We are calling on our sister communities across the country to join us in an exercise of collective compassion and solidarity on September 7. #ElPasoFirme actions will include a march, call to action, and performances from artists, including Rebeca Lane from Guatemala, Cuco and Grammy-Award winning La Santa Cecilia from Los Angeles, California; other artists, including Residente, are joining the call to action and speaking at the event.

As communities of immigrants and refugees, El Paso has a place in all of our hearts: A community that straddles borders and cultures, a symbol for safety and inclusion for people from around the world, citizens and non-citizens alike - a symbol of hope and of home.  

That symbol has been attacked for a reason. Our families were attacked by a man who sought to make us disappear. He may be detained. But his worldview is incited, enabled, and promoted by individuals in public office. It has to be said.  

What happened here was foreseeable. Two tendencies have intersected that invariably will lead to this violence. The uncontrolled access to weapons of war that has enabled mass atrocities in cities over and over again has converged with the white supremacist political agenda that we see at every Trump rally, that we hear in every Trump speech.  

It’s time that we join our voices to defeat the sickening worldview that shows contempt for our lives, and profits from our suffering.

Because no wall or cage can restrain a song. Because compassion and solidarity are a universal language which knows no borders. Because together, we have the power to alleviate pain and confront injustice. And what has been polluted by hatred and racist violence can be cleansed by song and collective action.  

#ElPasoFirme is anchored by: