More on immigration reform

The Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees recently issued an invitation for congregational leaders to weigh in on plans for our General Assembly in Phoenix, AZ in 2012--a national UU gathering to witness on immigration and racial and economic justice. Here's what I sent them--not without some anxiety about speaking up, but carefully considered and strongly felt.

Peace,

Rev. Laura

***

September 13, 2010

Dear members of the UUA Board,

Thanks so much for the invitation to comment on possibilities for GA 2012 in Phoenix. As the sister-in-law of a recent immigrant from South America, I have been so glad to see UUs getting involved in immigration issues.

I am sure the GA planning team will do a fantastic job creating opportunities for those of us who feel energized and excited about participating in rallies and civil disobedience actions. It's been so inspiring hearing about our clergy and lay leaders who have been taking this path. I also hope we can find ways to engage those of us, like me, who feel strongly about what's going on but are less comfortable wearing the T-shirts, chanting slogans, etc.

I've been reading Thomas Merton's Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander and find myself powerfully struck by his words: "All party lines deform the doctrine which they claim to preserve" (New York: Image/Doubleday, 1989, p. 58). They helped me name a discomfort that has been surfacing in me as I follow the "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign. I want this country to welcome and embrace immigrants, and I am deeply alarmed by SB1070 and the ideas behind it. Yet, for us to claim we are "on the side of love," implying others are not, feels dangerously self-righteous to me. I worry about our getting enamored of ourselves as some sort of shining army of good, battling the evil oppressors who are Not Us. Please hear me: I don't want us to sit on our hands or stay silent about what we believe. I feel so blessed to be part of a movement with brave people willing to put themselves on the line for justice. I just hope we can practice with humility, seeking to understand the human lives of those who do not agree with us, even as we do what we need to do. I hope our GA and our continued work for justice will have room for that spirit.

Again, thank you so much for your thoughtful and courageous work. I look forward to being in Phoenix with you in 2012.

Yours in faith,

Laura Horton-Ludwig