To the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian
Universalist Association:
Our Association has a long and honored history
of stepping up and speaking out for justice during difficult times. No only do
we have records that tell us what we, as an organization, an institution, did, we
also have anecdotal records, the stories that tell us what individuals or
smaller groups around the country did.
Recent events in Arizona --- namely the signing
of a bill that potentially encourages racist behavior --- have brought us to
another such time. As a Unitarian Universalist, as a minister, I believe we
must speak out and make our values known in the greater society. As chair of the
Latina/o Unitarian Universalist Association Networking Association, I respectfully
ask you to consider our requests for action.
To: Unitarian
Universalist Board of Trustees
From: Rev. Patricia
Jimenez
The Latino/a Unitarian Universalist Networking Association
(LUUNA) formally protests the adoption of Arizona’s SB 1070. Its very vagueness will provide a means for
law enforcement agencies to harass individuals on the basis of appearance
alone. This bill is just the tip of the
iceberg, however. Other bills pending
include:
HB 2162: that would
establish and support vigilante groups along the US/Mexican border
HB 2382: that mandates the educational facilities gather and
maintain citizenship information on all its students
HB2281: that imposes penalties on educational facilities
that offer any courses on ethnic studies
SB 1097: that the Department of Education will collect data
on school districts’ populations of non-citizen students and their
identities. Data should include research
on impact of non-citizen students’enrollment, and cost to taxpayers per
non-citizen student. Based on these data reports, the State Superintendent
Instruction can withhold state aid for those non-citizen students.
These bills would simply provide legal means to harass and
oppress Hispanic, as well as other minority, communities. I cannot begin to
describe the impact on individuals and families. Families may be split apart, and individuals
may be arrested by association. There is a human face in all of this. In your community, do you know who they are?
Do not think that Arizona is alone in its efforts. For
example, law enforcement in other states is already mandated to stop
individuals suspected of being here illegally, to arrest and deport them. Legislation such as this, if
condoned, will embolden other anti-Hispanic/racist actions all over the United
States.
Therefore, LUUNA calls on the Unitarian Universalist
Association, and its member congregations to:
Protest the action by the state of Arizona by joining other
organizations in calling for a boycott of Arizona.
Urge the President and Congress of the United Sates to pass
comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Appoint a task force to study and disseminate information on
immigration issues.
LUUNA urges all its members and allies to join together to
protest the actions of the state of Arizona and demand justice from our
national government.
