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.
Rev. Paul,
Thanks for your reflections. It is, indeed, good to be known as the “Love People”, and many of us were with you in spirit although it was impossible to be there in person.
My congregation’s delegates to GA this year are struggling as to how to represent us in the 2012 boycott vote. We deplore what is happening with SB 1070; we do not want delegates to be afraid to come to GA in Phoenix, yet we also do not want to abandon those good people of Arizona who are living this daily. I understand that the Board meeting was held before the Arizona UUs had decided whether or not they wanted the UUA to boycott; what is the feeling there now? How could our association Stand on the Side of Love most effectively?
Any other Arizonan UUs who are reading this, please let us know your thoughts over the next couple of weeks.
Peace and love,
Sally
Dear Sally G,
Thank you so much for your question. I can certainly direct you to a lively discussion we had at http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=185294219237&topic=19023 (Valley UU’s Facebook page, discussion section).
The boycott does not have buy-in from the majority of progressives in Arizona. This may be be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I think it goes to something deeper. The voices calling for boycott — they’re operating from a position of despair. This is still America. We need to operate from a position of hope.
A boycott would be a failure of imagination. As we have shown, there are so many better ways we could tackle this issue by our presence rather than by our absence.
What’s more, it would be elitist. The good people of AZ are STILL fighting. We need to be supported, not clucked at.
Hello Sally!
Most members of VUU (Chandler, AZ) agree that a boycott 2 years from now will be ineffective. We also believe that intolerance and discrimination are best addressed where they occur – not from many miles away.
The open letter to our Board (in ‘notes’) outlining our reasoning for keeping GA2012 in Phoenix is posted on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/notes/valley-unitarian-universalist-church-chandler-az/an-open-letter-to-the-vuu-board-in-opposition-to-moving-2012-ga-from-phoenix/427874270085
The VUU board approved the petition unanimously.
We will be presenting a similar letter to the UUA in Minneapolis and our congregation’s delegates will be opposing the UUA resolution. It is our understanding that many (although NOT all) Arizona congregations hold similar positions. Numerous congregations from both our PSW District, as well as around the country have also indicated their opposition to moving GA2012.
We are hoping to be able to inform delegates thoroughly about the realities and myths of SB1070 – as well as encourage a more strategic approach to eliminating this law, electing representatives that more accurately reflect the will of Arizonans, and working toward building a more tolerant, accepting, and loving world together.
For more information, please visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/vuu.org
All of the moderators (and members) will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
My best,
Carolina K., VUU
I would encourage interested UU’s to check out http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-GA-in-Arizona-Phoenix-2012/121687127864436#!/pages/Keep-GA-in-Arizona-Phoenix-2012/121687127864436
Dear Sally and others…
This is a complex situation. So far Gov. Brewer claims that the state has felt no effects from the Boycott. I do not know if this will change over the next few months…
What I do know is that this issue will not be solved by a boycott. It far bigger than Arizona. What we need is another Great Awakening. A renewal of faith, compassion and love. Too many times in our past have we allowed laws favoring the wealthy, the white and the powerful. When time has passed and we look back on those laws, we face deep shame and regret as a country for our silence and acceptance of them.
It is my hope that this will be a catalyst for real change. This is an opportunity to show the world that we in the United States really do believe in freedom, justice and the pursuit of happiness. We in the United States really do believe in human potential, opportunity and above all, human rights.
In considering how to vote at GA, I ask that you bear this in mind…Regardless of the decision made at GA to Boycott or not to Boycott, we stand in the edge of a defining moment in American history. We can choice to be small and scared, or we can choose to be bold and courageous. The issue before us is no less than the issue of slavery, women’s rights, and civil rights. This is not just an issue of immigration, but an issue of how we see and treat other human beings as members of this global community. And it is truly a global community, more highly interconnected and interdependent than ever before.
We need the strength and courage of our faith and our values to stand together on the side of love in every state, in community. We must speak out with courage and conviction, We Stand together on the Side of Love!
Shanti, Paul
Dear Sally and others-
I spoke with Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray about this and Rev. Stewart Warren, the African American pastor who helped organize the MLK Boycott stated that his hope for the boycott was that corporate groups would boycott and that religious and education groups would come to and help increase awareness and understanding through witness and action of the immigration issue.
Shanti, Paul
Correction- It is Rev. Dr Warren Stewart, not Rev. Stewart Warren