Reported By Women: July 13
At the end of June, our team ventured to Washington Park along with 4,500 others to make a statement about recent immigration practices. Take a look at some moments from the day.
Keep Families Together Rally
Reporting by Heather Willins. Photography by Dyah Miller.
On Saturday, June 30, approximately 4,500 people descended on Washington Park, the epicenter of the Over-the-Rhine community in downtown Cincinnati. It was a hot day, the air was very still, and all of those people standing around the gazebo at the center of the park created even more heat. Why was everyone bearing the extreme weather? Many major cities throughout the country planned and organized rallies to protest against the current immigration policies of the United States, the most controversial being the policy that children were to be separated from their parents or adult caretakers upon their detainment.
When they realized there was no rally planned for Cincinnati, locals Emma Drongowski, Ali Trianfo, Laura Zweig, and Umeirra Savani began reaching out and organizing quickly, working in tandem with organizations like The Welcome Project, Heartfelt Tidbits, Su Casa Hispanic Center, Amnesty International, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, several labor unions, and more.
Spanish and English flowed together in each speech, demonstrating that this is truly a nation with no official language.
After several speakers took the main stage, they broke out into different parts of the park, giving attendees an opportunity to learn more about immigration – a “teach-in.”
By not taking the stage themselves, the organizers hoped to create an atmosphere where the people most affected by these immigration policies could use the space to speak about their experiences. An interfaith prayer kicked off the event, lead by Rabbi Lindsey Danziger, Imam Ismaeel Chartier, and Reverend Alan Dicken. Veronica Montes Aguirre and Suleima Dimas recited a poem about a child’s immigration experience. Heyra Avila spoke about her inspiring experiences as a child of immigrants and receiving Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). José Cabrera shared his own memories of immigrating to the United States. Spanish and English flowed together in each speech, demonstrating that this is truly a nation with no official language. Several other speakers – including labor union representatives – took the stage last to rally the audience: “Unidos luchamos; unidos ganamos!” United we fight; united we win.
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