Immigrants ‘unafraid’
Fight for rights fuels Undocubus
When Chuey Avila casually described his three-week journey to America — on foot, through the desert, having narrowly escaped capture by the authorities — he punctuated the story with a laugh and a shrug.
“I was young and stupid,” Avila said. But then he reconsidered. “Actually, I guess I should say I was young and brave.”
Avila, now 25 and l iving i n Memphis, is one of many such immigrants gathered at El Mercadito on Tuesday night for Memphis Unafraid, an event that marked the seventh stop of the national No Papers, No Fear Ride for Justice.
Modeled after t he Freedom Rides of the 1960s, the riders of the UndocuBus, all self-proclaimed undocumented immigrants, left Phoenix two weeks ago to raise awareness about the treatment of illegal immigrants in America as they tour the country.
Their date of departure was planned to coincide with the twoyear anniversary of the passing of Senate Bill 1070, a piece of Arizona legislation which was, at the time, the most stringent anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country. After stopping in about 13 cities, the ride will end in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept 3 at the start of the Democratic National Convention.
The bus’ Memphis stop drew
nearly 300 people to the parking lot of El Mercadito near Ridgeway and Mt. Moriah to enjoy the music, dancing, and speeches by riders of the bus. Many in the crowd wore T- shirts or held signs of protest that announced they were “undocumented and unafraid.”
Four more riders will join