Wisconsin marchers support immigrants

A 300-person-strong march was held in support of immigrants’ rights in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 11. The march was organized under the auspices of the José Rea campaign. Rea is a candidate for Madison City Council, District 14 — an ethnically diverse, working-class neighborhood. Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement organizers and Workers World Party friends attended.

Starting in Brittingham Park at midday, participants marched a mile north to the Dane County Executive Office where several speeches and performances were given. The Omeyocan Dance Company performed a traditional Aztec dance, and later the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin gave a dance performance.

The event was a powerful testament to the fighting spirit of the multinational working class. Multiple self-identified Latinx women took to the microphone, and most speeches were in both Spanish and English. One college student read “A Litany for Survival,” a poem by the Black feminist-socialist poet Audre Lorde. Many revolutionary groups were present.

Groups supporting the immigrants’ rights march included Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine and other anti-Zionist organizers. The cause of anti-Zionism has unfortunately been stymied in Madison until fairly recently. Pro-Palestine signs brought an international perspective, further connecting the struggles of oppressed communities at home and abroad.

For more information on upcoming peoples’ events in Wisconsin, visit www.wibailoutpeople.org or facebook.com/workersworldpartywisconsin.