By Angelica Cruz
On March 26, 2013, hundreds of children held up handmade butterflies, many of them reading simple messages like, keep families together and families united can never be divided. This was the Children’s March to support comprehensive immigration reform, and it made a powerful statement to local legislators.
Volunteers from The Resurrection Project joined hundreds of U.S. children and their families for the Children’s March in support of fair comprehensive immigration reform. The march began at Millennium Park and ended at the offices of Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin.
For days before, TRP families made the iconic butterflies, an appropriate motif since butterflies have to migrate thousands of miles for survival to give their offspring the chance to live. Then, during the bus ride to Millennium Park, participants were encouraged to place calls to Senator Kirk and Durbin’s offices, urging them to help put a stop to family separation and support the passage of an immigration bill. School buses crowded Michigan Avenue as demonstrators stepped out with butterflies, banners, posters, and crosses with pro-immigration reform messages in tow. A large crowd of supporters gathered at Crown Fountain for a quick rally prior to the start of the march toward Federal Plaza. From their banners to their chants, the message was clear: family separation due to deportations had to come to a halt.
The procession of hundreds of marchers brought several downtown streets to a standstill as sidewalks and intersections were filled with demonstrators. People peered out of their office buildings, drivers honked their horns in support, and passersby took pictures as the march trailed on. Children taking part in the march were given bottles with rocks to shake and make noise as they joined in the chant, “Kirk! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!” (Kirk! Hear us! We are in the fight!). Youth chanted “Education, not deportation!” The energy was palpable throughout.
The Children’s March culminated at Federal Plaza with testimonies from U.S. citizen children and youth with undocumented parents and family members. Their stories resonated with the crowd as they spoke about living in constant fear due to the possibility of being separated from a family member. One of the testimonies was from Michelle, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who petitioned for her mother to have the same protection against deportation as she now holds. Christian, ten-year-old son of TRP leader Cecilia, plans to become an anesthesiologist. He stated that his mother spent time with him after school and should not be deported because he needs her at his side. Many a tear was shed, and voices quivered, but the young speakers remained strong in their message. They all pleaded for their parents and family members to be able to stay in their country where they belong, together as a family.
The march was covered extensively by the local media. TRP families hope that the march was successful in putting a human face to the real-life consequences of a flawed immigration policy that continues to separate families every day.
To see photos from the march, please visit our photo gallery. (All photos by Lyndsi Barboza.)

Return to Nueva Vida May 2013 here.