Side with Love: Organize... Agitate... Win and Repeat!
We know this tactic of shock and awe! When we begin to shift the current conditions by putting pressure and begin to gain results as we have in our campaign to close migrant child detention centers in Homestead and elsewhere, oppositional forces use these tactics. The current administration uses these tactics to continue to sow fear, panic, and to have us believe that the situation is too dire for us to resolve, that whatever we do is not enough. It is all lies! We are strong enough, if we are willing! The question at this moment, “Are you willing to make the moves that are needed to fight back and center human dignity?” “Are you ready to embody your values, ethics and morals?”
Immigration raids have been ongoing throughout the last decade. Communities have been organizing resistance in response. Racial policing and detainment have been happening in Black, Brown, Indigenous, Muslim and poor communities across the country. We have witnessed this in the continual rise of mass incarceration and hyper detention and deportation. It our responsibility to stop these forces that seek to destroy our basic humanity by organizing with communities that are most impacted and follow the leadership of organizations that are centrally positioned and held accountable by the people they uplift. This is not the time to aimlessly wonder, “What can we do?!” This is the time for intentional action.
We at Side With Love invite you to join with us as we fight back! Register now for our upcoming webinar on how to resist (exact date and time is being worked out with our partners. We will send you that info and if you can’t make it you will receive the recording.)
Here are three things you should do:
1) Host a teach-in. This is the moment to skill up on what is really happening. It is also a key moment to learn how to be an ally and make the choice to Side With Love when you witness injustice happening. You don’t have to do this alone, so find someone else who wants to host a Know Your Rights for impacted communities and check out this resource for How Allies can DEFEND Against ICE!
2) Contact your elected officials on all levels! Tell your elected officials to DEFUND ICE and your local Sheriff Department to NOT COLLABORATE WITH ICE! We must KICK ICE OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES! If you are in a Sanctuary city demand that your elected officials walk the talk and offer sanctuary, raise legal funds. Our partner campaign LOVE Resists offers resources and tips that can be found here.
3) Be in relationship with local immigrant rights leadership and follow their lead. Side With Love follows the lead of our national immigrant rights partners that are led and informed by impacted communities. Love means being in right relationship and mutually accountable to these communities. We ask that you follow local leadership and demands of your local immigrant rights organization. Many are looking for people who speak languages besides English, particularly Spanish, to help answer hotlines. Others are asking for people to go where raids are happening and witness and document. All need funds to support their communities. There are so many ways that you that you can be of service. Here’s the list to get you connected!
Each day, you get to choose to interrupt this system of hate and despair. We encourage you to use your voice, your privilege and your service to create the World that honors our collective dignity, but most of all our humanity.
Choose Love,
Everette
P.S. If you are in a Sanctuary Congregation make sure you have sanctuary signs on your building such as Sanctuary Congregation: All Are Welcome Here. If yours is not a sanctuary congregation, NOW IS THE TIME TO PROCLAIM THIS IN ACTION AND DEED!
P. P. S. Don’t forget to sign-up for our Skill Up!