February 14^th, 2014, Chicago –  “Fast for Families Across America” gathered with prominent Chicago faith and labor leaders and activists at U.S. Representative Daniel Lipinski’s Chicago district office to urge him and his fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives to bring common sense immigration reform to a vote in 2014.

Community leaders protest outside U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski’s office on Valentine’s Day 2014, urging him to support common sense immigration reform.

Rudy Lopez from the Center for Community Change and who participated in the 22-day Fast for Families in 2013, spoke outside of Lipinski’s office: “Our friends, family members and neighbors who have been torn apart by America’s broken immigration system can no longer afford to wait.  We will urge Rep. Lipinski to be a leader in his party and for his country by quickly taking action to ensure America is equipped with a 21st century immigration system that protects families, workers, and the health of our economy for decades to come.”

National faith, labor, civic, and immigrant rights leaders are on a 100+ stop tour, visiting with advocates and solidarity fasters across the country who are following in the traditions of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi by abstaining from all food in order to bring attention to this ongoing, moral crisis.  Fasters and leaders on the bus are visiting Congressional offices with constituents, holding nightly community meetings, and encouraging supporters to act, fast and pray for commonsense immigration reform.

The bus tour follows the first phase of “Fast for Families: A Call for Immigration Reform and Citizenship,” which  began in a tent on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on November 12, 2013 and ended on December 12. Leaders and immigrant members of the community abstained from all food – except water – to move the hearts and minds of members of Congress to pass immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. Several fasters, including the leaders now riding the bus, went 22 days without food in order to bring attention to America’s broken immigration system.

Rudy Lopez, left, speaks outside of Congressman Lipinski’s district office about his 22-day hunger strike in 2013 and why a pathway to citizenship is crucial to immigration reform.

“We were so inspired by the energy and momentum created during the fast  on the national mall, we just knew we had to take to the road and urge others around the country to Act. Fast and Pray,” said Rudy Lopez. “Our country is clearly hungry for a solution and that hunger is fueling this bus and will fuel this long overdue legislation over the finish line.  It’s time for Rep. Lipinski and Speaker Boehner to heed the will of the American people and get this done.”

Sponsored by multiple organizations, the two-bus tour will launch from Los Angeles on February 24,  – with one bus traveling along a northern route and the other bus traveling along a southern route – and will meet in Washington, DC on April 9.