Green Gaia
Veteran Member
Unitarian Universalist Association Supports Immigrant Rights
(April 13, 2006) As the public debate over possible US immigration reform heats up and marchers in support of immigrant rights take to the streets of major cities in ever-larger numbers, the Unitarian Universalist Association has issued a statement in support of immigrant rights. The UUA's statement, made by the Rev. William G. Sinkford, President, is grounded in the Association's commitment to immigrant rights and justice and equality for all persons and is directly tied to four of the Association's seven principles:
As the UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy points out, "While there is no one comprehensive UUA statement on immigration policy, the UUA has spoken out in support of immigrants rights through a number of actions . These actions, the first of which was passed in 1961, include a 1995 Call to Conscious, Humane Treatment of Immigrants which reads, in part: "Because we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and... we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations... Unitarian Universalists we cannot in conscience condone the systematic refusal of humane social services to needy persons and their families based on immigration status, national origin, or citizenship."
The 1995 UUA statement concludes with a demand that both state and federal lawmakers develop "humane solutions to the very complex social issues relating to undocumented persons in this country, and a just application of human rights at both the state and national levels for all people living within our borders; and urges individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States to serve those directly harmed and others affected by the passage of any legislation which would deny human beings the basic services warranted to all members of a free and just society."
In his statement, Sinkford said: "We are also called to acknowledge that racism has blinded most Americans to what takes place in our own kitchens, workshops, and fields. For our nation to be whole, we must acknowledge that our lives of privilege are supported in thousands of ways by people whose labor is invisible and whose suffering is hidden."
Unitarian Universalist congregations around the US have been engaged in the struggle for immigrant rights. On March 25, 2006, twenty members of the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles along with five youth advisors, two young adults and forty-one Young Religious Unitarian Universalists participating in the Pacific Southwest District's social action conference at First Unitarian Church, attended a history-making march (attended by more than 500,000 people) in downtown Los Angeles for immigrant rights. The congregation's minister, the Rev. Monica Cummings, wrote, "It was the largest march most of us had ever experienced in our many decades of social activism. There were many memorable moments during the march, however none more so than being thanked by Hispanic brothers and sisters for standing in solidarity with them."
Members of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego joined that city's immigrant rights rally on April 9th. Tanja Winter , chair of the congregation's Peace and Democracy Task force writes, "We had 100,000 [at the rally] in San Diego - the largest ever in this city. It was amazing ...with wall to wall families. Changes are in the air! It took almost four hours to walk the entire route." Jackie Statman , Social Justice Co-Chair, reports: "Most of our First UU members joined the San Diego Organizing Project (an interfaith faith-based community organization of which First UU Church of San Diego is a member) at the Catholic cathedral in downtown San Diego. SDOP estimates there were 10,000 people at our location. After the short program, the SDOP group joined the huge crowd coming from Balboa Park... This SDOP action was probably three to four times larger than any in our twenty-five year history. It was very rewarding to see those most affected by immigration getting their voices heard with dignity. " Rev. Arvid Straube was one of six clergy who spoke before the march. Straube recalled the witness of UU minister A. Powell Davies, who fought McCarthyism in the 1950's. Straube reflected on how the metaphorical walls in our hearts cause actual walls (like the propsed wall on the US border) on our sacred earth. Straube ended his remarks with Davies' reading, "Strange and Foolish Walls," which concludes, "How strange and foolish are these walls of separation that divide us!"
The Rev. Jose Ballester, minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, TX , was one of the leaders of that city's interfaith community who rallied along with members of his congregation in support of immigrant rights. Ballester, in his recent church newsletter column , said, "It is a mid-term election year and the politicians want to confuse us, to cloud the issues, to distract us from what is wrong by setting us up to fight with each other. They want us to see people running across a border; they want us to see them taking jobs away from us; they want us to see the children of these people utilizing the public services; they want us to be scared because they might be terrorists. They don't want us to see the big businesses that exploit these people as cheap labor; living conditions in company housing that would be condemned anywhere else...They only want to cloud the issue with fear, anger and resentment."
The Second Unitarian Church of Omaha, Nebraska is actively working with the Immigration Committee of Omaha's "Together One Community" group. Second Unitarian's board member Vicki Pratt reports, "Over 10,000 people marched for immigrants rights on April 10 in downtown Omaha. A contingent from Second Omaha joined the march. Meanwhile, our Immigration Committee is meeting with state senators to arrange hearings this summer in support of Nebraska issuing Driver Certificates to residents who do not have a social security number but who pass testing requirements. The certificate could not be used as an identification document but allows legal driving and purchase of automobile insurance. We are also continuing support of unionizing meat packing house workers and exposing current working conditions," says Pratt.
(April 13, 2006) As the public debate over possible US immigration reform heats up and marchers in support of immigrant rights take to the streets of major cities in ever-larger numbers, the Unitarian Universalist Association has issued a statement in support of immigrant rights. The UUA's statement, made by the Rev. William G. Sinkford, President, is grounded in the Association's commitment to immigrant rights and justice and equality for all persons and is directly tied to four of the Association's seven principles:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
As the UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy points out, "While there is no one comprehensive UUA statement on immigration policy, the UUA has spoken out in support of immigrants rights through a number of actions . These actions, the first of which was passed in 1961, include a 1995 Call to Conscious, Humane Treatment of Immigrants which reads, in part: "Because we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and... we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations... Unitarian Universalists we cannot in conscience condone the systematic refusal of humane social services to needy persons and their families based on immigration status, national origin, or citizenship."
The 1995 UUA statement concludes with a demand that both state and federal lawmakers develop "humane solutions to the very complex social issues relating to undocumented persons in this country, and a just application of human rights at both the state and national levels for all people living within our borders; and urges individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States to serve those directly harmed and others affected by the passage of any legislation which would deny human beings the basic services warranted to all members of a free and just society."
In his statement, Sinkford said: "We are also called to acknowledge that racism has blinded most Americans to what takes place in our own kitchens, workshops, and fields. For our nation to be whole, we must acknowledge that our lives of privilege are supported in thousands of ways by people whose labor is invisible and whose suffering is hidden."
Unitarian Universalist congregations around the US have been engaged in the struggle for immigrant rights. On March 25, 2006, twenty members of the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles along with five youth advisors, two young adults and forty-one Young Religious Unitarian Universalists participating in the Pacific Southwest District's social action conference at First Unitarian Church, attended a history-making march (attended by more than 500,000 people) in downtown Los Angeles for immigrant rights. The congregation's minister, the Rev. Monica Cummings, wrote, "It was the largest march most of us had ever experienced in our many decades of social activism. There were many memorable moments during the march, however none more so than being thanked by Hispanic brothers and sisters for standing in solidarity with them."
Members of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego joined that city's immigrant rights rally on April 9th. Tanja Winter , chair of the congregation's Peace and Democracy Task force writes, "We had 100,000 [at the rally] in San Diego - the largest ever in this city. It was amazing ...with wall to wall families. Changes are in the air! It took almost four hours to walk the entire route." Jackie Statman , Social Justice Co-Chair, reports: "Most of our First UU members joined the San Diego Organizing Project (an interfaith faith-based community organization of which First UU Church of San Diego is a member) at the Catholic cathedral in downtown San Diego. SDOP estimates there were 10,000 people at our location. After the short program, the SDOP group joined the huge crowd coming from Balboa Park... This SDOP action was probably three to four times larger than any in our twenty-five year history. It was very rewarding to see those most affected by immigration getting their voices heard with dignity. " Rev. Arvid Straube was one of six clergy who spoke before the march. Straube recalled the witness of UU minister A. Powell Davies, who fought McCarthyism in the 1950's. Straube reflected on how the metaphorical walls in our hearts cause actual walls (like the propsed wall on the US border) on our sacred earth. Straube ended his remarks with Davies' reading, "Strange and Foolish Walls," which concludes, "How strange and foolish are these walls of separation that divide us!"
The Rev. Jose Ballester, minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, TX , was one of the leaders of that city's interfaith community who rallied along with members of his congregation in support of immigrant rights. Ballester, in his recent church newsletter column , said, "It is a mid-term election year and the politicians want to confuse us, to cloud the issues, to distract us from what is wrong by setting us up to fight with each other. They want us to see people running across a border; they want us to see them taking jobs away from us; they want us to see the children of these people utilizing the public services; they want us to be scared because they might be terrorists. They don't want us to see the big businesses that exploit these people as cheap labor; living conditions in company housing that would be condemned anywhere else...They only want to cloud the issue with fear, anger and resentment."
The Second Unitarian Church of Omaha, Nebraska is actively working with the Immigration Committee of Omaha's "Together One Community" group. Second Unitarian's board member Vicki Pratt reports, "Over 10,000 people marched for immigrants rights on April 10 in downtown Omaha. A contingent from Second Omaha joined the march. Meanwhile, our Immigration Committee is meeting with state senators to arrange hearings this summer in support of Nebraska issuing Driver Certificates to residents who do not have a social security number but who pass testing requirements. The certificate could not be used as an identification document but allows legal driving and purchase of automobile insurance. We are also continuing support of unionizing meat packing house workers and exposing current working conditions," says Pratt.
