Available From UC Press

From Alaska to Florida, millions of immigrants and their supporters took to the streets across the United States to rally for immigrant rights in the spring of 2006. The scope and size of their protests, rallies, and boycotts made these the most significant events of political activism in the United States since the 1960s. This accessibly written volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of this historic moment. Perfect for students and general readers, its essays, written by a multidisciplinary group of scholars and grassroots organizers, trace the evolution and legacy of the 2006 protest movement in engaging, theoretically informed discussions. The contributors cover topics including unions, churches, the media, immigrant organizations, and immigrant politics. Today, one in eight U.S. residents was born outside the country, but for many, lack of citizenship makes political voice through the ballot box impossible. This book helps us better understand how immigrants are making their voices heard in other ways.

Kim Voss is Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is coauthor, with Rick Fantasia, of Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement (UC Press), coauthor of Inequality by Design, and author of The Making of American Exceptionalism. Irene Bloemraad is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is author of Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada (UC Press).

“Through the excellent and noteworthy pieces of scholarship here, Rallying for Immigrant Rights vividly captures the dynamics of the 2006 immigration protests. This volume heralds an exciting shift in the study of political participation and raises timely questions about protest, immigration, and U.S. politics.” —Kenneth T. Andrews, author of Freedom is a Constant Struggle: The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and Its Legacy

“Rallying for Immigrant Rights challenges the existing theories in political behavior and social movement writings. This is a timely and excellent volume, and it should be required reading for anyone interested in political activism.” —Lisa García Bedolla, Chair, Center for Latino Policy Research, UC Berkeley

“The essays in Rallying for Immigrant Rights offer an enlightening perspective on the 2006 protests and what they mean for the future of immigration politics in the U.S. This impressively orginal volume will be a standard reference for years to come.” —Karthick Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor of Political Science, UC Riverside