8 Big Moments from the Families Belong Together March
Allison Takeda
Allison Takeda
Thousands of people gathered in cities all over the US on Saturday, June 30, to protest the immigration policies that have led to kids being separated from their parents at the border. At some of the bigger events, in places like Los Angeles and Washington, DC, celebrities, activists, and politicians took the stage to rally the crowds with speeches and performances. All stressed one important message: "Families belong together." Click through to see some of the biggest moments from the march. (Photos via Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Families Belong Together LA + Sarah Morris/Getty Images + Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
America Ferrera reads a letter from a grandfather fighting to be reunited with his granddaughter: The Superstore actress — who declared that she was at the DC rally "not only as a brand-new mother, as the proud child of Honduran immigrants," but also as "a human being with a beating heart, who can feel pain, who understands compassion" — got emotional as she read the words of a man trying to sponsor his granddaughter, who is being detained in Texas. "Imagine that this is your child, that you are this grandfather," she urged the crowd. (Photo via Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
Alicia Keys explains why this is everyone's fight: Like America Ferrera, Keys read an affidavit from someone pleading for the release of a family member. She also spoke about her own child, telling the crowd in DC, "My seven-year-old son is here with me today. His name is Egypt. And I couldn't even imagine not being able to find him. I couldn't even imagine being separated from him or scared about how he is being treated, so this is all of our fight, because if it can happen to any child, it can happen to my child and your child and all of our children." (Photo via Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
Diane Guerrero gets personal: The Orange Is the New Black actress spoke about watching her parents get deported when she was 14, and how that experience changed her forever. "I am here today as a woman who as a young child was separated from her family," she began. "I am here today to be painfully honest about the damage these government policies do to human beings, do to kids. … Even some 17 years later, I still remember how it felt when I first cried out for my parents and they couldn't answer. … I share my struggle to help open eyes to the agony that every one of these kids will face forever. It is not temporary. It is forever." (Photo via Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
Chrissy Teigen takes the stage with her baby boy: Teigen introduced her husband, John Legend, while holding her one-month-old son, Miles. "Making America great doesn't mean building walls to keep people out; it means continuing to embrace the dreams of immigrants who add to our culture, our economy, and our humanity," she told the crowd at the LA rally. "Making America greater most definitely doesn't mean turning asylum-seekers away or kidnapping their kids to turn them away from coming here." (Photo via Sarah Morris/Getty Images)
John Legend puts his feelings to music: The Grammy winner debuted a new song, "Preach," at the Los Angeles rally. "If you're committed to this kind of love, it means you believe in justice," he said by way of introduction. "But it's not easy. It's not a passive activity, it requires you opening your eyes to injustice. To see the world through the eyes of another, you've got to read; you've got to travel to other neighborhoods and other parts of the world. You may have to get your hands dirty. You can't just talk about it or tweet about it. You've got to do something. … I think some of us have a strong temptation to just disengage. But we can't. We can't do that." (Photo via Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Families Belong Together LA)
A 12-year-old brings everyone to tears: During the DC rally, a young girl named Leah held back sobs as she voiced her fears about losing her immigrant mother to deportation. "It makes me sad to know that children can't be with their parents. I don't understand why they're being so mean to us children. Don't they know how much we love our family? Don't they have a family too? Why don't they care about us children?" she cried. "I live with the constant fear of losing my mom to deportation. My mom is strong, beautiful, and brave. She is also a person who taught me how to speak up when I see things that aren't fair." (Photo via Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
Rep. Maxine Waters takes on the Trump administration: The congresswoman directly addressed President Trump's administration during her speech at the LA rally, asking: "How dare you? How dare you take the babies from mothers' arms? How dare you take the children and send them all across the country into so-called detention centers? … You think we're going to stand by and allow you to do that? I don't think so." (Photo via Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Families Belong Together LA)
Lin-Manuel Miranda sings a lullaby: The Hamilton creator performed "Dear Theodosia" for the crowd at the rally in Washington, DC. "We're here because there's parents right now who can't sing lullabies to their kids," he said. "I'm just going to sing a lullaby that I wrote, and this is for those parents. And we're not going to stop until they can sing them to their kids again." (Photo via Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)