[Guest Post By Dina Ruden]
With just 72 hours’ notice, more than 700 people from nine denominations and 40 different religious organizations throughout the country, representing tens of millions of followers, convened in Washington DC on January 29, answering an urgent call to take a moral stand against unjust and dangerous immigration enforcement actions. Many of the religious leaders came from Minneapolis to share powerful stories from their communities under occupation and the trauma and terror facing their neighbors.
These hundreds of faith leaders gathered to demand that Congress give no money to DHS, get ICE out of our communities, and require accountability for the multiple injuries and deaths already incurred at the hands of the Department of Homeland Security.
The day started in song and fellowship at the historic Lutheran Church of the Reformation in the shadow of the Capitol building. The audience: Catholic nuns, Lutheran ministers, Muslim Imans, Evangelicals, Buddhists, Rabbis, Hindus, Humanists and others of faith. “Nudge your neighbor and say: ‘Thank God you’re here.’” We did.
In a prayer service that was to be followed by a day of lobbying and an act of civil disobedience, dozens of religious leaders shared their shock, outrage, sorrow as well as messages of hope and a brighter future.
Regardless of who or how they worship, the themes resonated with everyone in attendance.
- All are our neighbors, and we should treat them as we want to be treated.
- The dangers throughout history of othering and oppressing our neighbors.
- This is not just a political crisis, but a spiritual one
- Faith demands action when lives are on the line.
- Justice is not an abstract idea, but a moral obligation.
- We are not going to meet hatred with hatred.
- As matters of our religious faith, we hold sacred the belief that love lies at the center of all we do.
- Love is the most powerful force for change and healing in the universe
Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, described the harassment of the Minneapolis Somali community, including the elderly and the disabled, and, in a voice choked with emotion, stated, “We are not garbage,” referencing a previous comment by President Donald Trump.
Rev. Jen Nagel, a bishop with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Minnesota, talked about beauty and devastation. The beauty of neighbors loving and caring for each other in this time of crisis: watching over schools, providing medical care, delivering groceries to those afraid to leave home. And the devastation: “What is happening in Minnesota across the state is cruel, and it’s unjust, barbaric, unconstitutional, damning, and is the farthest thing from love thy neighbor that I can imagine.”
“Since when are people in this country required to carry a passport to walk the streets safely?, she asked.
Unitarian Universalist Association President Rev. Sofia Betancourt was pragmatic:
“We know that as unsexy as it is, budgets are moral documents. There is no moral justification, none, in voting for a budget that will put more resources toward the violent dehumanization of our people.”
For that reason, she said, the religious leaders are asking for:
- An immediate stop to all ICE activities
- For ICE to leave Minnesota and communities across the country
- Full transparency and immediate accountability for all those involved, including their supervisors, in recent violence and killings.
In a particularly moving moment, Sr. Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director of Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), asked those from Minnesota to stand up, which they did.
Then she asked again: “Who here is from Minnesota?” And the entire congregation stood up. And then, “Who here is from Ukraine?” Again, everyone stood.
And finally, “Who here is from Gaza?” A reminder that we are all one family, and all children are our children.
Two US Senators, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Sen. Chris Coons, who holds a divinity degree, addressed the crowd preparing them to meet with members of the Senate.
Just after Sen. Coons announced (to cheers) that a deal had been struck in the Senate to separate DHS funding from the other appropriations bills, the group ascended to the Hill to make their case against DHS funding and for accountability.
Following meetings with members of Congress and media interviews, many members of the group staged a peaceful sit-in resulting in dozens of arrests of religious leaders by Capitol Police. You can watch the religious leaders and people of faith “praying with their feet” and putting their bodies on the line for their neighbors here. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1257345579638709
This past year, and especially these last few weeks, I have felt a deep despair about what is happening to the country I love, watching everything I cherished and worked for my entire adult life being dismantled and desecrated:
- A free press, the First Amendment and the right to speak truth to power
- Union rights and the right of people to organize
- A belief in science and medicine and protecting children against debilitating disease
- The right to protest without fear of harm, retribution, or even death
- The right to affordable healthcare
- Respect and opportunity for everyone regardless of their race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation
- The right for children to be cherished and protected
- The expectation that when hundreds of young girls are abused by a cabal of rich white men that those men would to be brought to justice
- Equal rights for women, bodily autonomy, and freedom from violence
- The right to due process for citizens and noncitizens alike and the right to seek asylum
- Respect for the earth and our natural world
- A nation that exemplifies freedom and democracy, values its allies and seeks peace
- And a president with integrity and dignity who sets an example for us all, seeks national unity, respects the Constitution and the rule of law, and focuses on public service over personal ambition.
I always believed that what made America great was our wonderful diversity, the fact that we were a cultural and religious mosaic of people bringing the beauty of their beliefs, their traditions and their labor together, embracing the idea of a better life for all.
The despair I felt the night before spending time with these people of faith was transformed to a deep love and replaced by a determination to do all I can to mobilize, protect my neighbors and pray with my feet in the battle for the soul of this great nation.
You can watch the entire vigil and press conference here:
https://www.facebook.com/FIAnational/videos/954478750268928
You can read the statement by DC Area Faith Leaders on Immigration Enforcement Actions here.
As one speaker said, a country is judged by how it treats its children (and I would add, the example we set for them) and asked, “What manner of country will we be?” That is the question we must now decide.
SHINING SEA 