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For Immediate Release
May, 11 2010, 09:57am EDT
Contact:
Marjorie Valbrun (202) 463-8602 ext.305
Latino, Sports, and Progressive Advocates to MLB: Move the 2011 All-Star Game from Arizona!
Letter Calls on MLB Commissioner Selig to Move 2011 Game Due to New AZ Immigration Law
WASHINGTON
Prominent
organizations fighting against the discriminatory and damaging Arizona
anti-immigration law will send a letter tomorrow to Major League
Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig urging him to remove the 2011 All-Star Game
from its scheduled location in Phoenix, AZ and to pressure teams to
re-locate spring training games from locations within the state.
The letter states,
"Major League Baseball has a strong history of supporting minorities and
civil rights in America, which began when Jackie Robinson became the
first African-American baseball player in 1947. As you are well aware,
over a quarter of all Major League Baseball players are Latino, and
almost 40% of your players are people of color. In this moment of
crisis, these players - and baseball's millions of Latino and immigrant
fans - deserve a loud and clear message that the League finds this law
unacceptable. We strongly urge you to relocate the 2011 All-Star Game
from Phoenix and to pressure teams to pull all winter and
spring training games from Arizona while this un-American law is in
effect."
This Tuesday at 11 AM Eastern on a telephonic conference call,
join with several of the prominent signers of the letter to discuss
their request to Commissioner Selig, to learn about follow-up
activities, and to put the controversy over the Arizona law into a
larger context.
Among the
organizations and advocates signing onto the letter include civil rights
and advocacy organizations such as Presente.org, National Council of La
Raza (NCLR), People For the American Way, Center for New Community,
Border Action Network, and America's Voice; labor organizations such as
the AFL-CIO and SEIU; and an array of bloggers and representatives from
online outlets, including Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos, John
Amato of CrooksandLiars.com, and Julio Pabon of LatinoSports.com.
WHO:
John Amato, Founder & President,
CrooksandLiars.com
Roberto Lovato, Co-Founder,
Presente.org
Clarissa Martinez, Director,
Immigration & National Campaigns, National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
Doug Gordon, Founder,
MoveTheGame.org, Vice President, Fenton
Frank Sharry,
Executive Director, America's Voice
WHAT:
Organizations & Advocates to MLB: Move the 2011 All-Star
Game from Arizona!
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 11th at 11 AM Eastern
CALL IN:
Dial: 1-800-895-1085, Passcode: "BOYCOTT"
America's Voice -- Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform. The mission of America's Voice is to realize the promise of workable and humane comprehensive immigration reform. Our goal is to build the public support and create the political momentum for reforms that will transform a dysfunctional immigration system that does not work into a regulatory system that does.
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