Keeping the Spirit Alive

WASHINGTON, D.C.

To impress on Congress the need to reform immigration policies, 900 activists from AFSCME and other organizations arrived here by bus in October for two days of rallies and lobbying in behalf of the nationwide Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. Among the participants were over two dozen AFSCME members from Washington, California and Florida.

Vicky Hall, a Miami-Dade County bus driver for 21 years and a member of Local 1184 (Council 79), says the experience has "fired me up. I wanted to honor the Freedom Riders of the civil rights movement who risked their lives so we can be free. I want to be part of that history. Today, we're still struggling for the same rights, in the face of greater difficulties. But we've got to keep on fighting." The 10-day "ride" culminated in a huge rally in New York's Flushing Meadow on Oct. 4.