On October 1st, faith and community leaders from the Boston area will launch a petition calling for a moratorium on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which have terrorized immigrant communities and gotten us no closer to a solution for our broken immigration system. Reverend William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Congregations, Charlie Clements, President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Reverend Kim Crawford-Harvie from the Arlington Street Church, Bishop Filipe Texeira, OFSJC, Diocese of Saint Francis of Assisi, Patty Montes from Centro Presente, and Shuya Ohno from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) will discuss the traumatic aftermath of last year’s ICE raid in New Bedford, MA, as well as more recent raids in Postville, IA, and Laurel, MS.
Speakers will call on elected officials to demonstrate the moral courage to pass just and humane immigration reform and protect the dignity and human rights of all people. The vigil is part of a national month of action called Tour of the Faithful (www.tourofthefaithful.org), involving 19 events organized by faith groups across the country calling for immigration policies that reflect our core values and help keep families together. We will have Moratorium petitions from clergy, community organizations, and from citizens of Massachusetts. They will be sent to ICE headquarters, and to Senators Kennedy and Kerry. The petition can be found here.
WHAT: Witness for Justice vigil for Immigrant Justice
WHO: Reverend William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Congregations
Charlie Clements, President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Reverend Kim Crawford-Harvie, Arlington Street Church
Bishop Filipe Texeira, OFSJC, Diocese of Saint Francis of Assisi
Patty Montes, Centro Presente
Shuya Ohno, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 from 5PM-6PM
WHERE: Boston City Hall Plaza (near the Government Center T Stop)
The vigil is sponsored by: Arlington Street Church; Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA); First Parish Church in Malden (Unitarian); Centro Presente; Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace; Cambridge United for Justice with Peace (C-UJP); The Task Force on Immigration of the UU Church of Medford; Proyecto Hondureño; MA Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA); Jobs With Justice; Boston May Day Coalition; Dominican Development Center; Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice; LUMA; ACLU; the Brazilian Women’s Group; ONE Lowell; the Boston Bolivarian Circle; Irish Immigration Center; Bishop Felipe Texeira, OFSJC, Bishop of Saint Francis of Assisi Church; the Paulist Center, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM); First Congregational Church of Somerville, UCC, La Comunidad Inc., Chelsea Collaborative, Chelsea-East Boston-Everett May Day Coalition, Community Church of Boston.
