WATCH: Celeb Immigration Activists Launch #IAmAnImmigrant Social Media Campaign

RosarioImmigrant
Screenshot/YouTube
Jerome Hudson

Nonprofit organization Welcome US gathered a star-studded group of Hollywood celebrities to kick off its “I Am an Immigrant” campaign in honor of Immigrant Heritage Month.

The group produced a video featuring 50 influential celebrity figures, including actresses Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Tracee Ellis Ross, and actors George Lopez, Guillermo Diaz, and Bobby Cannavale.

Promoted on social media with the #IAmAnImmigrant hashtag, the campaign is intended to “encourage all of us to explore our individual heritage & recognize our distinct and shared experiences.”

“We all have our piece in the American story, whether as a new immigrant, native to this land, a descendent of slavery or those who came to our nation seeking a better life,” the Welcome US viral video description reads.

Many of the high-profile celebrities, all of them first or second-generation immigrants themselves, explained why they believe America’s immigrant-based heritage makes it great.

“I don’t know of anybody that didn’t come over here from somewhere at some point,” Vinyl star Bobby Cannavale says in the video.

“People say, ‘Well, my family came over here on the Mayflower,’ and I’m like, ‘Exactly! Hello, immigrant,'” said actress Rosario Dawson.

Some of the celebrity activists, including comedian George Lopez and actress Gina Rodriguez, promoted the “I Am an Immigrant” movement on their personal Twitter and Instagram accounts, posting pictures of themselves wearing T-shirts with the campaign’s slogan mashed together with the America flag.

“Now, more than ever, it’s important we stay united,” wrote singer Miguel.

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Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @jeromeehudson.

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