Glennon Doyle continues…
“Now is the time to do what we tell our kids to do. Do not be a bystander – not in this moment in which the very humanity of our country is crumbling. Do not be a bystander- not while bullies take crying babies from their terrified mother’s arms. It’s the bystanders that allow the bullies to rule. If we don’t speak up and stand up for these children- it’s time to stop pretending we ever will.” (Via Glennon Doyle’s Instagram campaign early last week. Her organization @together.rising, has raised over $3 million while generating public awareness to challenge our government to do the right thing.)
I generally do not shine a light on my thoughts about many of our worldly challenges in this blog. It gets too messy and you can’t possibly provide adequate context in a short blog. I stood by recently, watching this crisis unfold, and today took time to catch up on the latest developments.
The issue in summary – if you are like many who don’t stay tuned in to the daily barrage of news media – is that under this administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, the U.S. will give preference to immigrants who have waited their turn. This means that those undocumented adult immigrants who did not come through a legal entry point, have been arrested and separated from their children. While there’s some ambiguity, federal officials shared intentions over the weekend to reunite over 2,000 children with their parents – after a literal outcry from Americans. This, only to happen after their parents have completed their court proceedings. Further family separations have stopped… thanks to a refusal of the masses to not allow the “bullies” to win.
This is not what our country is about. Our country was built on the backs of immigrants, many of us claiming that bloodline. I hope that you will stay connected to this issue and others like it. We really cannot just say, “I don’t watch the news, it’s too negative.” We have to find some avenue to be AWARE, to ENGAGE when needed and to ensure AMERICA remains a country that rises above in integrity, love and honor for all. It is all of our responsibility.
Here is a short list of organizations you might want to explore (in addition to contacting your elected officials this is always the first line of defense):
- ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union
- RAICES: The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services
- @together.rising, as mentioned above