Today, thousands of people are expected to march in protest of the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, which only until recently, has resulted in the separation of an estimated 2,300 children from their parents at the U.S. border — and while President Trump signed an executive order last week preventing further separation of families, the problem is far from over, and the government has yet to present any kind of plan for reuniting children and their parents.
Because of this, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, MoveOn and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, will be holding a “Families Belong Together” rally in Washington, D.C. today, along with over 600 sister marches planned to take place in all 50 U.S. states.
In a powerful visual statement, protestors have been showing up to marches across the country in all-white clothing. “The lead partners of this action are calling upon participants to wear white as a striking visual symbol that will also connect attendees in solidarity to each other and channel historic social justice movements unified by one color of clothing,” the official FAQ for the event reads. “We believe if we can get a significant portion of the crowd to wear white, it will provide a compelling image for the media coverage and to capture the public’s imagination.”
30,000+ and growing in DC! #FamiliesBelongTogetherMarch pic.twitter.com/yi8hQgvLyE
— Families Belong Together March (@WomenBelong) June 30, 2018
Raleigh, NC – Thousands turning up in the heat #FamiliesBelongTogether #familiesbelongtogethermarch pic.twitter.com/EGiI6VDjp8
— Avery (@Avery_Goldman) June 30, 2018
Austin, Texas #FamiliesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/gb0rD40lJR
— Antonio (@AntonioArellano) June 30, 2018
And much like at the Women’s March and March for Our Lives before it, we’re already seeing plenty of creative signs, from the moving and powerful to the clever and funny.
DINOSAURS AGAINST TRUMP #FamiliesBelongTogether @MoveOn pic.twitter.com/pFfq1xrAWu
— Rebecca Sheff (@RebeccaSheff) June 30, 2018
Celebrities such as Mindy Kaling, Chrissy Teigen and Ava DuVernay have also spoken out about the marches today, saying they plan to speak or attend, encouraging others to get involved.
There are 600+ #FamiliesBelongTogether events happening TOMORROW. I’ll be speaking and introducing @johnlegend in downtown LA. Text BELONG to 97779 to join. Find an event near you this weekend: https://t.co/j7ifhy0e1c #FreeFamilies
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 30, 2018
Families belong together. Tomorrow, thousands of people across the country are wearing white and taking to the streets to protest to end family separation & detention. #FamiliesBelongTogether (Art @alockstadt) Learn more & join in: https://t.co/9i7hvi0Smc pic.twitter.com/GuneKJmpDm
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) June 29, 2018
Indefinite family detention, blanket rejection of asylum, group hearings, failure to reunite families under court order. This cannot stand. Raise your voice. Fight for justice. Text BELONG to 97779. Join one of 600+ protests near you. #KeepFamilesTogether#FamiliesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/Dch9ad4oxt
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 30, 2018
Under the current administration, we can’t afford to be silent as human rights are regularly threatened — and it’s super moving to see the way thousands across the country are standing up and taking action.