ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 13, 1996 TAG: 9610140106
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
THOSE PARTICIPATING listed education for children and legal amnesty as their top concerns. Other demands included raising the minimum wage.
Thousands of Latinos from across the country rallied near the White House Saturday in their first march on Washington, asking America to treat them with respect and warning politicians not to take them for granted.
The gathering was one of exuberance and anger, and a sign that the nation's 30 million Latinos - the fastest-growing minority group in the nation - are beginning to organize and stand up for their rights.
Speakers and participants from as far as Los Angeles and New York as well as area residents said they had come to assert themselves at a time when immigrants - especially Latinos - are being made to feel unwelcome.
``I'm tired of being told I'm a burden. I am fulfilling a dream, I am aspiring to get ahead, and I believe there are no limits to what we can do if we become active participants in this country,'' said Marguerita Soto, 24, a law student from Dover, N.J., whose parents emigrated from Peru.
``We are Americans because we believe in the Constitution, in equality and justice before the law for everyone,'' said Juan Jose Gutierrez, the chief coordinator of the march. ``Sometimes it seems the reactionary forces of darkness are carrying the day, but we are more than they are, and we will find a door to let the light in again.''
Organizers estimated that about 25,000 people attended the rally at the Ellipse, a number they said had exceeded their expectations. The U.S. Park Police said that under a new policy, they would not provide a crowd estimate.
In the past, many Latinos have not been eligible to vote and thus have been limited in their political influence. But in the last two years, record numbers of legal residents have been applying for U.S. citizenship, in part to defend themselves against anti-immigrant sentiment and legislative proposals.
Saturday's rally was more significant in its symbolism and diversity than in the number of people it attracted. There were Puerto Rican garment workers from Queens, N.Y., Guatemalan Indian activists from Dallas, Mexican American students from Chicago, Ecuadoran civic groups from Los Angeles, Salvadoran refugees from Maryland and even a contingent of 500 Bangladeshis from Brooklyn, N.Y.
There were celebrities such as Geraldo Rivera and people such as Ramon Baez, 58, a carpenter from the Bronx, N.Y., whose 12-year-old son died in a scuffle with a police officer two years ago. Last week, in a controversial ruling that provoked street protests, a judge found the officer not guilty of manslaughter because the boy had suffered from asthma.
``In this country, we are still seen as second-class citizens, and our only strength against abuse is in being united,'' said Baez, a burly, white-haired man, brushing tears from his eyes as he stood among the crowd.
Officially, the march championed a list of seven demands, including raising the minimum wage to $7 per hour, guaranteeing free education for all children from kindergarten through college and providing legal amnesty to all undocumented immigrant workers.
Many Mexicans and Central Americans said amnesty and education were at the top of their list of concerns. Recent legislative proposals have sought to bar children of illegal immigrants from school, and an amnesty program for immigrants fleeing Central American wars was ended early this year.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Antonio Leon, from El Salvador, and Liliana Jimenez,by CNBa Puerto Rican student studying in the United States, yell during
the Latino gathering in Washington, D.C.