Sandra Fluke discussed the struggle for immigrants' rights with AU students in the University Club on March 18.
"[Immigrants] stood with the rest of us last year when we fought for the Violence Against Women Act ...but immigrant women were left behind in the legislation," she said. "So now it's our turn to stand with them."
Illegal immigrants make up around 3.7 percent of people in the United States, according to data from the United States Census Bureau of 2012 and The New York Times.
The event was sponsored by the Kennedy Political Union, The Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, The Wellness Center and Students For Choice.
Fluke is well known for her 2012 testimony before Congress about a woman's right to affordable contraception covered by her insurance.
Fluke rose in notoriety after conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh called her a "slut" and a "prostitute" on his radio show in response to her testimony before congress in. However, Fluke's activism dates back to her first undergraduate semester at Cornell University.
Activism presents college students with the opportunity to give back to their community as well as affect their future after they graduate, Fluke said. During her speech, Fluke encouraged students to advocate for causes that impact their student communities, but also issues that extend beyond campus boundaries such as immigration.
It is the responsibility of college students to involve themselves in causes that affect people outside of their own community, Fluke told students.
"My sister's fight has to be my fight...we all have to stand together" she said of the need for allies in the cause.
sgaber@theeagleonline.com
