Moving Forward

There is a quote that continued to float through my mind over the past couple of weeks. Ahmed Al-Omran, a fellow activist stated, "When you start to care, you can't stop. But the more you care, the more it burdens you. And you start asking yourself: is it even worth it?" 

On July 2^nd  thousands of people met at the Capitol stairs to stand together against HB87. Standing in the middle of that crowd, I could honestly say, "It was worth it." It was exciting to stand and look back and forwards seeing the streets lined with people calling for a stop to HB87. It was a time to celebrate the victories that were gained by the recent court ruling and to call out for an end to unfair immigration policies. People from different walks in life, different races, documented and undocumented individuals, used one voice to demand that the federal government create a fair, comprehensive immigration policy and strike down the unfair state laws. Although July 2^nd  was an exciting day, it must be seen as a start and not a finish.

This is not the time to stop calling for change. It is easy to step back after a victory and stop fighting for change, but this is the time to fight harder. We still have a battle ahead to keep pushing for all aspects of HB87 to be overturned and for the federal government to create a plan that will allow undocumented individuals a pathway to citizenship. Hang on to the great feeling of the July 2^nd rally, but remember to keep working for change. We must continue to let our voices be heard, because if we once again become the silent majority, we are handing our opposition the victory. We are allowing them to win. We are once again allowing them to dictate the course of our country and our future. Democracy is not a short fight and it begins with us. American journalist Chris Floyd asked, "Will we say that we stood silently by, shrugging our shoulders, filling our bellies, closing our eyes? Or will we be able to say: We saw. We dissented. We resisted. We condemned."

What will your answer be? 

Visit our Discussion Board, and share your thoughts.

Hearings Held for HB 87 Injunctions

          Today in Federal Court, Judge Thrash heard arguments in regards to putting in place a preliminary injunction to stop the state from implementing HB87 until the courts have time to rule on whether the law is constitutional or not. Judge Thrash did not make a ruling in court but stated that a ruling would be made before the July 1 date in which the law would go into effect. Although it is impossible to say for certain how the judge will rule, there were many hopeful signs that Judge Thrash could potentially issue the injunction order. Judge Thrash was up to date on the law and the implementation concerns that opponents of the law have repeatedly stated. The only question that he had for the plaintiffs was why the federal government did not appear at the hearing, but he had many questions for the state attorney’s office. Judge Thrash asked many questions that the state attorney’s lawyer was either not able to answer or provided incomplete and/or incorrect answers. We remain optimistic that Judge Thrash will issue the preliminary injunction order within the next two weeks, but we will also continue to publicly express our concerns about HB87 and the negative impact it will have on Georgia.


             Hoy dia en la corte, el juez Trash escucho los argumentos en contra y a favor de la ley HB87.  El Juez tiene el poder de poner la ley en pausa hasta que las cortes federales tengan tiempo de decidir si la HB87 es constitucional o no.  A pesar de que es impossible decir con certeza como el juez decidira, hubieron muchos signos de esperanza que el el juez emitira el mandamiento judicial parando la ley.  El juez trash estaba al dia de la ley y entendió las preocupaciones que los opositores de la ley han declarado en repetidas ocasiones. El Juez tuvo muchas preguntas que el abogado de el estado, representando la ley, no fue capaz de contestar, o dio respuestas incompletas. Somos optimistas de que el juez Trash emitira la orden preliminar en las próximas dos semanas, pero vamos a seguir expresando publicamente nuestra preocupación con la HB87 y el impacto negativo que tendra en Georgia.  El Juez prometio dar una respuesta hasta Junio 28.