For Immediate Release Contacts:
June 18, 2007 Jeong Yeon Hong, 323-937-3703
100 Pro-Immigration Reform “Dreamers” Arrive in D.C. to Put a Human Face on the Immigration Debate
This welcoming event, organized by Casa de Maryland, SEIU 32 BJ, and the National Capitol Immigration Coalition, was followed by a press conference featuring Dreamers, elected officials and immigration movement leaders. Major media attention has greeted the Dreamers on every leg of this tour, putting human faces and stories to the issue of just and humane immigration reform.
“The Dreams Across America Tour has held a mirror to the American people and reflected back an American story that we all experience about sacrifices, family, tradition, and dreams. This Tour is made timelier by the stalled immigration reform debate in Congress. The Dreamers’ stories speak directly to the need for just & humane immigration reform,” stated EunSook Lee, Executive Director, NAKASEC.
As one of the six anchoring organizations, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium and our affiliates – Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles, Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago, and YKASEC – Empowering the Korean American Community in Flushing – recruited five Korean Americans to be “Dreamers”.
“In the same way that the Korean War separated my family, today’s immigration policy is separating immigrant families and it is a new war against humanity. I got on this train with the dream of creating a society where families, not politics, are considered the priority, workers are paid appropriately, children are free to reach their full potential, and people are treated with respect & granted equal rights regardless of their immigration status,” said Hee Pok Kim, a Korean American Dreamer from Los Angeles.
“When I came to the US 40 years ago, I felt welcomed. Many people warmly invited me to their place and treated me well. I do not feel that America is the same welcoming place anymore. I boarded the train to keep alive the hope for families in my church to be reunited but also for a more just society that welcomes every immigrant who works hard to make substantial contributions to this country,” said Rev. Mie Hae Rhee, A Korean American Dreamer from Chicago.
Bios are attached. Interviews available upon request. Contact Jeong Yeon Hong at 323-937-3703, extension 204.
The Dreams Across America Tour is a national public awareness campaign to put human faces and stories to the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. One hundred diverse individuals have rode the rails, telling their compelling stories to reinforce what still holds true today – no matter our backgrounds, immigrant or native born, we all cherish the values that make this country prosper. However, only by working together to address our nation’s broken immigration laws, can we continue to achieve and live the American dream. Watch more stories and sign our petition at www.dreamsacrossamericaonline.org.
The mission of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) is to project a national progressive voice on major civil rights and immigrant rights issues and promote the full participation of Korean Americans in American society. NAKASEC was founded as a consortium in 1994 by local community centers that realized that only be coming together can we build and contribute to a national movement for civil rights. They are the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles, the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago and YKASEC – Empowering the Korean American Community in New York.
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