Hi all!
Considering that three-quarters of immigrants to the United States are women and children, more than 1,200 women from 70 organizations are fasting in 35 states for immigration reform that keeps families together and treats women fairly.
The month of fasting will culminate April 7-9th when 100 women will fast in DC for 48 hours.
Every day this week, MomsRising.org will share stories by the fasters here with the Daily Kos community. Please show your support for the fasters in the comments section below and sign this MoveOn petition urging Speaker Boehner to meet with these courageous women!
Below the fold are a few testimonials by women in North Carolina, California and D.C. on why they partook in the fast this month.
Dani Moore, North Carolina, "I am fasting as a mother, a granddaughter, and a North Carolina activist"
"I cannot imagine what it would be like to face years of separation from my 11-year-old son. To have missed his first words, or his first day of Kindergarten. I know it is a privilege to be able to live with him every day, with a roof over our head, clean clothes, plenty to eat, and to be able to watch him grow and build our lives together. There are too many families that I know in North Carolina who don't have this opportunity."
Erin Oshiro, Washington, D.C., "I am fasting to repair a broken immigration system that ignores the ties of family and love"
"I’m fasting as a woman, a mom, and as the great-granddaughter of Japanese, Irish and Italian immigrants. The majority of immigrants in the U.S. are women and children. Neither they nor their loved ones ensnared in the family-visa backlogs can wait another day for Congress to reform our broken immigration system. I’m fasting for the millions of families separated by red tape, bureaucracy and unrelenting enforcement that ignores the ties of family and love. I'm also fasting to honor my mom and all the women in my family who made me the person I am today."
Lupe Rodriguez, California, "I am fasting for compassion towards immigrant families"
"As a first-generation immigrant who came to the US from Mexico as a 3-year-old, I know firsthand what it is like to have the dream of a better life in the US. My father had come to the US before us to work in the fields, but it wasn't until we found that my brother had a condition that impeded him from walking, that the rest of my family decided to come to the US as well. Without a proper diagnosis for his condition, and with hopes of getting him the care he needed, we came to stay with relatives who already lived in San Jose, CA. After accessing medical services that helped us figure out that my brother had the degenerative condition, we knew we would not be able to have a life in Mexico. My family was lucky enough to benefit from the amnesty policies."
What is your family's history? Share them in the comments below! And click here to sign the petition urging Speaker Boehner to meet with the women fasters in DC in April.