Reaching a Senator - Old Story Meets New Story Through the Power of Prayer

Everyone wants to know where Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman stands on immigration reform. We all want to meet with him. The perfect storm happened when Senator Portman accepted an invitation to speak at the Ohio LULAC Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 11, 2013.

As in most cases, it started with a powerful and personal invitation. The Senator was invited by a few close friends in the Latino community: LULAC members who have a personal relationship with him and call him friend. After all, friends invite friends and friends accept invitations from friends. But in the fight for justice for immigrants, inviting and accepting an invitation is just a start.

When others in the community heard that the much sought after Senator was going to speak at the event, movement and pressure began. People began asking powerful questions: What is he going to speak on? Is LULAC meeting with him on supporting immigration reform? How can we be included? How can immigrants be included? Will LULAC have the will to push the Senator to take a stand on immigration reform?

As a new member of LULAC Ohio and community activist on immigrant rights, I was no exception. Communication quickly began with the LULAC State Director and others in the Cincinnati area on how to meet with him privately and ask for his stand on immigration reform, how to move him to address the issue in his remarks. There was much conversation from the Cincinnati community, Portman's hometown. Many outside of LULAC Ohio have the perception that they are an organization high on photo ops, press conferences and "showy" events and low on substantial, meaningful and sustainable change. Certainly from a national perspective, LULAC has been bold in social action taking stands of support on immigration reform and the right to marry.

The immediate response from LULAC was resistance. "He will only be there from 1:00-1:30, there is not enough time to engage Senator Portman on this issue...the fact that he is attending our conference speaks volumes for his support to LULAC and the issues facing Latinos", was the response received from the LULAC State Director. It appeared LULAC was just grateful for the Senator showing up and didn't know what he was going to speak on.

Too often, Latinos (and people of color) as a collective have an attitude of just being grateful when people of "importancia" show up. “Be respectful and don't ask for anything” we think. Ingrained in our collective psyche is the saying: "No le pides nada, ni un vaso de agua". Which basically translates to; don’t even ask for a glass of water if you're thirsty. Respectfully, elders were attempting to build self-reliance. But today and in this case, this is OLD STORY thinking in our community. We have to ask for water if we are thirsty. In fact, we are the source of water and have every right to not only ask but demand it. And such is the case with immigration reform and holding our elected officials accountable.

We need NEW STORY thinking. But the transition from old story to new story is difficult, painful and often personal.

There was talk of having an action during the Portman speech. A twitter bomb to the Senator was organized and implemented: "It's time to take a stand on immigration reform at the #OHIO LULAC conference @robportman".

LULAC Ohio became nervous and activists grew impatient. It was felt there were many ways to push the senator on the issue in a half hour: hand him a letter asking him to take a stand, have the speakers preceding him lay the groundwork for him to take a stand on immigration reform, highlight LULAC's national priority on immigration reform. This is a delicate and critical space where things can either break down or grow.

Then the idea emerged to simply ask to pray with the Senator before his speech. We wanted a prayer circle with him. The request was made and the Portman staff agreed. We were given time as the Senator would arrive through the back service entrance. This is where the transformation began, where old story and new story merged in the power of prayer, in wholeness and greatness. Too often as organizers, we forget the power of prayer or it becomes perfunctory.

The Senator and his wife arrived, exited their vehicle and walked directly to the circle where a handful of activists and immigrants gathered. He graciously shook each of our hands and we were able to individually speak to him about the immigrant story, immigration reform and ask him to support us. A reading was shared and we prayed for the Senator to support immigration reform and immigrant rights.

The Senator then went on to the room of waiting LULAC members and supporters. The LULAC State Director looked at him right in the eye and spoke of LULAC's national priority for immigration reform and the need to have him support us. The Senator listened with intention and attention. When he spoke, he shared his support for reform and included comments like: "We need immigration reform and we need it now" and talked about justice for immigrant youth (DREAMers). He continued; "For too many in my party, this begins and ends with border security. I think this misses the point and moves is from the real issue. We have to bring people out of the shadows"

In the end, we were able to reach the Senator in a "half hour". We did so respectfully but had to hold fast to our expectations for the Senator and from LULAC as an organization. Often organizations do not respond in time, but people do. Members of LULAC Ohio responded and credit goes to them as well.

But rest not, my friends. In politics and in this world, things change very quickly. We cannot be content with a successful moment and a good photo op. Today is a new day and the Senator can easily back down or qualify his remarks differently. There is much more to do. The threats do not wane and the power to undo is always on the loose. Still we cannot lose faith.

We keep praying but we keep moving with new story action to accompany our prayers.

From Birmingham to Butler County, Racial Injustice Persists

Monday, as we honor the memory, mission and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought it appropriate to build upon the previous Ohio Action Circle entry from David, the title of which is of course a reference to MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

Bernard’s letter, written from Morrow County Jail in Central Ohio, has much in common with the Birmingham letter, but one aspect stands out for me. Each letter conveys an unshakeable sense of purpose—one which is used also as a call to action for those on the outside. I experienced firsthand this call to action brought on by Bernard’s case, witnessed his friends and classmates, even dozens of strangers spring to action. Petitions were circulated, vigils were planned, and meetings with legislators were scheduled. In the end, Bernard was freed.



But not everyone who finds himself in that position is as fortunate. Bernard has said that while in jail, he befriended others awaiting deportation, offering prayers and consolation as they prepared to be sent back to their countries of birth. Left behind were wives, children, and peaceful lives which were not at all deserving of the same jumpsuits and shackles given to violent offenders.

MLK’s legacy calls each of us to reflect upon and challenge the injustices in our communities. For the immigrant rights community in Ohio, it’s no secret that the epicenter of injustice is Butler County, where Bernard was first detained before being transferred to Morrow County Jail. In Butler County, injustice takes many forms—law enforcement intimidation, dehumanizing hate speech, and abuse of power. Given the recent shift in Ohio’s elected officials, this power may be further exploited to develop legislation to target immigrants in Ohio. Those who feel the brunt of these unjust policies are people of color, the descendants of the native peoples of the Americas. Yet the struggle for immigrant rights continues both nationally and locally.

It is within this context that I share the following excerpt from the immensely powerful letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. as he sat in that narrow cell in Birmingham Jail. The letter was written as a response to his fellow (White) clergymen who thought that the fight for social justice was better waged in the courtroom than in the streets, albeit peacefully. Paradoxically, we face adversity even from our allies who, as Dr. King puts it, are “more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.” Let us hope that they, perhaps more than anyone, heed the call to action—direct, peaceful, deliberative action.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-action campaign that was 'well timed' in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant 'Never.' We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that 'justice too long delayed is justice denied.'

... I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action'; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a 'more convenient season.'"



"Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore." -Cesar Chavez

Letter From Immigration Jail

Bernard Pastor

Originally posted on the AILA Leadership Blog

This is a difficult moment for the DREAMers.  The Senate has failed them, and the nation.  Make no mistake, the DREAM Act will become law one day.  And, so too, will there be a humane and sensible immigration policy.  What we need are national leaders who care more about America than their political careers.

I have had the honor of representing Bernard Pastor, an 18 year old DREAMer from Reading, Ohio who was locked up by ICE for a month and released on Friday, December 17, hours before the Senate rejected the Dream Act.  Describing the disarray left in the wake of the Senate vote yesterday, the New York Times’ Julia Preston juxtaposed Bernard’s last minute release against ICE’s ongoing policy of mass deportations.

The administration’s efforts to manage its policy dilemma played out this week. Speaking on Friday before the vote, John Morton, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency would continue the brisk pace of deportations, focusing on immigrants convicted of crimes. On the same day, the agency released from detention an 18-year-old Guatemalan student from Ohio, Bernard Pastor, granting him a one-year reprieve from deportation to continue his education. 

Can you imagine where Bernard would be right now if he hadn’t been freed on Friday?

Yet, in the midst of our disappointment with the lack of a coherent, sensible immigration policy, coupled with the pain suffered by the thousands of DREAMers whose hopes were dashed yesterday, we can take solace in the words of Bernard Pastor, who, in a letter reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King’s heroic Letter From Birmingham Jail, wrote the following while incarcerated by ICE and awaiting his imminent removal to Guatemala, a country he does not know:

I am not defined by where I was born; I am defined by where and with whom I was raised.  I am defined by how I live my life. 

People might be surprised that the son of a pastor is in the situation in which I now find myself, but I think that it takes just such a person to make a necessary difference, to make things change. Perhaps it seems to you that I am caught in a bad situation, but the Bible tells me this: 

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider."  Ecclesiastes 7:14 

In my own words: a day of sorrow is better than a day of joy because through pain the heart is mended; it is through my difficulties that I learn. I have always known that each of us is here to be a history maker. This is true regardless of one’s station in life. All I can hope is that I serve as an example for others to understand the great injustices carved into the fabric of our broken immigration system. I pray that my example helps pass the DREAM Act because it is the DREAM Act that will help others who find themselves in my shoes.

I feel that this is the purpose that God has for me, and I will never fight his will.  And I want to be able to be the one who steps up, the one who can be the voice for those other thousands of DREAMers who cannot speak out for themselves.

Sometimes, one needs difficult times to reestablish one’s faith, even the faith that one might believe they already had.  In the words of Jon Foreman – a committed evangelical Christian and the lead singer of Switchfoot – “Two things You have told me: You are strong and You love me… So why should I worry?  You know what I need.” I know that this is all God’s plan and all the glory is his alone.  I thank God for letting me be His conduit, the vessel through which he may be exalted. 

I thank all of you who are working to help both me, and others like me; you know the Truth behind my situation.  I leave you now with a quote from the Christian musician, Brandon Heath: 

“There is hope for me yet because God won’t forget all the plans he’s made for me.  He’s not finished with me yet.” 

God bless you all, 

Bernard

FREE BERNARD!

Please watch this compelling, short film on the struggle that faces the Reading, OH community: FREE BERNARD PASTOR!

Bernard Pastor

---

The National Immigration Law Center's DREAM WEEKLY UPDATE ________________ December 15, 2010

Daily DREAMer Lost in the barrage of media coverage about the DREAM Act are the hopes, dreams, and stories of individual DREAMers. This week we’re bringing you the real life stories of young Americans-at-heart who will have their fates decided for them by the Senate before Christmas. Bernard Pastor, a DREAMer in Ohio who was brought to the States when he was three, currently is in immigration detention and facing deportation.  Bernard graduated near the top of his high school class and was a standout athlete, the soccer team’s star.  He dreams of attending college and someday being a pastor.  His former classmates and others he’s touched in his community are in shock at his having been detained and are rallying to support him. Part of Bernard’s story is told in this very moving 5-minute video posted on Vimeo.  And, in a 3-minute YouTube video, you can hear Bernard’s sister reading a letter he wrote from immigration detention. After watching the videos, please call Ohio Senator George Voinovich at 866-957-2612 and urge him to realize the DREAM for Bernard and other Buckeye DREAMers such as him. After you’ve called Senator Voinovich, dial 866-957-2612 to tell the senators from your own state that you expect them to support the DREAM Act as well. Together, we can make these DREAMs a reality!

To subscribe to our DREAM Act, Health Care, Immigration Enforcement, Public Benefits, or Workers' Rights lists, complete and submit this form. National Immigration Law Center 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2850, Los Angeles, CA 90010 | www.nilc.org

The DREAM Will Not Die.

This weekend I was among several organizers from Ohio and Michigan to present our progress and look to the future for the DREAM Act in Ohio. As a workshop presenter at the Great Lakes Colleges Association's annual Students of Color Leadership Conference, several things struck me as I spoke with the group of 50 students at Kenyon College.

The DREAM Act will pass because we will make it happen.

It's no surprise that the DREAM Activists have been criticized for their often irreverent organizing tactics. As a youth-led movement, they are overlooked or not taken seriously by the more established, albeit well-intentioned organizations and members of the immigrants' rights movement. However, the DREAM Activist approach is also one which carries a certain clarity, passion, and determination not present in other approaches to immigrants' rights.

The story of the DREAM Act movement is so compelling in part because it has not been static.

Unlike other recent movements, the DREAM Act movement has grown and thrived because of its commitment to diversity. To be clear, this is not a movement based solely on racial and ethnic diversity. The DREAM Act movement has sought out and leveraged many social justice intersections. It has always welcomed allies, and most importantly DREAM Activists understand the need to reach back and train, grow, and develop younger members of the movement. There is certainly recognition that in order for the movement to sustain itself, leadership must always adapt.

Ohio will play a key role in the story because of the Speaker-elect of the US House, John Boehner.

Speaking with Ohio DREAM Activists who have come from other states, their first discontent is that Ohio has been largely uncharted territory for organized DREAMers. Many come from places like Chicago or California, where a DREAM network has been in place for years. Just as Ohio is a key bellwether in Presidential elections, Ohio will be a focal point for the DREAM Act as well. Many in the immigrants' rights community have wondered how Mr. Boehner will handle the topic of immigration in the House. Although he voted against the Sensenbrenner Bill, he has been far from moderate on the issue. His district is also home to Sheriff Richard Jones.

We will continue organizing, always challenging the systems of oppression. We'll need your help to do it.