We Are America Alliance
Encyclopedia
The We Are America Alliance (WAAA) is a national alliance of immigrant rights organizations and allies in the United States
that work towards social justice, including comprehensive immigration reform and immigrants' civic participation. The alliance was borne out of broad collaboration around the 2006 immigration reform protests, which mobilized more than 2 million people nationwide during spring, as well as a civic participation campaign during the 2006 elections
.
" ("Yes, it's possible", meaning that people's power and immigration reform
were possible). It pointed to the fact that undocumented immigrants although not lawfully present in the United States of America, were part of the nation as families and workers.
Many regional immigrant rights coalitions sprung up across the country that adopted "We Are America" as their name; among those are the We Are America Coalition of Arizona and the We Are America Coalition of Southern California
. Some were short-lived, and some others, such as the national We Are America Alliance still work in 2007 to create a long-term immigrant rights work plan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that work towards social justice, including comprehensive immigration reform and immigrants' civic participation. The alliance was borne out of broad collaboration around the 2006 immigration reform protests, which mobilized more than 2 million people nationwide during spring, as well as a civic participation campaign during the 2006 elections
United States general elections, 2006
The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
.
Convening Organizations
- Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los AngelesCoalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los AngelesThe Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles is an American political advocacy organization.-History:Following the passage of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, representatives from Central American Resource Center , Asian Pacific American Legal Center , Los Angeles Center...
(CHIRLA) - Center for Community ChangeCenter for Community ChangeThe Center for Community Change is one of the larger community building organizations in the United States. It was founded in 1968 in response to civil rights concerns of the 1960s...
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
- Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition
- National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean CommunitiesNational Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean CommunitiesThe National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities is a network of approximately 75 community-based organizations led by Latin American and Caribbean immigrants. NALACC member organizations are working to improve quality of life in their communities, both in the United States and in...
(NALACC) - National Capitol Immigration Coalition (NCIC)
- National Day Laborer Organizing NetworkNational Day Laborer Organizing NetworkThe National Day Laborer Organizing Network is an American organization dedicated to improving the lives of day laborers. It was founded in Northridge, California in July 2001 and is based in Los Angeles, California...
- National Korean American Service & Education ConsortiumNational Korean American Service & Education ConsortiumThe National Korean American Service & Education Consortium is a national service, advocacy and education organization for two non-profit multi-issue grassroots local community centers: the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago and the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles...
(NAKASEC) - New American Opportunity Campaign (NAOC)/Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration ReformCoalition for Comprehensive Immigration ReformThe Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform , also known as CCIR/NAOC or New American Opportunity Campaign is a non-profit immigrant rights advocacy organization based in Washington, DC, established in 2003 to pass comprehensive immigration reform...
(CCIR) - New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)
- Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United) (Woodburn, OR)
- Service Employees International UnionService Employees International UnionService Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
(SEIU) - UNITE HERE!UNITE HEREUNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with more than 265,000 active members The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries...
Name
"We Are America" was a highly popular slogan and chant sung during pro-immigrant marches of the 2006 immigration reform protests in the United States, along with "Sí se puedeSí se puede
Sí, se puede is the motto of the United Farm Workers. In 1972, during Cesar Chavez's 24 day fast in Phoenix, Arizona, he and UFW's co-founder, Dolores Huerta, came up with the slogan....
" ("Yes, it's possible", meaning that people's power and immigration reform
Immigration reform
Immigration reform is a term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, "reform " means to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses....
were possible). It pointed to the fact that undocumented immigrants although not lawfully present in the United States of America, were part of the nation as families and workers.
Many regional immigrant rights coalitions sprung up across the country that adopted "We Are America" as their name; among those are the We Are America Coalition of Arizona and the We Are America Coalition of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Some were short-lived, and some others, such as the national We Are America Alliance still work in 2007 to create a long-term immigrant rights work plan.