Peace Vigil for Immigrant Children and Families--Brookfield, IL; August 26, 2018

Text of Reflection and Prayer

 Good evening, Brookfield! We’re gathered tonight from many different faith traditions and from no faith tradition, and I want to respect that. I speak from a tradition, progressive Christianity, that respects other traditions, and tries to appreciate their teachings without appropriation. Please forgive me if I step over that line tonight—it is unintended, and I welcome education.

This is a vigil for the children separated from their parents as they crossed the border, as they entered this country. Children—infants to teenagers—taken from their parents, from the only caretakers they knew, without explanation, many of the children unable to speak in any language, handed over to for-profit child care providers who were not properly screened. The result has been children who are traumatized—no longer bonded to their parents when they are reunited, who do not recognize or trust their parents, who have been abused, medicated to keep them docile or quiet, shipped to other parts of the country, inadequate records kept, in effect lost in the system—by an administration that thought no-one would notice, no-one would care. We noticed, we care.

In both Christian and Jewish tradition, the Divine is often seen as a loving parent—“You are my child, today, today I have begotten you.” Israel is the Holy One’s child—“Like a child on leading strings, I led you.”

In the Christian writings, in the Gospels, children appear frequently as symbols of innocence—“if someone should lead these children astray, it would be better for them that they have a millstone tied around their neck and they be drowned in the sea.” “Let the children come to me,” Jesus said. “Who would give their child a serpent when he asks for fish?”

And there is no greater mourning than that of a mother for her children. The prophet Jeremiah says:: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

This is the voice of our immigrant sisters, weeping for their children—they do not know where to find them; they have been taken from them. We, who are the privileged ones who live here, this is our cause—to insist that our elected leaders in Congress and the administration find those children, return them to their rightful parents, help them heal—they will never be the same, but help them—and change this hateful, evil policy—remove it from our land. This is what justice demands.

All spiritual paths that I have studied, all moral systems I have read of, have one tenet in common. “Do to others what you would want done to you.” Whether you follow a spiritual path or not, we can all agree on this. And we would want our children kept with us.

My friends and neighbors, do not tire of this work, this struggle, this fight. We remember, we work, for these children, to return them to the place they belong—with their families, where they belong. I’d like to offer a moment of prayer to strengthen and encourage us in this work, in this struggle.

Holy One, Creator of the Universe, Allah, You Who Are, Grandfather; Higher Power; we have gathered today to remember these children and families and to gather courage and strength from those memories. Give us wisdom and teach us your ways; may we speak truth to power, demanding answers and justice for these children. Do not let us weaken or give up out of frustration or weariness; remind us of your love for us, like a parent for a child, and that as we are never abandoned by you, we cannot allow this administration, or any human power to abandon these children either. Grant us an open heart to love and strong shoulders to bear any burdens, until the day comes when all the children are home with their families and justice is served upon those who separated them, and the policies are changed, so that no more children will suffer as these have suffered. May it be so, may it be so, may it be so. Amen.

Youth Group of a Different Kind

OK, let’s talk about youth. No, I know we weren’t—or maybe you weren’t. But they remain one of the most vulnerable populations in society—kids from 13 to 21 years old. And of those youth, the most vulnerable are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth. They face a higher rate of suicide than their straight peers, a greater risk of being homeless, of being forced into sex work, of substance abuse, and of being HIV/AIDS+.
Why? Simple. If they come out, they are often rejected by family, friends, church, school—the support system they so desperately need at that age, no matter their orientation. So they run away from home or are kicked out, and because most shelters aren’t set up for youth—or are not supportive of GLBT youth, especially trans youth—they end up on the street, often as sex workers.
Even if they are accepted by family and friends, it can be very difficult for them to feel at home in larger society at a time of life when all the forces of socialization are pushing them towards heterosexuality and gender conformity. Homecoming, prom, the whole dating scene, movies and popular music—it is all geared toward heterosexual teenagers. How do you learn how to flirt with another boy when all you see is how to flirt with a girl if you identify as a boy? How do you figure out how to be the gender you feel yourself to be, even if it doesn’t match what others think you are?
If they remain in the closet, they know they are living a lie, but they are also terrified of being found out and ostracized. They fake their way through a heterosexual world, never really feeling at home. Eventually they come out when they find themselves in a place where they can; or they live a double life; or they never do and live life denying who they are. Sometimes they commit suicide, unable to reconcile their knowledge of their own truth and what their family, friends, church, and school are telling them.
Yes. It’s depressing. And no, it’s not like that for all youth, everywhere. We can point to all kinds of exceptions—but they are exceptions.
One of the difficulties is that these issues cut across several areas—mental health, public health, spirituality, social services, child protection, criminal justice, substance abuse….and so on. No one agency can handle all these issues. And yet each of them is bound to deal with GLBT youth in some way—whether they know it or not, whether they want to acknowledge it or not, whether they want to deal with it or not, that’s the simple truth.
Here in Canada, any agency that receives government funds must abide by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms—which includes sexual orientation, and soon, if my prayers and the prayers of many others are answered, gender identity. They simply do not have a choice, they must be prepared to treat all clients equably and well, according to their needs.
River City has a group, an alliance, an organization—we’re not sure what to call ourselves—of representatives from several agencies who work together on just these issues. The child protection agency, the youth health centre, the public health agency, the HIV/AIDS organization, the local GLBT Pride organization, the mental health and substance abuse agencies, and of course the church, are all involved, among others. We’re trying to work together to offer the kind of training the agencies need, the support the kids and families need, the information everyone needs—the whole thing. Our dream is a drop-in centre or even a safe house for the youth, as are available in many cities.
Wild dreaming? Maybe. But the kids need it. Desperately. In fact, lives may literally depend on it. So we’ll keep working. Keep us in prayer as we work to move forward.