This week, leaders from Jobs With Justice will join 100 immigrant women as they walk 100 miles from Pennsylvania’s York County Detention Center, a site of human suffering, to Washington, D.C., where they will ask Pope Francis to carry his message of human dignity for migrants to the politicians he will be meeting with.
The women, who started their walk on September 15, will be sharing their stories of hope and sacrifice during their pilgrimage to D.C. Stories like Reyna’s – of working mothers fighting to find a way to make ends meet. All of us have a personal family story of migration, as well as stories of how our families have worked and moved to go to school, to find a job, to reunite with loved ones or to find dignity and a better future.
We know that if we are going to remove the barriers between the rich and the rest of us, we all must work together to make dignity valuable. That is why we are moved to share the stories of these women and support them along the route. We believe their journey is act of faith, as they echo the Pope’s message for migrant dignity and lift up the hardships immigrant women face in the United States.
Pope Francis’ message about migration and a more just economy is inspiring. Hopefully, he will be just as inspired by these women’s pilgrimage and will carry his message of human dignity for migrants to the politicians he’ll be addressing.
On Tuesday afternoon, the women will arrive at the National Basilica in D.C. You can join the event with labor leaders, community groups and other supporters for a welcoming and vigil. Following the vigil, everyone can walk the final miles of the pilgrimage into Washington, D.C., together with the women.
