Pacific Central District Immigration Conference Draws Over 225 People
by Bob Lane, Chair of Immigration Task Force for Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church
On Saturday, October 29, the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek, CA hosted a conference on Immigration Reform – A Moral Imperative, with more than 225 participants from more than 25 churches throughout the Pacific Central District (2/3 of the District’s congregations), traveling from as far away as Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Reno, NV! The Conference was jointly sponsored, planned, and run by the Pacific Central District and its Racial and Cultural Diversity Network, the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of California, and the Mt. Diablo Church.
Participants came ready to be energized and informed about immigration issues and to begin the journey to Phoenix for Justice General Assembly (GA) 2012. We shared opening and closing worship services with stories and songs, and heard a powerful keynote address by Enrique Morones, founder of the Border Angels, who work to prevent deaths among those crossing southwest border areas. There were also breakout sessions on various subjects related to immigration, and one on moving towards multicultural competency. We also heard from Ken Brown, Executive Director of the Pacific Southwest District, about plans for Justice GA 2012.
Looking toward Next Steps we began the process of organizing ourselves into geographic clusters to address the many facets of the immigration crisis, with a particular view toward building coalitions with others in our communities to promote compassion and justice for immigrants.
It was a full and rich time together that prompts more of us to engage more fully with those who suffer so much at the hands of our current immigration system.
NOTE: The conference presented materials developed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Alliance For Fair Federal Immigration Reform of Minnesota (AFFIRM).
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and congregations. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Tuesday, November 8, 2011.
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