For Immediate Release
November 20, 2013
Contact: Emily Kessel, NAKASEC, eakessel@nakasec.org
Republican Jeff Denham and Reverend Jesse Jackson Visit the Fast for Families
Washington D.C.—As the ninth day of the Fast for Families fast comes to a close, the steadfast commitment of the immigration reform fasters has captured significant attention on the Hill.
This afternoon, Republican Congressman Jeff Denham paid a surprise visit to the tent, further expressing his strong backing of immigration reform. Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, grateful for his visit, asked congressman to show leadership within the GOP and urge Speaker Boehner to call a vote on immigration reform before the end of the year.
Prior to Denham’s visit, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ (CHC) Chairman Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) and Representatives Luis Gutierrez (IL-04), Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Joe Garca (FL-26) and Juan Vargas (CA-51) also came by to show their support. Shedding light on the visit of 200 Dreamers to Speaker Boehner’s house this morning, Representative Gutierrez declared that immigration reform was not dead because the spirit of the fasters keeps it alive and well.
Members of Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR), DREAMers of Virginia, faith community, unions, and advocacy organizations stopped by the Fast for Families tent on their walk from Arlington, Virginia to the Capitol to deliver petitions to Congressman Eric Cantor (VA-7).
Yesterday, on Tuesday, November 19, civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson led a service for fasters and activists at the Fast for Families tent. During his visit, he announced his personal commitment to join the fast for 3 days.
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Related Past Press Releases
11/12: NAKASEC Joins the National ‘Fast for Families’ at Capitol’s Doorstep
11/15: Congresswoman Judy Chu Pays a Visit to the Fast for Families
Photos
Below: Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU (left) on his 9th day of fasting, and civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson (right) share words at the fasting tent.
Below: Rep. Jeff Denham (center right) listens to fasters at the tent.
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).
