Locals to join 100 Women, 100 Miles march for immigration reform

York Daily Register (Pennsylvania)

By Flint McColgan

September 13, 2015

Locals to join 100 Women, 100 Miles march for immigration reform 

One hundred women from around the country will begin an eight-day walk Tuesday from the York County Prison to Washington D.C. in a display of support and solidarity for immigration reform.

From York the women will march through New Freedom to Monkton, Md.; then on to Lutherville-Timonium, Md.; through Baltimore and Jessup, Md.. There sill be one more stop in Silver Spring, Md. before their arrival in D.C. before Pope Francis' arrival there.

"Pope Francis has said that the globalization of migration requires a globalization of charity and cooperation. He describes a world where no one is seen as useless, out of place or disposable, a church without border, and nations that welcome the stranger," said Juana Flores, a former nun from Mexico, in a prepared statement.

Flores is also the co-director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a San Francisco-based organization of "Latina immigrant women with a double mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice," according to its website.

The women will be joined by supporters from at least one local group.

On Thursday the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York sent an email to its parishioners asking for them to join in "Standing on the Side of Love."

The York County Prison was chosen as the launch site largely in party because the husband of Pilar Molina was detained there for about five months, said B. Loewe, a spokesman for the event. He said the man staged a 19-day hunger strike in order to be reunited with his family.

The "100 Women, 100 Miles" event is a part of the "We Belong Together" campaign of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, according to its website.

The website states that the campaign is meant to "mobilize women in support of common sense immigration policies that will keep families together and empower women,"

If you go

If you wish to attend the launch event for the "100 Women, 100 Miles" march, here is what you need to know:

What: Opening blessing and send off

Where: York County Prison's Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, 3401 Concord Road, York, PA 17402

When: 9 a.m. Tuesday

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com