NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In response to anti-immigrant executive orders and laws, a new group of young people has emerged in Nashville. Their mission is to advocate for their parents and the wider immigrant community, who they say are constantly attacked.
Color by color, you can see the pride in the faces coming together to stand for what they believe in.
“Show the older generation comfort and give them a realization that you can speak up, that it's okay to speak up,” said Hijos de Immigrantes Co-Founder Stephanie Alas. “That we don't have to be scared, or we don't have to sit down and just be quiet during these times.”
These are times when anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation have taken center stage.
“We're going to continue to do the work that needs to be done to help our community,” Alas said.
This includes astate billthreatening to deny undocumented children the right to learn.
“These are kids that we're talking about; they deserve education,” said Hijos de Immigrantes Co-Founder Gisselle Huerta.
That’s why they want to amplify the messages on their posters.
The new organization, Hijos de Immigrantes, or Children of Immigrants, is gearing up to march to the state capitol on Saturday.
“As hard as you might try, we're not going anywhere,” said member Luis Jimenez.
What unites everyone here is a shared sentiment: pride in being children of immigrants.
Huerta’s parents immigrated from Mexico in 1998, and it took them 25 years to get legal status.
“I'm really, really proud of my parents, who migrated here, crossed many barriers, and left family behind to give me a better life.”
Jimenez's parents arrived in Shelbyville 25 years ago. His mom missed both her parents' funerals because the process to get a green card didn’t finalize until last year.
“My parents are both from Mexico, and honestly, I wear that proudly. There were times growing up that I didn't,” said Jimenez.
Alas's parents met in the U.S. in the '90s after moving from El Salvador and Mexico. It took them more than a decade to become permanent residents.
“I am the daughter of immigrants,” explained Alas. “But that doesn't devalue who I am as an American, too.”
They’re inviting everyone to join them in proudly standing up for those they say sacrificed everything for the American Dream.
“We can make a change, but it’s not something one person can do alone. Two people can’t do it either,” added Huerta. “We need a whole community to come together to do it.”
The group will meet at Wissioto Park at 2 p.m. They plan to march to the state capitol and hold a rally there at 2:30 PM.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
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