As I marched on May Day with thousands of others in support of a humane reform of our nation’s immigration laws, I thought about the vast diversity of all who marched from East San Jose to our new downtown city hall.  Though most marchers were Latinos, there were also people of European ancestry, Muslims, Asians, Pacific Islanders,  and African-Americans.  The languages I recognized were Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and some that I could not guess.  There were families with babies in strollers, toddlers carried on parents’ arms, teens with I-pods, young men and women, workers with union signs, professionals with rolled up sleeves and loosened ties, and seniors—some with canes,  one with a walker, and several in wheelchairs.  Among the diversity were families and friends who seemed to not care one bit about crossing color lines, ethnic or religious barriers, sexual preferences or even economic classes.  In a word, I saw the America that I dream about—united in calling for social justice for everyone.

Text is in both English and Spanish.