Woodbridge Party Tonight Celebrates Racial Harmony and Community Spirit in Prince Willam County

By: EricByler
Published On: 6/20/2008 7:35:43 AM

I cannot explain why exactly, but the blog thread announcing our latest party in Prince William County has generated 275 comments on the AntiBVBL!  I hope as many people show up for the party as there are discussing the it (and the immigration issue) on AntiBVBL.  For those of you who live outside Prince William County and have developed a negative opinion of us, our party tonight in Woodbridge would be a great way to meet up with a diverse, inclusive, and really fun group of people who were instrumental in repealing the controversial "Probable Cause" element of the Immigration Resolution.


To help bridge the division caused by the Prince William County Immigration Resolution, and in honor of the 41st anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the United States, Loving Day, AntiBVBL.net, Unity in the Community, Ayuda Business Coalition and 9500 Liberty are holding a party:

Friday, June 20th, 7:30 to 10:00 PM
El Portal restaurant
14561 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Woodbridge, VA 22191

We have wonderful news from Manuel Arbaiza, owner of El Portal Restaurant in Woodbridge. He says business has picked up significantly in the last five weeks, and he is beginning to host weddings and coming of age parties again.

To celebrate, we are returning to El Portal Restaurant, the site of our first "Save Prince William County's Economy" Party, which was held on April 4, 2008.

Loving Day
Loving Day's mission is to fight prejudice through education and to build a sense of community among people who engage in meaningful interracial and intercultural relationships.

* Create a common connection between multicultural communities, groups and individuals
* Build multicultural awareness, understanding, acceptance, and identity
* Educate the public about the history of interracial relationships in order to fight prejudice
* Establish a tradition of Loving Day celebrations as a means to achieve these goals

This video shot during the "dark days" of the immigration battle in Prince William County, tells the story of Manuel's business suffering due to the relocation of much of the Latino community:

And this video tells the story of the party we threw on April 4th to help Manuel's business stay afloat:


Comments



Drat (TheGreenMiles - 6/20/2008 8:47:15 AM)
Wish I could make it, but considering I work in DC and with Friday evening commute/summer weekend traffic, the soonest I could get there is Tuesday. Maybe Monday night if the 14th Street Bridge was OK.

And hey, how come I never got a coming of age party? I'm calling The Green Parents right now.



Wish I could make it too (snolan - 6/20/2008 10:58:24 AM)
but I am hosting a gathering of medieval historians - so both your party and the "Can't Stop the Serenity" screenings in Arlington will have to be passed on.