【2003 Archives】

June003 ArchivesImmigrant Heritage Month, and celebrities are kicking off the occasion by speaking out about immigrant rights in a powerful new video.

Released as part of the #IAmAnImmigrant campaign from nonprofit Welcome.us, the star-studded video includes America Ferrera, George Takei, Uzo Aduba, Jason Sudeikis, and Ilana Glazer. Together, the celebs recite the poem "I stand, Because I am...," written by Tony Award-winning actor and poet Lemon Andersen.

"My mother, a survivor of both polio and the Igbo genocide in Nigeria, came to the United States a half-century ago in search of greater opportunity and a brighter future," said Uzo Aduba, Emmy Award-winning actress of Orange Is the New Blackfame, in a statement.

"This Immigrant Heritage Month, I celebrate the millions of immigrant mothers, like my own, who endured sleepless nights and an uncertain future so that their children could pursue the promise of America," she said.

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Through the video and Immigrant Heritage Month, the #IAmAnImmigrant campaign hopes to show the power of diversity, and honor immigrant sacrifice and struggle.

Welcome.us is also encouraging supporters to use the hashtags #IAmAnImmigrant and #IStandWithImmigrants to show their support for immigrant communities.

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You can find events around happening around the country in celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month here.