Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig

The rallying cry echoed through the crowd of some 2,000 Unitarian Universalists and activists from the Arizona immigrant community, standing vigil outside Sheriff Joe Arpaio's infamous Tent City. 

Here, the sheriff of Maricopa County brags about forcing the undocumented people he has detained to live outside in tents that provide only minimal shelter from the 110-degree temperatures in summer and the cold winds of winter in the Arizona desert. And here, on Saturday night, UUs gathered by the thousands, holding up candles in the dark as the sheriff's troops watched from behind barbed wire fences, to say "¡Ya basta! Enough! We will not stand for human rights violations right here in our own country. We will stand on the side of love with our immigrant brothers and sisters."

Welcome to Justice General Assembly!

UUCF GA delegates at the vigil, from left: A.J. Bennett, Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig and Lillian Christman.

Twelve UUCFers traveled to Phoenix with Mary Katherine, Natalie and me for the first-ever Justice GA. As you may know, General Assembly is the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It draws UUs from all over the country and around the world for learning, worship, business meetings and social witness. GA sites are chosen three to four years in advance. So we'd been planning to do GA in Phoenix for a long time. But two years ago, Arizona's legislature had just passed the extreme anti-immigrant SB1070 (which the Supreme Court has just ruled on today, striking down some provisions but leaving intact the provision requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone they detain if there is a "reasonable suspicion" the person is undocumented). UUs at the 2010 General Assembly realized we couldn't blithely show up in Phoenix as if nothing was going on. We struggled with whether or not to boycott. In the end, our UU congregations in Arizona, and the immigrant advocacy organizations they had been working with, asked us to come to Phoenix and make this a different kind of GA - focused on justice for immigrants, deeply engaging with the history and politics of the region and finding ways to contribute to the work of justice. We said "yes." After two years of preparation, last week it all came to fruition. And it was awesome. Perfect? Of course not. But inspiring, galvanizing and full of spirit - yes. 

UUCF delegates Kathy and Ian Hochberg at the vigil.

Many of our UUCFers participated in the candlelight vigil at Tent City that capped off several days of learning and preparation. All of us had gone to different educational workshops on immigration and justice work. One highlight for me was a presentation by M. T. Davila, a professor at Andover Newton Theological School, who urged us to consider contemporary immigration as but the latest manifestation of a deeply human urge to migrate, dating all the way back to the prehistoric Great Migrations of human populations out of Africa. (She's also the wife of my sister's old college roommate - small world!)

We heard amazing speakers throughout the week, including NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa (have you listened to her show "Latino USA?" It's terrific!) and human rights activist and former UUCF summer minister Karen Tse. Some of us went to a community celebration the night before the vigil and had a great time listening to the singer-songwriting duo Emma's Revolution and talking with local immigration activists, plus one state legislator who thanked us for coming to support the many Arizona residents who disagree with their current political leaders. We ministers also had a couple of days of meetings prior to GA focused on justice work. (And you'll be glad to hear Mary Katherine was honored along with many dear colleagues for having served in ministry for 25 years now.)

And the vigil, well, it was pretty amazing. We lit up the night with our candles. We sang and chanted and cheered. The prisoners behind the fence could hear us, we were told. 

 I hope we gave them some much-needed hope in that desolate place. I personally was caught off-guard by the depth of emotion I felt. Some of you have heard me speak of my brother-in-law, Juan, who was in serious danger of being deported a few years ago. All the terror I had felt for my own family surfaced afresh, here in this place where so many had been torn away from their loved ones, imprisoned and facing a frightening future. I am deeply grateful that my brother-in-law's citizenship application was finally approved ... though I can't help but wonder what would have happened if he didn't have white U.S.-born relatives like us. For too many immigrants, the story doesn't end happily. There is much more work to be done before justicia y libertadbecomes not just a dream, but reality. And our voice matters.

Yours,