Immigrants Go To Church To End Discrimination

WKOW Channel 27 Monday, September 10, 2007

Tomas Contreras works and owns businesses in Madison.
He's been here since 1980.
He still feels discrimination for being an immigrant and he's not alone.
"I've been here almost all my life and I see the unfairness that immigrants, that we get," Contreras says.
So Contreras and 2 other immigrants that now call Madison home are traveling around to local churches to speak about that unfairness through the Interfaith Coalition.
"I think to bring immigrants to show the issue is locally, it's not just a national story, but happening right here in Madison," Interfaith Coalition Rabbi Rene Bauer says.
Contreras says the discrimination is not as bad in Madison as other parts of the country, but it still exists.
He hopes the message he and the other 2 speakers brings can open the eyes of people they speak to.
And in the short amount of time it has.
"When I'm done, I get a lot of people who come up to me and say 'we didn't know' and I let them know it's here and it does happen," Contreras says.
"My eyes were opened to the discrimination that can be taking place for people who've been here many years, not just new arrivals to Madison," Church member Dick Lovell says.
Something Contreras is happy to hear and hopes others will continue to take notice.