A CHANCE TO BUILD ON RALLIES.

Byline: Gilda L. Ochoa and Enrique C. Ochoa Local view

The ongoing demonstrations, boycotts and marches in support of immigrant rights should be seen as part of the struggle for civil rights. When we see this connection, the potential to build coalitions and work for massive change is impressive.

Some in our communities are already making this connection. They see the power of numbers and unity.

During the historic Los Angeles demonstration on Saturday, March 25, as we marched shoulder to shoulder with over half a million families, workers, and immigrants, " Que se bajen!" was the loudest chant we heard.

This chant was an invitation to each new group of people on the sidelines and in buildings to join the march. It was a call for unity aimed at all Angelenos.

The marchers' placards also linked immigrant rights, workers' rights, family rights and the eradication of racism.

The placards drew attention to the invisible labor of undocumented workers that forms the base of our economy; they called for keeping families together and ending racism. With American flags in hand, the plea was for liberty, justice and equality for all.

Current studies attest to the magnitude of the work that needs to be done in the struggle for liberty, justice and equality for all, and this work requires cross-racial/ethnic alliances.

The Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty, using U.S. census data, shows that income inequality grew between 1968 and 2001; so, the rich are getting richer and the are poor getting poorer. Poverty rates in the Los Angeles region remain high, with nearly one in five Los Angeles city households living in poverty. The rate is more than one in four in the cities of El Monte, South Gate and Compton. California's minimum wage has declined in real terms by 35 percent between 1968 and 2002. The increasing cost of housing places additional burdens on these households. Poverty in Los Angeles County crosses all racial and ethnic lines.

Rates of inequality climb as social spending falls. Nearly 40 percent of the poor in Los Angeles County are children who are underserved by our educational system. Inequality within the school system continues in the midst of No Child Left Behind.

California's colleges and universities have seen increased tuition over the past several years and a declining share of state expenditures. These patterns stem from global economic practices and social policies that benefit the few at the expense of most of us.

The struggle for more humane immigration policies is part of a large and inclusive movement for a more just Los Angeles and nation.

Lessons from recent movements demonstrate that if all of the regions' people are included, real change can take place. The efforts of the Coalition for a Better Inglewood to successfully stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter and to include broad community consultation over future plans for such businesses is a model of how we can preserve community-based jobs and community empowerment. The living wage movement and recent union campaigns also illustrate the power of coalition building.

Like the civil-rights movements of the 1950s-1970s, those demonstrating and marching want to be included as full participants in the U.S. that they are helping to build, and the lesson is clear: We all need to join in the struggle.

Otherwise, decisions will continue to be foisted on us by the city's, state's and nation's wealthy and powerful.

Now, more than ever, we should stand together against draconian anti-immigrant policies, but let's not stop there. Let's work together to tackle other issues influencing our communities.