April 11, 2013
Mark Zuckerberg and Other Tech Leaders Launch Advocacy Organization
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is joining forces with tech heavyweights to run FWD.us, a political advocacy group working to revamp immigration policy, enhance education and encourage investment in scientific research. The tech company’s chief executive announced the reform group on Wednesday in an op-ed article published in The Washington Post.
Pronounced “forward us,†the new organization is calling for the federal government to change the current immigration policy, especially if the United States wants to advance economically. The 28-year-old Harvard dropout is urging the government to offer hard working, skilled immigrants citizenship.
In the Washington Post piece, Zuckerberg highlights his experience teaching an entrepreneurship-focused program to middle schoolers and how one of the “top aspiring entrepreneurs†was unsure he’d be able to attend college because he’s an undocumented immigrant. The tech titan then referenced the immigration policy that existed when his great-grandparents came to the states via Ellis Island.
As the grandson of a mailman and police officer, Zuckerberg and his family were able to benefit from a “welcoming immigration policy,†and a great education.
“Today’s students should have the same opportunities – but our current system blocks them†said Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg is joined by tech notables like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and Google chairman Eric Schmidt, among other well-known tech executives.
“As leaders of an industry that has benefited from this economic shift, we believe that we have a responsibility to work together to ensure that all members of our society gain from the rewards of the modern knowledge economy†Zuckerberg wrote.