By Dawn Morais Webster
Special to the Herald
On Oct. 4, clergy and lay people across the islands gathered in person and online for a talk, followed by a discussion, about “Standing With Our Immigrant Neighbors: How Religious Leaders and Congregations Can Make a Difference.”
As Indivisible Hawaii, which orchestrated the event, promised, speaker and Christian pastor David Vasquez-Levy discussed how religious leaders and congregations can support and minister to immigrants during this current administration.
A nationally acclaimed leader in immigration justice, Vasquez-Levy blended theological depth, faith-based advocacy and institutional leadership to challenge all those listening to bear witness as our faith compels us to.
In these times of heightened fear and anxiety — when soldiers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are in the streets of American cities like Chicago and Portland, and when they are breaking down the doors of private apartments and arresting people without proper warrants as required by law — bearing witness becomes more urgent than ever.
Vasquez-Levy, a national expert on what it means to stand with our immigrant neighbors, reminded clergy and lay people in Hawaii of our sacred obligation: to imitate the example of the good Samaritan.
This is no time for cynicism or despair. Instead, we must talk to our neighbors, engage with our family and friends, and urge them to pay attention and to speak out. That is what it takes to bear witness.
The Scriptures tell us repeatedly: “Be not afraid.”
It’s hard not to be afraid as we read about what has happened to others. Let’s not be lulled into complacency because we are in the middle of the Pacific. That does not shield us from the threat of sudden deportations.
Deportations in Hawaii — including, as reported by NPR, the self-deportation of a Purple Heart recipient who had lived in the United States for 50 years — have already taken place. Children have also been detained and deported, as reported by local media including Civil Beat this past May.
But how many are listening? It is up to each of us to spread the word, to help make everyone we work or live with and anyone we encounter aware of the reality of what is happening before it gets worse.
The fact that most of us are able to get on with our lives, with work, family outings and other forms of recreation for now should not make us blind or deaf to what is happening to some among us.
The least we can do is stand up and speak up for our neighbors who are under siege.
So, ask around. Find out if there is a neighborhood rally you can join. Tell others about it. We should be able to find common ground opposing anyone who advocates turning America into a dictatorship.
Our faith demands this of us. Defend decency. Defend democracy. Promote kindness and compassion. And stand up for who we are as people of faith.
Make good trouble. As the prophet Isaiah said, we can draw strength from God’s promise: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”
Dawn Morais Webster has been a member of the congregation at St. George’s Church in Waimanalo and the Mystical Rose Oratory at Chaminade University of Honolulu. She worships at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Kalihi which hosts the Catholic Worker House.