Immigrant Rights

Two years ago, i was in Lhasa on May 1st – May Day – The Workers Day. It is a widely celebrated holiday in Tibet, with lots of Chinese Communist Party propaganda touting their “appreciation” for the common worker. Everyone goes to the Norbulingka, the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama, to enjoy music, picnics (dried yak jerky!), friends, and a games. I met a group of young students, eager to practice English. They handed me a guitar, which no one knew how to play, and asked if I knew any Backstreet Boys songs. I had to break it to them that no one likes the Backstreet Boys anymore, and then I made them suffer through one of my original tunes.

Today, my May Day experience was quite different. Immigrant workers were called to not go to work, but instead to join marches and rallies being held across the country. They did this in protest of recent political moves made by our government, and to call for general immigration reform. I know that many of you Tibetans out there who have come to America know first hand the difficulties of our immigration system, and I hope you understand that today was for you, too.

I joined the rally at Union Square in New York, and shot this short video…

It’s true – my grandfather was an illegal immigrant. He came to the United States around 1915 to find a new life. He gained access through a forged passport. He worked hard, married, and over the next sixty years built an amazing heritage and lineage. His offspring have fought in wars, paid taxes, educated the young, worked for their communities, and created amazing works of all sorts.

Today, immigrants across the United States marched to remind our government, that they are an integral part of our society, culture, and economy – whether they are documented or not, legal or illegal. They are here to contribute, strive, and to be a part of the continuing narrative of our country’s heritage.