Blog
Reflection on the May 29th National Day of Action
Rev. Paul Langston-Daley is a UU minister in Arizona.
From the dust of the Arizona desert, we will rise…Today, I feel blessed. Blessed and honored to be a Unitarian Universalist, to be a member of the clergy and to know that the values I hold are indeed echoed by tens of thousands. I had been feeling quite desperate and lost, a transplant from liberal New England to the unforgiving desert of Arizona. In the past two years I have struggled to maintain hope in a place where fear, racism and apathy are the norm. I knew this weekend would be a defining moment in my life, and for my fellow Unitarian Universalists.
For months we worked to defeat the passage of 1070. We failed, and for the past few weeks Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, Rev. Walt Wieder, Bill Lace, Carolina Kawarick, Rob Smith and I worked tirelessly to encourage, cajole, beg and simply ask for UU’s from all over the country to come to Arizona and stand with us for a National Day of Action for comprehensive immigration reform, and to stand on the side of love against the pain and terror that will be and is being caused by SB 1070.
On Friday night we gathered for food, and fellowship. We celebrated and welcomed the nearly 60 UU Clergy and lay leaders that had arrived that night, knowing more were coming in the morning. Two members of Rev. Susan’s congregation shared their personal story, the story of having their family torn apart by our broken immigration system. I cried as I heard how this young man’s mother had been dropped on the other side of the border with nothing, simply dropped. Never mind that she had not been to Mexico in 20 years, never mind that she had no transportation or money, never mind that she had just been torn from her home while her two children watched the ICE agents place her in the car and drive away, never mind that his sister, still in high school, was losing her mother. I cried again as we sang together, “We are a gentle angry people, and we are singing, singing for our lives”. Rev. Peter Morales offered a short but poignant reminder of the deep meaning of our work this weekend and we sang a benediction together- From this house, to the world, we will go, Hand in hand… and so, we did.
On Saturday more than 400 of us, including 60 clergy from all over the country, gathered at the park to greet one another and prepare for the march. Members of the clergy were asked to bless 
the marchers and many of us went to the front to do so. We joined the march and our bright yellow Standing on the Side of Love shirts were a beacon to all. In the heat, and over the distance, our group drifted apart. At one point a few of us stopped to rest in the shade of a building and watched as our screaming yellow shirts drifted by in groups of three or four, walking, singing, chanting and just chatting. It was a sight to behold, those shirts, bright and cheerful, sprinkled and spread out for miles over the march, calling us all to Love.
I was surprised by the tone, having been to many marches. The weight and gravity of this one was present, but families were also having fun…there was a sense of camaraderie. It was serious, yet playful. One young man with a bullhorn had been leading chants along the way and at one point near the end of the march, he began singing in Spanish, a short and simple tune. Others joined in, laughing. We saw so many young children in strollers and even one on a baking cart, hot and tired, his father, determined to finish the full 6 miles. Generations of families together-singing, chanting, laughing, and talking, many told us they were grateful for our presence, Anglos and Latinos together. The air was hot and dry and our feet were heavy as we rounded the corner and saw the gleaming, copper dome of the state house. With gratitude we saw it grow larger with each step. I rallied myself and my flagging companions, – “It may be hot, but this is nothing compared to the trek across the desert, its nothing compared to what so many are willing to face to find work and to bring their families back together. Si se puede. We can do it.”
In the end we arrived at that copper dome, a small group of bright yellow shirts, standing shoulder to shoulder with Catholics, labor unions, Black Baptists and most of all with families. We were tired and hot but pleased to have finished the whole distance and to see the crowd gathered, covering the statehouse lawn, spilling across the street to a small park in the sun. Our presence was felt and known there. We, Unitarian Universalists, came from as far as Boston and New York, Minneapolis and New Orleans, from all over California and from right here in Arizona. We stood together with tens of thousands to call for an end to racist legislation and to ask our federal government to create and pass comprehensive immigration reform NOW. Our blazing yellow shirts made a statement- a statement about who we are, and what is important to us as religious people. At lunch today, a colleague told us she overheard some people saying “Hey, look over there, it’s the Love people”.
What better way is there for us to be known? This is not over yet…But we will stand, the “Love People”, together and strong. Thank you all for your presence, for your prayers, for your spirit, for your love and for your work.
On My Feet in the Phoenix Heat
May 29, 2010
Rev. Meg Riley is Campaign Director of the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign and a Minnesota resident.
It’s hot here in Phoenix for this Minnesotan, though the locals say it’s just “warm”—mid nineties. Still, spirits are high as people gather from across the nation to protest Arizona Bill 1070.
The folks from Arizona are visibly relieved and buoyed up by the presence of visitors. One after another tell me, many with tears in their eyes, how frightening this bill is and how angry and helpless they feel in its wake. I don’t just mean people who know me, or people of faith, or Unitarian Universalists. I’m talking about waitresses, gas station attendants—strangers.
One waitress, noticing our not-a-bit-subtle Standing on the Side of Love t-shirts, and our buttons which state “I could be illegal,” gets tears in her eyes. “THANK YOU,” she says, “I know just why you’re here, and THANK YOU.” She then goes on to say that she was visiting family in California when the bill passed. To her horror, her family members thought it was a great thing and only wished California would have a similar bill. She says, quietly, “They just don’t know what they’re talking about. I didn’t even know what to say.” And then, even more quietly, “It feels like Nazi Germany.” She is a 60-something Jewish woman, she tells me, and she can’t believe her family could support this legislation, which for her is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
She’s not the only one tearing up. I sometimes feel I could wail, watching the beautiful Latino families around me, knowing the fear that many of them live with daily as they pray for one another’s safety. And then I want to cheer, seeing the joy and courage and ease they embody in this hot sun that is melting my neck and feet.
Hundreds of Unitarian Universalists, including dozens of clergy from across the nation, gathered with one broken heart at the UU Church of Phoenix Friday night and then came to rally and march on Saturday morning. Many of the clergy, joining colleagues from other faiths, lined the street where the marchers began to offer prayer, bread for the journey (in this case, tortillas), water, and blessings. It was a great vantage point from which to watch!
In the delightful random moments of such events, I saw Sandy Sorensen, a dear old friend who directs the United Church of Christ’s Washington Office. Sandy was joined by a group of United Church of Christ colleagues.
As the march gathered, the Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, who seems to know everyone, introduces me to a veteran Arizona politician and organizer, by the name of Alfredo Gutierrez. Gutierrez nods to the crowd, “That’s what they’re afraid of,” he says to us, pointing to a group of children playing. He goes on, “They’re not afraid of people like me. We’re old. They’re scared because of the children—all the children. And, look at those children! They are happy, they are laughing, they are not afraid. Look at the joy around you! How could this scare people?”
More >Standing with Immigrant Families in Philadelphia
Yesterday, local leaders and immigration reform activists gathered at the U.S.
Constitution Center in Philadelphia to rally for the restoration of exclusive federal authority to enforce immigration laws. They were protesting an Arizona-type immigration law recently introduced in the PA State Senate.
Rev. Nate Walker of First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia said the following about the rally:
“We gathered today to stand on the side of love with immigrant families. We gathered at the birthplace of our nation to remind elected officials of their duty to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
We gathered as people of faith, to not only condemn Arizona’s SB1070, but to make clear that we will not accept any such copycat legislation here in Pennsylvania.
We forcefully condemn any legislation that permits the police to harass, detain and discriminate against racial minorities regardless of their citizenship status. This is clear violation of the Constitutional guarantee to due process and equal protection.
Too much of our public discourse about immigration reform is driven not by love, but by fear, which often scapegoats racial minorities and deem immigrants as somehow less than human. This is not only a violation of all faiths which are centered in love but also a violation of our country’s founding documents.
When will our Union learn to be united? No one is illegal; no human being can ever be deemed illegal – an identity, a race cannot be legislated out of existence. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All humans are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights.We gather as part of a national movement to harness the power of love to stop oppression, exclusion, and violence. Let this gathering serve as an invitation to all people to stand on the side of love with immigrant families.
Via Philebrity. See more photos on our flickr!
More >Breaking Out of the Closet
May 25, 2010
The message below went out to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. Sign-up for these emails here.
Dear Friends,
After centuries of being forced into the closet, gay, lesbian and bisexual service members are on the verge of breaking out this year.
Just last night, lawmakers reached a compromise that could pave the way to the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” before the year ends! But this compromise all hinges on key votes this week in the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee.
No mater how you feel about the military in general, I hope we can all agree that the key tests for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve – not the gender of the person you love.
Love,
Adam
Adam Gerhardstein
Campaign Manager
P.S. Read more about the compromise in the Washington Post.
More >Rhode Island faces Arizona-type legislation
May 24, 2010
A piece of legislation, H 8142, has been introduced in Rhode Island that is designed to harass and punish undocumented immigrants.
It criminalizes an administrative violation. It makes undocumented entry into the U.S. a crime. This has always been an administrative issue that results in deportation. Under this bill, the first conviction is a class one misdemeanor with a fine of up to $2500 and a jail sentence of up to six months. Any subsequent conviction is a felony.
It will lead to racial profiling. The bill requires law enforcement officers to challenge people if they have a “reasonable suspicion” they are undocumented. Despite assertions to the contrary, this suspicion can be formed only through racial profiling.
People of faith in Rhode Island are already rallying to stop this bill from being enacted. Read what they are doing and then email your governor to ensure such a law doesn’t come to your state.
More >
