Call goes out to join march in Lakewood on Sept. 20 for affordable housing, job opportunities

Call goes out to join march in Lakewood on Sept. 20 for affordable housing, job opportunities

We have all heard it said that America is the land of opportunity. America, the country that was founded, created and built by immigrants seeking a new way of life. From the standpoint of an immigrant this country offers to them endless possibilities and a future that they very well might not have in their own countries. A feeling that was also felt by our forefathers not too long ago.

For citizens this country offers to them a country that will fight to protect their rights. A country where hard work can achieve boundless rewards. We all struggle on a daily basis to attain ‘The American Dream."

This land was founded on struggle and continues to advocate for the freedoms of not only our people, but the freedoms of the people of the world. Yet, the immigrants who are the laborers and contributors to this society are unable to truly attain their "American dream."

We see now more than ever a larger percentage of poorer working families. In a time in which two-parent working families struggle day to day just trying to get food on the table and a roof over their heads, we see children being left alone now more than ever before, mothers balancing home and work and still coming up short by the end of the day. We are in the midst of a society in which the impoverished, both the immigrants and the citizens of this country, are faced with the realization that instead of being assisted to improve their quality of life they are lost in a continual circle of poverty.

Today, the lack of affordable homes, Section Eight vouchers, fair wages, medical benefits and affordable child care for the families earning less than $30,000 a year are virtually non-existent.

For the immigrant population they are unable to apply for most of the services that various state-mandated agencies offer.

As if this plight was not enough, we witness them living in inhuman and substandard living conditions where infestations of rodents and insects abound.

Children continue to visit the clinic from the consumption of lead paint chips. Migrant construction workers are consistently paid a flat daily amount regardless if they work eight hours a day or 15. There is no double time or overtime for them. No unions to fight for their rights. Yet, change-improvements can and should occur.

Regardless of immigration status, at the end of the day we are all human and rightfully deserve to be treated as such. What is needed is a united voice, a stand to say: Enough! I deserve better living conditions. I demand just wages and long-term employment with benefits. We have forgotten that together one voice becomes many voices.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9 a.m. until noon in Lakewood, there will be a Freedom March. The starting point will be the Lakewood Community Center on Fourth Avenue and it will end at Martin Luther King Drive. This is a peaceful march, one that all people from all walks of life are welcome to participate in. It will be a housing and job march to protest the lack of clean, safe and affordable housing as well as the lack of employment.

One person can make a difference and together we can show that we will no longer stand quiet and not fight for our right to provide for our families. Join us and let your voice be heard. This is the land of opportunity and everyone should be able to rise up and improve upon his or her station in life, just as our forefathers not too long ago did.

Laura Gendreau

Social Service Coordinator

Puerto Rican Action Board

Lakewood