Power That Feeds the Soul

by Yonayda Rodas, Advocacy Intern at YWCA San Francisco & Marin and junior at San Rafael High School, originally published in their blog here.A reflection on San Rafael’s May Day immigration rally:On Monday, May 1st, I was fortunate enough to be able to march alongside my fellow immigrants. The energy around us was not one of hate and violence, despite all the shouting, but one of peace and serenity. With every shout and cheer from the crowd I felt more and more uplifted to keep on marching and the blazing sun wasn’t going to stop us. The red cards my fellow friends and I handed out stated the rights immigrants in this country have towards ICE and each card that was passed gave people more hope towards almost any situation they were facing. I was surrounded by hardworking and inspiring people who had dreams and goals in life and who were not willing to give up or to look back but to continue to move forward facing the obstacles that stood between them and their dreams. People of all different ages attended the march. Some were mothers who had come with children and others were teenagers like me who were curious about what they can do to stand up for what they believe is right. It didn’t matter how old you were or from what country you had migrated, we were all there for the same cause and that made me feel entirely whole. It can be argued that these types of marches do not do anything for the community but they are wrong because once an individual realizes that they do not stand alone, they will do all that it takes to get the rights that they deserve. I shall always remember this day as one of true significance and of power that feeds the soul. Visit our Action Center to call on your Assembly Member to support the California Values Act, SB 54.