A group of technology and innovation leaders is expected to stage a virtual demonstration in Washington, D.C., in April to urge U.S. lawmakers pass entrepreneur immigration reform. How can you get on the bus?
The date for the event, called the March for Innovation, hasn't yet been set. But the timing is expected to coincide with the progress of immigration legislation in Congress, according to Jeremy Robbins, a policy advisor and special counsel for New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The plan is to simultaneously rush members of Congress with tweets, Facebook messages, phone calls and in-person meetings in Washington on a single day. Organizers partnered with Thunderclap, a tool that coordinates social-media efforts and sends out a unified message, flash-mob style.
Related: Immigration Reform Proposals Hold Promise for Entrepreneurs
Here's a list of suggestions for participating from the organizers:
- Sign up for updates on the homepage of the March for Innovation, an organizing site to gather supporters, which launched this week.
- Follow the movement on Twitter by searching the hashtag #iMarch or Tweet about it yourself.
- Change your Facebook profile picture and cover photo in support.
- Email employees and co-workers about it.
- Post a link to MarchforInnovation.com on your company's website.
- Participate in a "gray out" or partial takeover of your website.
The March is a partnership between a bipartisan group called The Partnership for a New American Economy and a power-packed team of entrepreneurs, investors and industry advocates. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Foundry Group managing director Brad Feld, AOL co-founder Steve Case, and Tumblr founder David Karp are among the leaders joining the movement.
Related: Push for Entrepreneur Immigration Reform Grows on Capitol Hill
The Obama Administration recently released a legislative framework outlining measures it wants included in comprehensive immigration reform. The March for Innovation supports a visa option for entrepreneurs starting businesses in the U.S., similar to those in Canada, the U.K., Australia, Chile and Singapore. Also, the March wants to streamline the process for bringing in highly-skilled workers from other countries and provide more visas. Additionally, the March wants to give permanent residency to the graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) who receive advanced degrees from U.S. universities.
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