Birmingham, AL -   On Sunday morning nearly 150 protesters gathered at the suburban church of Alabama senator Scott Beason, the unrepentant sponsor of the state’s controversial anti-immigrant law HB 56. The peaceful protest brought together African American, Latino, immigrant and other families to pray for a change of heart in the Alabama legislature and the repeal of HB 56.

 “The crowd wore black armbands with the logo “One Family” to demonstrate that we will not leave our Hispanic brothers and sisters alone in this critical time during which they have been singled out and to demonstrate our mourning for the suffering that we are witnessing amongst Latino families,” stated Birmingham native Elizabeth Brezovich “Leviticus 19 tells us to welcome the stranger into our communities. HB 56 goes contrary to the word of God. As Alabamans of faith we have fought this battle before, we had to fight for the right to sit at the same counters and drink from the same water fountains. To deny these basic fundamental rights to another class of people is immoral and un-American.  We ask our supporters to not only pray for Alabama but to join us and actively work to repeal this law,” states Reverend Franklin Tate of Missionary Baptist Church.

 “Leviticus 19 tells us to welcome the stranger into our communities. HB 56 goes contrary to the word of God. As Alabamans of faith we have fought this battle before, we had to fight for the right to sit at the same counters and drink from the same water fountains. To deny these basic fundamental rights to another class of people is immoral and un-American.  We ask our supporters to not only pray for Alabama but to join us and actively work to repeal this law,” states Reverend Franklin Tate of Missionary Baptist Church. On September 28th, District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn issued a decision allowing some of the harshest provisions of the law to go into effect. Critics say those provisions amount to “state-sponsored racial profiling and the inhumane treatment of immigrant workers and families. This law has torn families apart, pulled children out of school and abandoned fundamental American values such as fairness, justice and equality for all.” “Today, the people of Alabama, the people of America, and most importantly, the people of God peacefully and cordially expressed their solidarity with the families of Alabama in the hopes that justice will once again grace our lovely state,” said Victor Palafax of Alabama Dreamers for the Future. The protest was organized by the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, a diverse coalition of community and faith organizations and individuals focused on creating a just environment for all Alabamans.