RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - In a story April 3 about a hunger strike by immigration reform advocates, The Associated Press misspelled the name of a Christian social justice organization. It is Sojourners, not Soujourners.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Immigration reform advocates begin fast in Va.
Immigration reform advocates bring national tour, hunger strike to Richmond
By LARRY O’DELL
Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Advocates for immigration reform began a four-day hunger strike Thursday in Richmond, hoping to rally support for their cause and capture the attention of two powerful Virginia congressmen.
The event is part of the national “Fast for Families Across America” campaign that has taken two busloads of advocates to 30 states over the last few weeks. The campaign set up a tent in a park near downtown to serve as headquarters for its Richmond stay before heading back to Washington, D.C., next week.
Members of the organization staged a 22-day fast outside the U.S. Capitol in November before embarking on its tour of 75 congressional districts, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s in Virginia. Yanet Limon, 18, said she and a few other advocates met with Cantor staffers Thursday morning but received no commitment on immigration reform.
House Speaker John Boehner has refused to schedule a vote on a comprehensive bill the Senate passed in June and has said it is unlikely to pass the GOP-led House this year.
Fast for Families leader Eliseo Medina said at a news conference that Virginia is a key player in the debate because of the influence of Cantor and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
“These two have a moral responsibility to act, to make sure a vote is held in the U.S. Congress,” he said, adding that he hopes the hunger strike will “touch their hearts.”
Michel Zajur, CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Virginia, lauded the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants and Jim Wallis of the Christian social justice organization Sojourners stressed the religious aspect of immigration reform.
“To not fix a broken system because of politics is a religious failure,” he said.
Along with the fast, the advocates plan a series of community meetings and prayer services through Sunday.
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