Home for the holidays

Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like home. I’ll be home for Christmas. Every year around this time, we are bombarded with images of home and the family. But before we get too caught up in the symbolism of the season, let’s pause and ask ourselves what would happen to your picture of home if you are living in a jail cell and your family is in hiding?

Bernard Pastor might be able to answer that question for you. Bernard, 18, is a graduate of Reading High School. In high school he was an honor student and a star soccer player. He was also voted best-dressed by members of his graduating class. He wants to attend the seminary and work as a pastor. However, Bernard is also undocumented and right now his dreams are on hold as he sits behind bars at the Morrow County Jail in Mount Gilead. Earlier this month, he was involved in a minor traffic accident and after questioning he was arrested. His deportation hearing began shortly thereafter.

Bernard was brought to the United States at the age of 3 and has lived in the U.S. ever since. His family fled Guatemala because they feared persecution after converting from Catholicism to the evangelical Pentecostal Church. They family’s application for asylum was denied. Rather than face an uncertain and unsafe future in Guatemala, the family stayed in the United States. He has lived in Arkansas and for the last six years he lived in Reading. Bernard’s parents and siblings are currently in hiding.

Sadly, Bernard’s story is not uncommon. Thousands of immigrants who were brought to this country as children face deportation after graduating from U. S. high schools. These students, many of whom have no other memories of home outside of the United States, live in fear of deportation. Even though they want to serve their country, current laws prevent them from doing so.

At this very moment, we can help Bernard and show our support for others like him by supporting the passage of the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) is a bipartisan federal legislation that was first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and re-introduced in the Senate and in the House on March 26, 2009. The passage of the DREAM Act could change Bernard’s life. The law allows young immigrants who have lived in this country for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character the opportunity to earn citizenship if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning.




To learn more about the DREAM Act and what you can do to urge our elected officials to move on this legislation, visit dreamactivist.org. You can also show your support by signing a petition to keep Pastor at home.

A vote on the DREAM Act could happen as early as today. Let’s act now to help keep Bernard’s dream alive.

Reclaim Your Dignity … Reclaim Your Life

Michelle Alexander’s new book, The New Jim Crow, wants the world to know that mass incarceration and the ensuing legalized discrimination that former prisoners face may lead us to a ‘human rights nightmare.’ The book is intended to ‘stimulate a much-needed conversation about the role of the criminal justice system in creating and perpetuating racial hierarchy.” In the book, Alexander traces the history of Jim Crow as a network of laws and policies that are designed to ensure the subordinate status of a particular racial group. She argues that the vestiges of Jim Crow exclusion are ever-present in contemporary practices of mass incarceration. Alexander’s definition of mass incarceration focuses not only on the number of incarcerated individuals, but
‘also the larger web of laws, rules, policies, and customs that control those
labeled criminals both in and out of prison. Once released, former prisoners
enter a hidden underworld of legalized discrimination and permanent social
exclusion. They are members of America’s new undercaste.’
Alexander will discuss and sign her book tomorrow, November 18, 2010 at Cincinnati City Hall. The Amos Project with the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, Cincinnati Human Relations Committee (CHRC), and the Faith Community Alliance of Greater Cincinnati is sponsoring Reclaim Your Dignity … Reclaim Your Voice: A Human Relations Summit. A panel discussion on civil rights will follow Alexander’s talk. For more information and to RSVP contact CHRC at 513.352.3237.

Immigration: Hope v. Hate

Have you ever had a really intense nightmare? You know the kind of nightmare that seems unbelievably real, so real that once you finally wake up you thank your lucky stars that it was just your imagination and you’re relieved that the real world isn’t so bad after all. Well, I’m awake, but I am far from relieved because the toxic state of public discourse on the immigration debate is absolutely nightmarish.

The ongoing
anxiety
about the immigration debate is fueled by an intense apprehension about the changing face of our nation. Yes, we are a nation of immigrants. But for some, that nugget of historical truth is hard to digest. Among the first immigrants to the land that would become America were Europeans in search of economic opportunity and religious freedom. Perhaps the Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to think about immigration because the Pilgrims themselves were once new arrivals.

I am open to debate about the nature of immigration reform; indeed, an open free exchange of ideas is one of America’s most important privileges. However, those discussions that are marked by hateful, racist rhetoric do nothing but chip away at the principles of productive dialogue. Just last week, TN Rep. Curry Todd
made headlines during a Fiscal Review Committee Meeting. Representative Todd was upset that the state’s program that provides free health coverage to children under the age of 18 was not verifying the immigration status of pregnant women. He voiced his anger by stating, “They can go out there like rats and multiply, then, I guess.” When the Associated Press questioned him about his remarks, he said that ‘anchor babies’ might have been a more ‘palatable.’

The ugly side of the immigration debate hit close to home last week when Fox News cited Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones as one of America’s Top 10 ‘Toughest” Immigration Sheriffs. Despite the fact that the enforcement of immigration laws is squarely within the domain of the federal government, Sheriff Jones is proud of this distinction. Sheriff Jones told Fox that, “People are fed up with immigration and our government doesn’t seem willing to stop it,” so he wants to sue the country of Mexico.
Yes, he read that right. Sheriff Jones wants to sue Mexico in order to seek compensation for costs associated with the arrest and incarceration of Mexican citizens.

The words and actions of Todd and Jones are turning the conversation about immigration reform into an absurd spectacle. The struggle about immigration isn’t entirely about borders. The struggle is about who will be allowed to access the American dream of opportunity and success. History has allowed us to celebrate the legacy of Ellis Island. If we allow the language of hate to shape the immigration debate, will future generations remember us as a nation of fear-mongers or fair-minded individuals? The decision is ours.
Tomorrow is the National Day of Fasting and Prayer for Immigration Reform. Learn more about this day and the efforts of the faith community to unite in prayer for a common purpose, “to pray for an end to family separation due to deportations, to lament the broken system, and to ask God for guidance on the way forward.” There will be a local prayer service in Cincinnati, followed by a breaking of the fast with some great authentic Mexican food at Su Casa in Carthage , 7036 Fairpark Avenue , Cincinnati , 45216. Check out the attached Facebook page for more details and to RSVP: Cincinnati Fasting & Prayer Gathering. Let’s put our hope into action and work toward engaging in a respectful, productive discussion about immigration reform.

VOTE!!!

Well, Election Day is finally here. Thanks in large part to the 24-hour news cycle, this election season feels like it’s been going on since January 2008. Now is the time to make sure your vote counts. If you haven’t already done so, make sure to get to the polls and cast your vote. There is no other way to say it; today is your day to make a difference.