Sunday, April 9th: Mega March Dallas

MegaMarch Dallas
FOR AMERICAN VALUES AND JUSTICE

SUNDAY
APRIL 9, 2006

12:00PM TO ORGANIZE

1:00PM TO MARCH

GUADALUPE CATHEDRAL
ROSS & PEARL
DALLAS, TEXAS
I won't be carrying a sign for this event (although I may be wearing one) so that I can free up my hands to take some photographs.

Unlike other American cities which saw a good deal of street action and civil uprisings in the 1960's and 70's, Dallas sat out the civil rights era. A deep current of racial tension permeates every corner of the city today. African-Americans and Mexican-Americans have long been blind to the potential of forming alliances. Starved for power by the moneyed white Dallas elite, both camps prefer the quicksand of internecine backstabbing to the more difficult struggle for human rights and social justice.

So it came as quite a surprise to read yesterday's Dallas Morning News:

Black Leaders Back Immigration Rally

In a show of ethnic solidarity, Dallas black politicians and civil rights advocates joined with Hispanic leaders Wednesday to promote a planned rally Sunday against U.S. immigration laws, particularly those involving Mexico.

"We are in the same boat together, and we stand together," said state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas. "America is a country of immigrants. We need to continue to embrace immigrants."

Said march organizer and former state Rep. Domingo Garcia: "This is an American march. The immigrants want to become Americans. This is about America, and the American dream and American values."

Kudos to State Senator Royce West (D), Domingo Garcia and the various movers & shakers performing the behind-the-scenes work making this alliance possible.

Observers and participants will use the term "historic" for the upcoming Sunday march in Dallas, but most of them are infatuated with numbers. Of course, turnout is important, but if anything is worthy of the label historic, it is this convergence of people of all colors taking to the streets in pursuit of social justice in Dallas, Texas.

Stranger things have happened, but not many. Be on the lookout for flying pigs and snowballs from Hell.