Yakima organizers of the annual May Day March gathered Saturday to make plans for the upcoming event, which highlights immigration issues.

But organizers say the nationwide event is about more than just immigration. Marches around the country always bring out tens of thousands of people. In Yakima, activists hope to reach something near the 2006 turnout -- more than 7,000 people.

Organizers hope to bring awareness to not only immigration reform, but topics like access to education and raising the minimum wage for immigrants around the United States. For some, this march is more than just political action.

"I'm marching for my family and my dad who is no longer here," organizer Elizabeth Lara said. "He was deported two years ago so he is no longer here. But it's not just about immigration or deportation. It's about these injustices that are happening in our community. (We're) marching and standing up for our rights, for what we believe in."

Community organizers hope to have multiple local speakers at this year's gathering to energize the crowd and help push immigration reform on the political agenda.

The May Day March begins at 5 p.m. May 1 in Miller Park, then proceeds down Yakima Avenue.

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