United Methodist Women to explore immigrant rights
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Kyung Za Yim |
April 4, 2006
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) — As a national debate on immigration legislation continues,
the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries
has decided to make immigrant and refugee rights a priority.
The division will explore with its constituency,
United Methodist Women, how best to pursue this priority, directors agreed
during
the division’s
March 31-April 3 spring meeting.
In her address to directors, the division president,
Kyung Za Yim, pointed out that UMW has responded in the past to the issue
of immigrant
rights. “Our
history shows that we have been there time and time again to ‘welcome
the stranger and offer hospitality to all of God’s children, including
the least of these,’” she said.
Establishing a renewed focus on immigrant and refugee rights would:
- Enable UMW members to better understand
the changing realities in their own communities and the nation.
- Encourage women to explore the faith imperatives
relevant to these realities through Bible studies and worship materials.
- Encourage UMW members to open dialogue
on responses to these realities with others inside and outside the church.
- Prompt women to promote and support action
on behalf of justice for immigrants, refugees and migrants, with special
attention
to public policy
advocacy for women, children and youth.
Recommendations for an initiative on immigrant
and refugee rights will be brought to the Women’s Division meeting
in October.
A bill passed last December by the U.S. House
of Representatives, H.R. 4437, “The
Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Control Act of 2005,” would
not only make it a federal crime to live in the United States illegally but
also would leave churches and other organizations or individuals who assist
undocumented immigrants liable to criminal prosecution.
”This is the biggest attack on immigrant communities in modern history,” Yim
told the Women’s Division directors. “If ever there was a time
to voice our moral outrage, I hope you will determine this is the time.”
All U.S. citizens, except for Native Americans,
have an immigrant history, she noted. “Some of us came to escape poverty or oppression. Others of
us were forced here on slave ships. Still others came seeking opportunity,” she
said. “The new immigrants thus reap the benefits of the path carved out
for them by predecessors who faced the same kind of struggles.”
On March 27 – two days after a half million people marched in Los Angeles
on behalf of immigrants and as religious leaders and others rallied at the
Capitol – the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that differed
significantly from the House bill.
The committee’s legislation – which went before the full Senate
the next day and is still being debated – would remove the criminal penalties,
both for undocumented immigrants and those who provide humanitarian assistance.
It also would create a temporary workers program and help guide immigrants
to citizenship.
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A UMNS file photo by Rick Reinhard Protestors
rally against impending immigration reform legislation during a March
rally. The Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries is making immigrant and refugee rights a priority.
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Protestors
rally against impending immigration reform legislation. At a March
31-April 3 meeting, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board
of Global Ministries agreed to make immigrant and refugee rights a
priority. In her address to directors, Kyung Za Yim, the division
president, pointed out that the United Methodist Women responded in the
past to the issue of immigrant rights. "Our history shows that we have
been there time and time again to 'welcome the stranger and offer
hospitality to all of God's children, including the least of these." A
UMNS file photo by Rick Reinhard. Photo #06317. Accompanies UMNS Story
#191. 4/4/06 |
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of four Republicans voting in favor of
the legislation, called the plan for immigrants an 11-year journey to citizenship,
according to the New York Times.
United Methodists have long been involved in immigration
work. “Justice
for Our Neighbors,” a program of the United Methodist Committee on Relief,
has helped local congregations respond to the needs of immigrants since 1999.
With its national network of clinics, “Justice for Our Neighbors” provides
free legal services, encourages cross-cultural community building, promotes
education for ministry and advocacy and encourages deeper theological reflection
on moral issues raised by the U.S. immigration policy.
On an international level, division directors
affirmed the recent appeal of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan “for a long-term visionary approach
to the problem of nuclear arms proliferation.” They joined the international
community in calling for a peaceful resolution to the current crisis regarding
Iran’s nuclear activities and affirmed that Iran and the International
Atomic Energy Agency lead the process in finding that resolution, with support
from the U.N. Security Council.
In other legislative matters, the division expressed
support for the CARE (Children’s Act for Responsible Employment) Bill,
H.R. 3482, to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase penalties
for violations of
child labor laws. Directors also supported the AgJOBS bill, S. 359 and H.R.
884, which offers benefits and rights for farm workers.
The division will promote the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, on May
3, and is calling on the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Food and
Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect
children from mercury-containing drugs.
Directors endorsed the Global Priorities Campaign and the One Campaign to
Make Poverty History and joined the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood.
In action related to the May 4-7 Women’s Assembly in Anaheim, Calif.,
directors voted that prayer shawls received in honor of the assembly be distributed
throughout the denomination’s five jurisdictions by Dec. 1. As of April
1, more than 1,600 handmade shawls had arrived in the division’s New
York office.
Jan Love, the division’s chief executive, told the directors about how
the boxes of shawls “now fill every corner of every office and, truth
be told also spill over into hallways, desktops and any other space we can
find.” She saluted that witness – “all these shawls carefully,
lovingly and beautifully crafted by United Methodist Women to wrap someone
in special need of prayer.”
Love also reported during the meeting that she
had received correspondence regarding the appearance of the Rev. Don and
Emily Saliers,
a father-daughter
duo, at the Women’s Assembly. They will offer an intergenerational dialogue
on the connections between faith, spirituality, music and engagement in the
world.
Rev. Saliers directs the masters in sacred music
program at the United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology, Atlanta
and his
daughter is one-half of the “Indigo
Girls” singing group. Emily Saliers, a lay person, also has identified
herself as a lesbian.
The division has been criticized about their participation
by RENEW, an evangelical women’s organization. As of March 30, Love said she had received more
than 55 pieces of correspondence with more than 200 signatures – from
a variety of sources -- requesting the Women’s Division reconsider the
decision to invite Emily and Don Saliers to the assembly.
Love added that the division also had received “a large number of letters,
email and voice messages requesting that we keep them on the program.” The
total number of messages supporting the Saliers was 1,800.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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