Texas rally for immigrant rights

Charhonda Williams, director of the Houston Peace and Justice Center; Hector Chavana, Jr., head of La Raza Justice Movement, and Jose Orta, organizer against the Hutto Prison. WW photo: Gloria Rubac

Activists and neighborhood families gathered together in Northeast Houston on Aug. 29 to hold a powerful rally for immigrant rights despite a counterprotest by the right-wing Minutemen. Organized by La Raza Justice Movement, the rally included activists from around Texas, including Jose Orta from Taylor, Texas, an organizer against the T. Don Hutto Prison, which houses immigrant families seeking asylum.

Organizer and rally chair Hector Chavana Jr. commented after the rally ended: “The crowd was a good mix of active people from around the city and neighborhood residents. I know that we inspired many people, and we got many names of neighbors, who we hope will continue in the struggle. Our speakers, poets and mariachis electrified the crowd and Los Minutemen backed down and left, and that was the end of that. In the end, we accomplished our goals.”

Supporting organizations included the Central American Resource Center, Alianza Mexicana por una Reforma Migratoria, several LULAC chapters, Museo Guadalupe Aztlan, and the Pacifica radio shows “Proyecto Latino Americano” and “Nuestra Palabra.”