — I’m so tired I’ve literally started to get the shakes.
Love to all–
Alison Quito Ziegler