Immigrants' freedom ride stops in Georgia

ATLANTA - A national bus tour advocating better treatment of immigrants stopped in Atlanta, with protesters adding the Spanish phrase ``Si, se puede&#39;&#39; ``Yes, we can&#39;&#39; to the civil rights anthem ``We Shall Overcome.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is touring the nation to promote legalizing working immigrants, improving their working conditions and allowing family members at home to join them in America. <br> <br> The tour is modeled after the Freedom Riders who drove across the South in the 1960s to test a U.S. Supreme Court decision banning segregation at public transportation facilities. But this time, most of the riders come from Mexico, Central America and Colombia. The immigrants are giving only their first names during the tour. <br> <br> ``I am contributing my little grain of sand to obtain freedom, reunification of families, civil rights and workers&#39; rights,&#39;&#39; one rider, Amelia, said in Spanish after a brief wreath-laying ceremony at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.&#39;s crypt. <br> <br> Similar buses are crossing the country and holding rallies to draw attention to immigrant rights and legalization. The campaign now heads to Washington and New York, where a rally at the Statue of Liberty is planned for Saturday. <br> <br> One of the riders who passed through Atlanta on Monday, Edna Silvester of New Orleans, said people who come to America deserve the rights of native-born citizens. <br> <br> ``People with deep roots in this country that are paying taxes, that are trying to raise a family certainly should have the opportunity to become citizens in this great country,&#39;&#39; Silvester said.