Union president to join march for immigration reform
Service Employees Union President Mary Kay Henry on Sunday will join hundreds of farmworkers, religious and community leaders, local officials, students and others in a march in Bakersfield for immigration reforms that would provide a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
The march is also intended to honor the legacy of farmworker activist Cesar Chavez, whose birthday is celebrated in California on March 31.
The march will begin at 10 a.m. at Jastro Park in the 2900 block of Truxtun Avenue and will cover more than two miles, organizers said in a prepared statement.
SEIU, which represents more than 2 million workers nationwide, has been at the forefront fighting for immigration reform legislation. The union and its members recently participated in a 20-state bus tour of immigrant families telling their stories about how the current system has broken up families.
Other events and marches, which are intended to draw attention for the need for change, are planned in other California cities and in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Washington, D.C., in the coming months.