I mentioned an interest of mine earlier - human trafficking. I would love to be able to eradicate this plague altogether - exactly how much slavery is acceptable? - and it's taken me many years to make my peace with my own limitations. There's much evil in the world. I can't erase all of it, no matter how much I wish I could. But in my little corner - well, I can advise and inform and argue and scream blue bloody murder. When it comes to trafficking, I will carry on like a man possessed.
Another interest: immigrant justice. I suppose there's much to celebrate in that some Republicans are moving somewhat on the issue. Would that their movement was because they suddenly repented of their evil ways. Alas, I think it's because they can read election returns and demographic trends as well as anyone. You got spanked by 40 percent in the Latino vote! Guess what the fastest-growing demographic in the country is? Wins in statewide elections in California for Republicans have become rare critters. Are you trying to do likewise in Arizona? Texas? To keep talking as you did in the last election is party suicide.
As Bobby Jindal said, "We have to quit being the Party of the Stupid."
How about doing the right thing just because it's the right thing?
I am a member of St. Mary's Parish in Davenport. We have two English Masses on the weekends. They're not deserted, but you can show up late and find a seat. We have one Spanish Mass, and it's packed to the rafters. Our parish is about 75% Latino. I teach a Christian Ed class (that's Sunday School to some of you.) My kids are mostly junior high kids; it's an age group I seem to connect well with. My wife would probably say that this is because I have more than a little junior high kid still in me.
A while ago we had someone work with our youth group. They discussed what their greatest fear was. The greatest fear? That, one day, they would come home from school and their mom and/or dad would not be there and would not be coming back because they'd been deported. I had my fears when I was a kid, but I never ever thought that someone would be taking my parents - the rock of my life - away.
I don't know how I would have lived with that fear.
In light of that I look at that Christian Ed class. 75% of my parish is Latino. Every single one of my students is Mexican-American. I look the faces of these great, smart, beautiful and wonderful kids, and I wonder: Do you live with this fear? (Don't tell me if you do! If ICE ever investigates, I want to be perfectly useless to them. We already had a dad from here deported.) Does this haunt you? What can I - one person in one corner - do to make your life better? What can I do so that you can dream as big as you want to dream, and without fear?
Tomorrow Quad City Interfaith will do - - something. More later about exactly what.
I just think that, all too often, people don't view this as a human issue. They create an "us v them" mentality and the "them" becomes a mass of obstacles to battle. When you frame it that way, it becomes easy to destroy lives. But they are people, with lives and loves and fears, like you've described. Illegal immigration is for sure an issue that needs to be addressed, we just need a bit more humanity in doing it.
ReplyDelete