Saturday, May 19, 2012

Billboards Across Missouri: "I Was An Immigrant And You Welcomed Me"

A special thanks to the Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi River Valley for sharing with the Intercongregational Justice Ministers of LCWR Region X in St. Louis the resources they used in their recent campaign:  "Forming Immigrant Welcoming Communities."

Billboards will be appearing in different locations in Missouri from May-August, 2012.

Immigrant Welcoming Communities Statement

Sixteen communities of Catholic Sisters of the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area join to call upon President Obama and Congress to work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform.
 We declare ourselves “Immigrant Welcoming Communities” in affirmation of our Catholic tradition that holds sacred the dignity of each person. We also recognize our immigrant history in a nation established by the rich contributions of generations of immigrants and migrants.

 Today we are witnessing the violation of human rights under our current immigration policies, particularly in the separation of families by unjust deportations and in the exploitation of immigrant workers. We are deeply grieved by the violence done to families through immigration raids and unjust detentions. We cannot in good conscience ignore such suffering and injustice. The programs meant to ensure the safety of people instead create an atmosphere of fear and distrust where people are afraid to report crimes because of the threat of deportation for themselves, family, or friends.  READ MORE


1 comment:

  1. On page 20 of our Engage book, there is a story that revolves around the idea that all of us, as humans, are interconnected in a way. We are all brothers and sisters in this world. Farman discusses how “help came from the least expected place,” and “we are all in this together regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity.” There should be no discrimination or judgments towards another person for we are all in this together. This most definitely includes the immigrants around the world. Accepting one another is vital for us to reach peace.

    ReplyDelete