This blog carnival was updated three times: on April 15, April 16 and April 17, 2013.

As women, we know that we are all better off when our communities are strong making it possible for our children to thrive. We understand the importance of women's work -- at home or in the workplace. Women also know the importance of coming together and that we wouldn't be where we are today without the help and support of the women in our lives.

Today we are coming together in support of immigrant women and their families. We need an immigration process that values all families and honors the contributions of immigrant women.

Today, women make up more than half -- 51% -- of all immigrants to this country. Furthermore, immigrant women entrepreneurs are economic powerhouses in their own right, creating nearly one million businesses in 2010. Immigrant women provide for their families; they encourage integration and help the family become U.S. citizens; they contribute to the cultural and moral fabric of our communities; and are significant contributors to our national economy as workers, consumers and business owners.

Right now, Congress is working to pass immigration reform legislation. We are among the many women from all walks of life across our country who are calling on Congress to ensure that any immigration reform package honors the contributions of immigrant women to our communities and national economy. And most fundamentally, immigration reform must ensure that immigrant families can thrive.

To further a national dialogue on this issue, we are honored to introduce this special blog edition highlighting the contributions of immigrant women hosted by MomsRising.org and We Belong Together. We hope that you will take the time to leave comments on these blog posts and share them with family and friends.

Together we are a powerful force for all women and families!

Kit Miller, English As a Second Language Teacher
Immigration Is a Women's Issue

Kim Gandy, Executive President and CEO, National Network to End Domestic Violence
Without Economic and Safety Reforms, Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence are at Increased Risk

Judith Gille, Journalist and Memoirist
MAY DAY 2010

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director/CEO, MomsRising.org
Immigration Policy Reform Can't Ignore Women

Pramila Jayapal, Center for Community Change
Why Immigration Policy Is ‘Sexclusionary' (and How To Fix It)

Allison Green, Half-Moon Scar (St. Martin's Press)
Dignity

Ann Garcia and Patrick Oakford, Center for American Progress
Unequal Pay Day for Immigrant Women

Bao Tram, IMPRINT
Beyond the Green Card: Helping Immigrant Women Use Their Professional Skills

Caroline Dobuzinskis, Institute for Women's Policy Research
The Real Value of In-Home Care Work in the United States

Elisa Batista, MomsRising.org
Why Immigration Is a Women's Matter

Grace Hwang Lynch, BlogHer
6 Ways Immigration Reform Can Help Women

Jessica Barba Brown, Faith in Public Life
Justice for Immigrant Women Is a Religious Issue

Kety Esquivel, Fenton's Western Region
Immigrant Women Helped Shape My Accomplishments

Linda Meric, 9to5.org
Immigrant Issues Are Women's Issues

Madeline Shepherd, National Council of Jewish Women
We Call for Immigration Reform as Women, as Jews

Marisa Treviño, Latina Lista
It’s time to take the sexism out of the debate on immigration reform

Miriam Yeung, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
This Is Our Marty McFly Moment

Sayu Bhojwani, The New American Leaders Project
Immigrant Women Strengthen American Democracy

Valentina Stackl, Farmworker Justice
Farmworker Women and the Heavy Burdens They Bear

Around the Web
The Time is Now for Dreamers: Join the Rally April 10th, Lily's Blackboard
Promise to Protect Immigrant Women's Rights, Mallika Dutt for the Huffington Post
Meet My Immigrant Mom (Tumblr), National Domestic Workers Alliance
Meet My Immigrant Nanny (Tumblr), National Domestic Workers Alliance
Time to Strengthen Family Immigration, New York Times
Photos from Women's Advocacy Days, We Belong Together
Fort Atkinson teacher Kari Johnson shares her students' immigration stories at U.S. Capitol, Wisconsin Education Association Council
Why We Need Fair, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Now, YWCA Blog

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