“Si Se Puede!” was the common theme at the rally on June 2nd at the Nation’s Capitol – a rally for compassionate, humane and comprehensive immigration reform. The rally, sponsored by the National Capital Immigrant Coalition drew a mostly-Latino/a crowd of at least a thousand activists on a hot Saturday afternoon.

The goals of the rally were clear and sloganeered to fit neatly on bumper stickers and rally signs: Keep the Family Immigration System! Protect Due Process! Integrate Immigrants! And others were the general calls to President Bush and to Congress regarding the S.1348, the Immigration bill in the Senate. The protesters cried out: “Bush! Escucha!” But their cries will most likely fall on unforgiving ears from the White House who has called the “compromise bill” sound public policy.

It was disappointing to see what could be described as a general lack of support from the non-Latino/a populous regarding humane immigration policies. Looking around during the rally, one could count the number of Caucasian supporters on their hands – and equally surprising was the lack of immigrant activists from non-Spanish speaking countries. One possible explanation is that the rally was in Spanish almost in its entirety, which admittedly could turn off some non-Spanish speakers. However, it was Dr. King who said that an injustice against one is an injustice against all – leading me to wonder where the other politically marginalized populations were in fighting for immigration rights this past weekend. The endorsements of the rally were almost universally Latino/a or immigrant organizations – Where were the other civil rights groups in this call to action?

There was a significantly high religious tone to the rally, comforting to many and alienating to some. A catholic priest led a prayer blessing immigrants for their hard work and labor in their effort to make America great. He mentioned that it is immigrants who do the dirty work in this country: housekeeping, maintenance, restaurant workers, child care – but that immigrants are also doctors, and lawyers, and teachers, and academics. And that all who have come to America, have given of themselves and should be blessed.

My friend asked me later why I attended a rally to give rights to “illegal immigrants” rights. I responded with Audre Lorde’s famed statement that “there is no hierarchy of oppression.” There should be no “me first-isms” in the fight for equal rights and justice for all. Can we divide the pie of equality into enough slices for everyone? Si Se Puede! Yes we can!

Adrian Shanker is a rising Junior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.