Archive for February, 2010

The message below went out to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. Sign-up for these emails here.

Dear Friend,

At this very moment a daughter is fearful that her hard-working immigrant mother might not come home from work. Our immigrant neighbors have citizen children and spouses, they own businesses and homes, and have deep roots in their communities yet face deportation every day.

For thirty years I have worked with immigrant families as an activist in the sanctuary movement of the 1980s, as an expert witness in asylum and deportation, and also as an educator working with immigrant students and their families. I know from personal experience that immigrant families are paying too high of a price for an immigration system that is inefficient, ineffective, incoherent, and inhumane.

My congregation is not going to stand by and do nothing. On March 21st, some of us will travel to rally in D.C., and others of us will worship at an Interfaith Service on immigration here in Long Beach.

Your congregation can take action too, by signing Cards for Congress.

The good news is that there is a light visible in the distance.

Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez has introduced comprehensive immigration reform (H.R. 4321) that addresses all three dimensions of a pragmatic and humane immigration policy reform: enforcement, legalization, and future flows of immigrants into the country.

This is the best piece of legislation advocating comprehensive immigration reform that I have seen in a long time and we need to move fast. An historic coalition of immigrant groups, labor unions, religious groups and more have come together to support this bill. But Congress is up for reelection in November and the closer we get to Election Day, the less likely any major reforms will pass.

So please, get involved right now by ordering Cards for Congress from the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign.

Love,
Norma

Norma Stoltz Chinchilla
Coordinator, Long Beach Immigrants Rights Coalition
Professor, California State University, Long Beach
Member, Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach

P.S. If you are near Washington, D.C., the biggest Immigration Rally of the year will be on the National Mall on March 21st. If you can go, please register on StandingontheSideofLove.org.

The message below went out to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. Sign-up for these emails here.

Dear Friend,

I can barely believe what we accomplished on February 14th. You exceeded all of my expectations for how powerful we could be if we Reimagined Valentine’s Day.

Over 100 events took place all across the world! In Wakefield, Rhode Island, a congregation took signs of love out to a busy street corner and a chorus of car horns greeted them. In Loudon County, Virginia an entire community gathered to find ways to be more welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender neighbors. In San Diego, congregants made breakfast burritos for day laborers. And in Kampala, Uganda courageous gay and lesbian citizens held a revolutionary conference to organize against the life-threatening anti-homosexuality bill.

You are part of a much bigger movement. But don’t take it from me; watch this inspiring video that brought tears to my eyes and tells the story of this movement better than I ever could.

You signed postcards for comprehensive immigration reform, spoke out about facing oppression because of your sexual orientation or gender identity, and reached out to your neighbors to bridge racial divides.

Together we proved that all you need to build a successful movement is thousands of people committed to a singular mission. That mission is to stand on the side of love, and boy are we doing it.

I am blown away by all the time, energy, and resources you have dedicated to this campaign. It is truly an honor to stand with you.

Love,
Adam

Adam Gerhardstein
Campaign Manager

P.S. We got some great media coverage in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Beliefnet and over 20 other media outlets. Check out all the media coverage here.

Erin Barrette Goodman is a mother, writer, yoga teacher, community organizer and the founder of the Rhode Island Birth Network, which promotes empowered decision-making during the childbearing years.

I have never fully embraced Valentine’s Day.

When I was single, the day and everything leading up to it, seemed to focus on what I lacked, and I found myself resenting the Hallmark-fueled mandatory expressions of romance.

When John and I met, he was equally ambivalent about Valentine’s Day, preferring to focus his attention on what he felt was a sorely-underrated holiday: Groundhog’s Day.

And so as our relationship unfolded we happily exchanged cards and small gifts on Groundhog’s Day, and then privately snickered as everyone else paid ridiculously inflated prices for flowers and chocolates two weeks later.

But then something happened.

Two beautiful little people came into our world, seemingly on a mission to teach us to see love and beauty everywhere.

Last week as my children made simple, handmade Valentines for their classmates and teachers, I felt my heart soften and embrace the sweetness of what this holiday was — long before it was Mylar balloons, and singing cards, and chocolates wrapped in plastic.

And then yesterday, at our Unitarian Universalist church, as if the service was designed just for me, our minister invited us to re-image Valentine’s day while speaking of the power of love to heal our world.

While I was upstairs singing (I recently re-joined the choir after a 4+ year break — yay!) and enjoying this inspiring service, John and the kids were downstairs in the religious education classrooms making signs to express what love and peace and equality mean to them.

At the end of our service they paraded into the sanctuary carrying their signs and invited us all to join them by marching about a mile from our church to the center of town for a Standing on the Side of Love peace rally.

While we marched I asked Lily what the rally was all about.

“It’s about spreading love, Mama. And brightening people’s days. And being kind to each other. That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about.”

And this is how on a cold, February day, as I stood on the side of the road with my children and more than 80 members of our beautiful spiritual community, smiling and waving our signs as passerbys honked and cheered for equal rights and equal marriage and world peace, I came to know and love and joyfully celebrate the true spirit of Valentine’s Day.

This blog was originally posted on Erin Goodman’s blog, exhale. return to center.