Black leaders support immigrants

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Apr 28, 2006 | by Angela Hill, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- Several African-American religious and civic leaders in the East Bay have declared their solidarity with immigrants and are planning public forums and meetings at black churches and community centers in coming weeks.

The group Thursday announced its plan -- calling on African Americans to join with immigrants in a new civil rights struggle -- through a series of talks titled "A Conversation about Immigration."

"We want it understood this is not a divide-and-conquer issue where we will stand against our immigrant sisters and brothers under the false illusion they're taking jobs from us," said the Rev. J. Alfred Smith, senior pastor of Oakland's Allen Temple Baptist Church.

"We exploit these people by making them work at a subhuman wage and then throwing them away when we're done with them like tissue paper.

"We need to facilitate an educational and informed discussion on this, so that the immigrant community has some sense of hope. And more importantly for the majority community, to let them know that we feel as one with the immigrants."

For information , call the Oakland Community Action Network at 530-2448.