CHICAGO, IL (WBBM Newsradio) - A multi-racial coalition of community organizations gathered in Chicago’s Chinatown on Thursday, to encourage other groups that might be working alone in opposition of Trump policies, to join them under the banner ‘Allies United’.
Marty Castro is President & CEO of the non-profit Casa Central, he was also the first Latino to serve as chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights under then President Barack Obama.
Castro says that the Allies United coalition doesn’t just serve the needs of immigrants, it’s about protecting the civil rights of every American under the Trump Administration.
“We are the resistance, we’re not traitors, we are not insurrectionists, we are not terrorists. We are the true patriots, we are the true Americans; coming together, we are standing up for the true principles that this country was founded on,” said Castro.
Thy Nguyen is the vice president of impact and advocacy for the Chinese American Service League (CASL). This meeting took place at his organization’s headquarters, joined by the leaders from dozens of community organizations that focus on the needs of Black, Brown, Asian, and immigrant residents.
“Together, we’re building. We’re learning from each other and coming together as a collective.” said Nguyen.
During the press conference at CASL, Allies United leaders announced that not only will they participate in a nationwide ‘blackout’ on Friday (no spending, no work, no school) but they will also be taking a group to Minneapolis and joining services at area churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Dr. Dilara Sayeed is President of the Muslim Civic Coalition.
“We understand in Chicago, we stand in solidarity with our heartland brothers and sisters. We are showing up for them, we are actually coming to them,” said Dr. Sayeed.
Allies United gathered at CASL to not only to recruit others to join them or to paint a more inclusive picture of who is being targeted during immigration enforcement efforts but to also celebrate and take some credit in the removal of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino from his most recent post.
Linda Tortolero is President & CEO of the Illinois Latino Agenda.
“Greg Bovino’s removal from Minnesota demonstrates that our voices matter but we can’t let one step forward stop our collective action, our fight must continue. Let us be brave together, everyday we show up and speak out we’re one step closer to unmasking their operation and shining light on the true purpose of their actions,” said Tortolero.
Ahmadou “Mo” Dramé, is director for the Illinois Justice Project.
“We’ve got a long history of these things occurring in our nation, a long history and spirit of people across communities, across racial groups, identities… coming together to try and seek our better angels,” said Dramé.
Convened by the Illinois Latino Agenda and Two-Thirds United as part of their statewide Allies United initiative, speakers addressed escalating civil rights threats, including increased ICE activity and racial profiling, issuing a unified call for communities to mobilize ahead of the March primary and November midterm elections.