Families Belong Together: Freedom for Immigrants

On Saturday we turned out to fight the mass incarceration and criminalization of immigrant families. But we’re out for more – we’re marching to motivate a change in our immigration system and against the racist and xenophobic policies coming out of Washington. Our system was broken long before this administration, but the blatant attacks (and horrifying images) have shed light on what has been lingering beneath the surface. A march is a call to action – a symbolic action to rally and speak out. 

Here's what it looked like in Los Angeles.

[Photo description: a young, brown-skinned girl holds a sign stating "Reunite Families: They Belong Together" and stares into the camera with a profoundly disapproving expression. Behind and to both sides of her marches a huge crowd of people of various skin tones and genders, all holding signs.]

[Photo description: a young white woman holds an American flag in one hand and in the other she raises a sign reading "Families belong together" above her head. A little girl marches beside her in a crowd of marchers]

[Photo description: an older white woman with salt and pepper hair raises a sign reading: "First they came for the Muslims, Then they came for the Latinos... And then they came for us...Stop the hate]

[Photo description: A young couple hold up a sign reading "The Power Of The People Is Greater than the People In Power!!!" The woman stands in front of the man and stares determinedly into the camera behind thick glasses and dark bangs. Behind them march children and a young woman pushing a stroller] 

[Photo description: Three young Muslim women in long skirts and white hijabs smile at the camera. They hold signs which read, respectively, "It does not say RSVP on the statue of liberty," "NO BAN NO WALL no fences no cages no justice no peace," and "Families belong together."]

[Photo description: a young, tattooed woman in Star Wars leggings scowls out of the crowd. She holds a sign reading "This was always America. But it doesn't have to be anymore. *families separated @ slave auctions *Native American families separated by boarding schools circa 1840-1948"]

[Photo description: A young Latina woman and a gender nonconforming person carry a rainbow flag and a sign that reads "Keep families together. Do not be silent" around a drawing of closed fists. Behind them, a different sign reads "We don't fear the future, We shape it."]

[Photo description: four young, dark-haired women march in the crowd. One carries a sign reading "Check your complicity. Your silence will not protect you. - Audre Lorde]

Now it’s time for the work to continue! Vote in the midterms, look for groups doing work in your area, and fight for all people before it’s too late.

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Molly Adams is an LA-based photographer documenting stories from Afghanistan to Standing Rock to queer clubs. You can find her on Instagram.