April 10th, 2013 was a memorable day for me. I was in Washington, D.C. and participated, in what for me personally, was the largest rally I had ever attended. See pictures here.

Tens of thousands of people of all heritages, hues, and life experiences, covered the lawn in front of the Capitol Building, demanding that Congress immediately fix our broken immigration system. Group-by-group, speakers went on stage giving their reasons why immigration reform was fair and just: the pastors who called it a moral imperative that no one in our country be left to live in the shadows; the African American community that showed solidarity with the immigrant community; the unions and businesses that came together for commonsense reforms that would ensure more humane treatment of workers; the LGBT community that wanted their relationships recognized as any other American; the immigrant rights groups and social justice organizations; and the women delegation, of which I was a part of, reminding the public that two-thirds of immigrants in our country are women and children.  How could we not fix our immigration policies?

Five months later, the U.S. House of Representatives has failed to introduce any kind of immigration legislation. They are in recess while 5.5 million children run the risk of being separated from their parents. Around 11 million people, no matter how many hours they work or how much they contribute to our culture and economy, have no way to legalize their immigration status.

Everyone from economists to human rights activists have said that immigration reform would be a boost to our economy and be consistent with our country’s values. Independent businessman and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has written that “Reforming a broken immigration system is the single most important step the federal government could take to bolster the economy.”

Then I am reminded that it was 50 years ago that organizers wondered the very same thing about desegregation and allowing African Americans to vote in the south. If we were all created equally, why shouldn’t every single one of us have the right to vote free of harassment? Why shouldn’t every single one of us have the right to decide where to live, where to work and attend school? From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said the following:

“And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”