For Immediate Release
November 15th 2013
Contact:
Dae Joong Yoon, NAKASEC, 213-434-4267, djyoon@nakasec.org
Emily Kessel, NAKASEC, 651-399-9016 eakessel@nakasec.org
Congresswoman Judy Chu Pays a Visit to the Fast for Families
Washington, DC– On Thursday, November 14, Congresswoman Judy Chu, along with Representative Luis Gutierrez and Senator Charles Schumer, paid a visit to the Fast for Families site in the National Mall to meet with fasters for fair immigration reform. Participants formed a circle to share their stories and reasons for joining the fast.
Representative Chu thanked the fasters for their dedication to the fast and urged them to use the momentum to keep the pressure up on Boehner. She mentioned the importance of connecting real stories and faces with immigration reform dialogue, and discussed the need for pressure to be coming from everywhere. The diverse group of fasters ranged from national labor leader Eliseo Medina and Dae Joong Yoon, the executive director of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium.
Representative Gutierrez was inspired by the courage of the fasters and was almost moved to tears.
Representative Chu recalled a recent story about two children who had confronted Boehner at breakfast about why he would not bring an immigration reform policy to the floor for a vote. Moved by the touching stories of the fasters, she wrote a message for the prayer banner in the tent and took one of the banners back with her congressional office.
With the send-off of Tredayne Bengil Cabinlit on Day 3 and the anticipated arrival of Sang Hyug Jung on Day 4 of the fast, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium urged the Asian American the community to support the fasters by participating in a solidarity fast or calling Boehner’s office today at: (202)-225-0600 to remind him that we need a fair immigration system now.
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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).
