The March that Made an Impact
First Bilingual Book about the Immigrant March of 2006 is Published
By Osvaldo Castillo
El Observador
We felt proud to participate in an interesting project, under the direction of the Woodrow Wilson International Center, which allowed us to put San Jose at the center of attention because this particular march is considered one of the most impressive and historic marches in the history of San Jose," explained Rosario Vital, author of ?COMING OUT AND MAKING HISTORY:  Latino Immigrant Civic Participation in San Jose.?
The book tells the story, inside and outside, of the immigrant march of 2006.
Vital is editor of El Observador and has made an analysis and portrayal of the event in a recently published book, which is included as one of the chapters in a much bigger project titled ?Civic Participation of Latino Immigrants.? The book is being published by the Woodrow Wilson Center.
The project will include a book entitled, "The Importance of Context: the Civic Engagement of Latino Immigrants in Nine U.S. Cities." The other U.S. cities include Charlotte, Chicago, Fresno, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Omaha, Tucson and Washington, D.C.
The full report on the study of these nine cities in states which have tried to pass anti-immigrant measures like the new Arizona law, concluded that ties between Latino citizens, legal immigrants and undocumented have strengthened, which has led to greater integration into American society.
For example, the House of Representatives passed a bill in 2006 that criminalized the undocumented. The result was a massive and disciplined protest that consisted of 3.5 to 5 million people, probably the largest demonstration in U.S. history.
By May 1st of that year hundreds of thousands participated in protests across the country. Many made their presence felt with a collective message to be "good citizens," by dressing in white and waving American flags, the report concluded.
"Many people say we awakened a sleeping giant and we must make sure this movement remains firm," stated Arturo Gomez, a community member of San Jose.
Since then, more Latinos have applied for citizenship and have had an unprecedented affect by participating in elections, most recently in the historic presidential election of Barack Obama in 2008.
According to the report, between the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, the number of Latinos registered to vote increased by 24.7 percent, while the percentage of Latinos who voted rose 28.3 percent.
In some states, the importance of the Latino vote has become especially important. These states include New Mexico, Texas, California and Florida, which have the largest number of Latino voters and vary between 15 and 36 percent of the total, according to the report.
However, the major impact of the Latino vote in the 2008 elections occurred in states that have a lower Latino population. These states include North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Virginia and even Indiana. All of which were won by Obama.
Vital?s book also stresses that the Spanish media are stakeholders who are increasingly involved promoting the integration of Latino immigrants, as they did in 2006.
"It's a historic moment that had never been recorded in San Jose," said San Jose community member Teresa Castellanos.
Several community activists participated in putting Vital?s book together to express their comments on immigration reform. They recalled important moments in immigrant history that they had kept dear to their hearts.
"The book comes at a time when we are experiencing much aggression towards immigrants. The book is an inspiration and a reminder that the struggle continues and that the community must be mobilized. Today we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Arizona,? said Martha Campos, an immigrant defender in San Jose. ?We must vote in elections, participate in the census, and continue to demonstrate our political power in situations where it is needed. The 2006 marches must inspire us to move forward.?

You can download the full report at www.wilsoncenter.org/migrantparticipation.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vital?s book ?COMING OUT AND MAKING HISTORY:  Latino Immigrant Civic Participation in San Jose? is part of a bigger project on Latino Immigrants being published by the Woodrow Wilson Center.