Fast for Our Families

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Why We Are Fasting

On New Year’s Eve, a half dozen of us had our last meal and entered St. Ann’s Mission in Naranja, Florida, just south of Miami. We have vowed to consume only liquids and not eat another meal until the Obama Administration hears the voices of all the families torn apart by deportation. We need the Administration to act in its executive authority now to:

1. Suspend the deportation of immigrants with American families, especially families with U.S. citizen children or spouses until Congress acts to fix the broken immigration system. 

2. Send the Secretary of Homeland Security to South Florida to meet with us, the fasters, and hear from us firsthand the conditions that moved us to fast.

In the meantime, we will continue our fast indefinitely. We are asking all those of conscience, especially those that are losing a friend or family member to the broken immigration system, to join us in the Fast for Our Families.

Support the Trail of DREAMs

On January 1st, 2010, a small team of brave, passionate young immigrant students from Florida’s Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) will embark on a 4-month long, 1,500 mile walk – the Trail of Dreams. As they travel through the southeastern United States, this courageous group will be seeking meetings with political and civic leaders, joining in rallies and vigils, and reaching out to the media - galvanizing support for immigration policy reform in communities that might otherwise be without a voice.       

Visit the Trail of DREAMs at: http://trailofdreams.net/Home.html

January 17, 2010 Vigil



1 de Enero, hambrientos por la justicia, empezamos el ayuno por nuestras familias.
On January 1st, hungry for justice, we started the Fast for our Families.

17 días después, esta chispa desencadeno un movimiento nacional.
Seventeen (17) days later, this sparked a national movement.

FAST FOR OUR FAMILIES

January 17, 2010

 

Masters of Ceremony: 

Elvira Carvajal, Farmworker Association of Florida

Subhash Kateel, Florida Immigrant Coalition

 

Bienvenida:

María Rodríguez, Florida Immigrant Coalition

 

Reconocimiento:

Padre Monsignor Pedro Garcia, St. Anne’s Mission

 

“Carta”:  Wilfredo Mendoza, Miami Workers Center

 

Moment of Silence for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

 

Por qué iniciamos este ayuno/ Why we initiated this fast:

 

Jonathan Fried

Wilfredo Mendoza

Jenny Aguilar

“Ana”

Francisco Agustín

Sebastian Cano



Testimonios Comunitarios/ Community Testimony:

Faustine, Donatilia, Nicole, Angela.

 

Inspirados por la Respuesta comunitaria/Community Support:

Cynthia  Moreno

 

Update on the Trail of Dreams. El Sendero de los Sueños.

 

Próximos Pasos/ Next steps:

 

  1. Apoyar a los ayunistas en sus casos particulares,
    1. Peticiones a los congresistas— Interfaith Worker Justice, Jack Lieberman

      

b. Jan 20, miércoles-- visita a la oficina de ISAP (“grillete”).

 

  1. Impulsar el movimiento a nivel nacional:
    1. Miércoles, 27 de enero, Washington no le presto atención a nuestro sufrimiento, llevaremos el sufrimiento a Washington.

 

    1. Ayunos de solidaridad en el estado y el país

 

3.     Reunión de consulta para la estrategia de respuesta rápida a las redadas— 14 de febrero, We Count! Levis Torres


 

It takes a village to “Fast for Families” Muchas gracias a:

Gracias a los miembros de We Count! y la Asociacion Campesina siempre presentes, Levis y Georgina Torres, Debbie and Cynthia Moreno and her family.  Simon and Manuel Guerra por acompañarnos. Irma García, Isidoro Quezada por mantenernos calientitos y contentos.

 

La Misión Santa Ana y el Padre Pedro por albergarnos e inspirarnos.

 

Erin Marth from Interfaith Worker Justice, Joseph Phelan, Miami Workers Center and Katherine Gorell, FLIC for keeping the world informed.

 

Trishal Siddarthan, Adelle, Anjali and Dr. Brown for the medical guidance.

 

Por su movilización a Gloria Hernández, Carlos Pereira.  Rev. Samuel Pagan y demás pastores que acudieron con apoyo y oraciones.

 

Gihan Perrera, Eric Brakken, Kathy Bird, Henri Petithomme, Marleine Bastien for strategic guidance.

 

Frida, Julio, Gaby, Camila, Walter, Manuel y demás lideres de SWER!, Marcia Olivo y Nilu Choudhury Sisterhood of Survivors (SOS,)  MUJER, enFamilia, Unite for Dignity, Democracia USA,  y demás organizaciones de Homestead y Miami que hicieron acto de presencia. Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and the Catholic Diocese of Miami for their support.  Discovering Opportunities of Outreach and Reflection (DOOR) for the use of the beds the fasters slept on. 

 

Most special thanks to: Jeanette Smith and Subhash Kateel for everything!

And in particular, Subhash’s fiancé, Nilu Choudhdry; Jeanette’s husband and dogs, Dante and the fasters' families for surviving without us for 17 days.

 

The “Fast for Families” has inspired a national movement:

Deborah de los Santos, New Hampshire

Jean Montrevil, New York

Luis Méndez, Los Angeles

Texas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas,

www.fastforfamilies.org