We Shall Not Be Moved

The commitment that this congregation in my district and its minister are showing to immigration justice caught my attention recently-- I first picked up the flyer announcement for the UU Justice Ministry listed on the homepage of their website at the ARDC conclave last Saturday. They are turning their church hall into a drop-in center for area immigrants...then my own minister shared this video via facebook (UUCQ minister Rev. Ian White Maher is one of the 16 faith and community leaders who were arrested here)...

It is tough for me to accept the attitudes of those who want to close down our borders and oppress people based on suspicion and prejudice; I hear the embedded fear in their rage, but it does not hold weight against the stories of courage that my immigrant students and friends have shared-- of lost family members, of separation, of crossing the desert in the dark of night, with fear and trembling. I am reminded that there are two ways to respond to fear: with violence, or with courage. And I am reminded by the actions of the 16 leaders in the video that there are times standing at the intersections means forming a human chain. We Shall Not Be Moved.

May we find inspiration in our own communities to build and deepen relationship with the people around us-- and to stand in solidarity against oppression.