RELEASE: Fast for Families Leaders Continue Discussions on Immigration Reform for Three Days in Michigan

Press Release
For Immediate Release:
March 28, 2014
Contact:
Emily Kessel, NAKASEC, eakessel@nakasec.org

Fast for Families Leaders Continue Discussions on Immigration Reform for Three Days in Michigan

Grand Rapid, Michigan– On Thursday, March 27, Fast for Families made its final Michigan stop in Grand Rapids, after visiting Kalamazoo and Lansing, before departing for Cincinnati, Ohio (part of Speaker John Boehner’s congressional district). Fast for Families’ Dae Joong (DJ) Yoon (NAKASEC) and Susan Sandoval (Fast for Families) were joined by Grand Rapids leaders Reyna Garcia and Cyndi Hicks for telephone and in-person meetings with staff from Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga and Justin Amash.

“We need Representatives Huizenga and Amash to understand that their constituents, families like mine in their districts, are being harmed everyday that they delay the vote on immigration reform,” stated Cyndi Hicks, whose family is threatened by the broken immigration system. “It’s time to prioritize the needs of our families and communities and vote for immigration reform that supports both.”

At the evening community meeting, Andrew Kim from the Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote- Michigan (APIA-Vote MI) said, “Our organization has been preparing for the arrival of the Fast for Families Across America Tour by organizing AAPIs in Michigan around the importance of immigration reform. This is an American issue, which includes AAPI.”

Theresa Tham, executive director of APIA Vote-MI, shared a similar message at the press conference in Lansing on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lansing and on a google hangout with Congresswoman Judy Chu: “Two-thirds of our community are immigrants and this means that immigration reform is an issue that hits home for many of us.”

Please see a tweet about Andrew Kim: http://bit.ly/1l8Yky2

The bus tour was hosted by the West Michigan Immigration Reform Coalition and Michigan United.

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Campaign Overview
On January 27, 2014, Fast for Families Across America launched its second phase with plans to visit over 100 Congressional districts in all. For one month, fly-ins was organized to reach over 25 key Congressional members. On February 24, 2014, the campaign kicked off its two-bus nationwide tour in Los Angeles. “Fast for Families” leader DJ Yoon (NAKASEC) is traveling on the northern route with Susana Sandoval (Fast for Families) who joined after Rudy Lopez (Fair Immigration Reform Movement), while leaders Eliseo Medina (Fast for Families) and Cristian Avila (Mi Familia Vota) are traveling on the southern route for the entirety of the tour. Stopping at more than 75 districts with daily events calling for Congressional action on immigration reform, the two buses will meet in Washington DC in April.

“Fast for Families” reignited the immigration debate last November when Eliseo Medina (Fast for Families), DJ Yoon (NAKASEC), Rudy Lopez (FIRM) and Cristian Avila (Mi Familia Vota) —abstained from all food, except water for 22 days in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall. The campaign calls for Congressional action for just and humane immigration reform.

Fast for Families” video can be found here and at http://www.fast4families.org/pressvideo

AAPI Google Hangout video from Tuesday, March 26 with Congresswoman Judy Chu can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZeExZljsyw

Visit www.fast4families.org for more information and follow us on twitter for the latest updates @nakasec @djnakasec @fast4families

The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans on major social justice issues. NAKASEC maintains offices in Annandale, Virginia and Los Angeles, California. NAKASEC has affiliates in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center) and Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center).