“Who’s going to pick the apples? Who’s going to milk the cows?
“These are all questions that in the vitriol surrounding immigration that people fail to ask,” said Gittel Evangelist, Communications Coordinator for Rural & Migrant Ministry. “And that’s the critical contribution that immigrants make to our economy and our society.”
Evangelist is one of the organizers behind the “Save New York’s Rural Economy: A Journey of Empathy Caravan,” a 1,000-mile initiative crossing New York from Long Island to Buffalo. The caravan will arrive in St. Lawrence County Wednesday, Aug. 6, stopping in several local communities to promote the essential role immigrants play in agriculture, economies, and community.
“Basically what we’re doing is upholding the humanity of our immigrant brothers and sisters, and we are empathizing and drive people’s attention to their profound contributions to the economy of rural New York,” said Evangelist.
The caravan is the first of its kind, Evangelist said, and has already seen hundreds sign up to participate. In some communities, organizers expect crowds in the hundreds.
Events in St. Lawrence County include Canton, Louisville, Massena, Potsdam, and Ogdensburg.
“We have a core group of 15 to 20 cars that are traveling in the caravan and then dozens more at each location who are joining us for the day or a couple of days,” she said.
The vehicles will display messages such as “Have Mercy,” “Have Empathy,” and “It’s We, Not They.”
“We work very hard to change the narrative surrounding immigration,” Evangelist said. “People have a lot of misconceptions. Immigrants and their effect on our larger society and economy and we work to correct those misconceptions.”
She said the goal of the caravan is to draw the attention of the broader community and policymakers.
“We are certainly hoping to see an end of the mass deportations and detentions that are going on. And we’re hoping that our Congresspeople will get behind … funding for justice for immigrants, restoring their due process and not ripping families apart.”
In Potsdam, the caravan will stop at 11 a.m. at the Ives Park Pavilion. The event, sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam, will focus on the contributions of international students to area universities. Speakers include Rev. Heidi Chamberlain of the Potsdam United Methodist Church, Raamitha Pillay of the Poor People’s Campaign, and Rev. Katrina Hebb of the First Presbyterian Church.
In Massena, a brown bag lunch discussion will take place at noon at Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ. Organizers encourage participants to support the local economy by purchasing to-go lunches from nearby businesses.
The Canton stop, sponsored by North Country Neighbors for Civic Engagement, begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, followed by a public vigil from 3 to 5 p.m. at the corner of Main and Park streets.
In Louisville, the caravan will pause at 4:30 p.m. at the Route 37 crash site. Six immigrant workers were killed in January of 2023, and eight others injured when their bus was struck by a box truck that crossed the centerline on Route 37. The workers were headed to a solar project in Madrid. The bus driver was from Venezuela; the truck driver also suffered serious injuries.
The day wraps up in Ogdensburg with a community dinner at 6 p.m. in Library Park, 312 Washington St.
“This is not a protest, this is more of a public witnessing, of standing with people and we will address opposition by calmly and peacefully and lawfully pointing out the facts surrounding immigrants and immigration,” she said.
The caravan trek begins from Long Island, passing through the Hudson Valley and Capital District, traveling up through the North Country and along the Canadian border. It will conclude in Buffalo on Aug. 9.
Co-sponsors include the Interfaith Public Health Network, Saratoga Immigration Coalition, the Episcopal Dioceses of New York, Long Island and Rochester, the Interfaith Center of New York, the New York State Catholic Conference, and the New York State Council of Churches.
Those interested in attending or joining the caravan in their own vehicles are encouraged to register at www.ruralmigrantministry.org.
“We welcome people to join us in their vehicles from stop to stop,” said Evangelist. “We are really looking to bring us all together on this issue.”
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