On Washington and Immigration Reform

Troy Jackson writes about some of his experience in Washington two weeks ago and Stephen Colbert’s testimony to the congressional subcommittee on immigration last week. You can read what he says on Sojourner’s blog here.

It was a privilege to walk with Pastor Troy Jackson last week in Washington DC to speak to power about immigration reform, the DREAM Act, and Ag Jobs. Twenty-six of us from the state of California spoke directly and clearly to Nancy Pelosi and her staff. When they said they were in favor of reform, we asked them to take action—we don’t need empathy, we need new policy. When 50 of us stood in Senator Lindsey Graham’s office (and others where in 5 other Senator’s offices), declining to leave when asked, singing Amazing Grace and praying a blessing on the Senator and his staff and inviting the Senator to return to reasonable negotiations on immigration reform we made page 18 of Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill. When Stephen Colbert was invited by Rep. Zoe Lofgren to testify about his experience creating a comedy bit about farm workers with Arturo Rodriguez of United Farm Workers, he drew the attention of the nation to an issue that affects millions. Just like his character on his own show, his biting sarcasm made me cringe. Yet, on this day a comedian spoke with a prophet’s voice.

the least of these my brothers…

When asked why he would speak at a congressional hearing:

"I like talking about people who don’t have any power. And it seems like some of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work but don’t have any rights as a result. And yet we still invite them to come here, and at the same time ask them to leave. And that seems like an interesting contradiction to me. And, you know, whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers … these seem like the least of our brothers, right now. And I know that a lot of people are the least of my brothers because the economy is so hard, and I don’t want to take anyone’s hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that, but migrant workers suffer, and they have no rights.

~Stephen Colbert, Comedian, September 24, 2010

Not Fit For Our Society

Fear is a real and spontaneously generated emotion. Whether the fear is generated from rational or irrational phenomenon, the fear is real even if the stimulus for it is not. Fear expresses itself. Fight of flight. Fight turns into protectionism and nativism. And this is not new. The history of nativism is seen in many decent people over generations. Whether it is Ben Franklin in 1751 talking about the swarthy skinned Germans who will never learn English, the Ku Klux Klan in the 20th century, television news pundits or our own friends and neighbors today talking about whatever "other" that may harm us.

I am looking forward to reading Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America recommended by a pastor friend when we chatted in DC last week. If you've read the book, let me know. If you've noticed some fear driven nativism in your own soul, it would be interesting to talk about that.