Unitarian Universalist Faith Leaders to Join Action at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Michael Givens, Associate Director of Strategic Communications, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
mgivens@uusc.org, 857-540-0617 (cell)

Marchaé Grair, Director of Public Relations and Outreach, Unitarian Universalist Association
mgrair@uua.org, 617-948-4386 (office)

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Mobilization starts “Love Knows No Borders: A Moral Call for Migrant Justice” Week of Action

Boston, MA (December 7, 2018) On December 10, two prominent Unitarian Universalist ministers will join an interfaith contingent of more than 200 faith leaders on the U.S.-Mexico border for a mass action in support of the migrant exodus and those seeking refuge in the United States.

“When we see shocking images come across our newsfeed, it’s easy to become numb or to engage with the speed and shallowness of a click or a share,” said Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).  “But what we are witnessing unfold at the San Ysidro port of entry deserves deeper attention. We are gathering at the border to bear witness to a humanitarian crisis. The only way to end a culture of cruelty is with a culture of welcome and love.” Rev. Frederick-Gray will join Rev. Mary Katherine Morn of the Cambridge-based human rights organization Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC).

The action will begin with a press conference in San Diego at 10 a.m. (PT). It will be followed by a solemn procession and action near the border wall. The exact location of the press conference will be released closer to the event.

“There’s a profound moral imperative for people of faith—and indeed all of us as human beings—to learn and understand the real-life stories of those seeking refuge and asylum in this country,” said Morn. “Despite public narratives to the contrary, these are people doing what any of us would do if faced with violence, poverty, and persecution. We are joining others who believe that we are called to respond with compassion and empathy, not with fear and violence.”

This event begins a nation-wide week of action called Love Knows No Borders: A moral call for migrant justice, between Human Rights Day on December 10 and International Migrants’ Day on December 18. Participants are calling on the U.S. government to end the detention and deportation of immigrants, respect the human right to migrate, and end the militarization of border communities.

This mobilization comes at a time when thousands of migrants—many seeking asylum—are seeking entry into the United States, but instead have been met with tear gas, the U.S. military, and indefinite detention.

The mobilization at the border has been endorsed by a growing list of organizations and congregations, including the New Poor People’s Campaign, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Showing Up for Racial Justice, Detention Watch Network, the United Methodist Church, and many others.

Both the UUA and UUSC are members of Love Resists, a Unitarian Universalist campaign against the criminalization of marginalized identities in the United States, including immigrant identities.

The event is organized by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that has worked with migrants and refugees for more than 100 years.