Photos cannot possibly capture the events surrounding "the Mega March" through Dallas on Sunday that raised awareness concerning immigration issues and the current political reality in our nation.
Janet Morrison, Director of Children's Education here at Central Dallas Ministries, shared these photos with me of her experience on Sunday.
The sheer size of the crowd revealed something about the nature of our current immigration challenge. The nature and disposition of the crowd revealed a great deal about the character, determination and quality of the people seeking recognition and, in many cases, citizenship.
American flags were everywhere!
The colors and the overwhelming presence of white shirts stamped the images of the day on every heart.
The streets of Dallas were packed with people and with hope.
The event and the day were amazing.
15 comments:
This is not about immigration. These marches are about the extreme left wanting to take over America. By giving the vote to immigrants(And that's what they want to do) they think they have a chance of taking their power back in the House and Senate. But hopefully it will backfire just like all their other socialist tactics to wreck America.
Anonymous, pretty extreme, "conspiratorial" theory, I'd say.
Do you base this on any reliable data or is this your opinion?
Anonymous #1, I must say, what I saw Sunday was not political at all. It was about people, work, freedom, families, opportunity and the reality that millions of my neighbors have been working hard, want to continue working hard and they demonstrated the spirit and character of the sort of people who have always helped make this country great.
There were no partisan speeches.
And, in my view it is not about getting new voters for any party. It is about what is the sane, humane, truly American way to deal with 11-12 million persons who are in the country without documentation.
I think Anonymous #2 raises a good question about conspiracy thinking. If it were this simple, and if it is not about immigration, then why wouldn't the extreme right take advantage of the same opportunity that you seem to fear? Isn't it just possible that the extreme right's view of the people I talked to Sunday is very different from the view of middle America and the left you speak of so certainly?
I don't think many people in the nation consider Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a left wing extremist, do they?
"Without documentation" is an interesting euphemism for "illegal."
Larry, what do you think about May 1st's boycott? Do you support it?
Todd, sorry, but I can't bring myself to place the word "illegal" that close to any human being. It is the lack of documentation that is the issue.
I guess I don't know about the May 1 boycott. I know that yesterday was declared "Not one cent" day. Tell me more.
They lack documenation because they illegally entered our country, right?
Yes, they're human beings, but they are human beings engaged in an illegal activity (lifestyle?).
May 1st is a National Call to Action for all undocumented immigrants. They're not working, buying or going to school. The goal is to show the impact that they have on our economy. More information is available
here.
Juan Enriquez, the recent Tate lecturer at SMU, described how borders are myths. (Look at them from satellite photos, and they are not visible).
People go where opportunity beckons. That is the story of every group of people throughout history. Read the Old Testament, and you read of one group driving others off of their land at the direction of God's order, because the new land is the "land of milk and honey."
The immigrants came to America in the past and will in the future, because it is the land where opportunity and hope are alive. As Geraldine Ferraro stated, when running for VP and asked why her children were in private instead of public school (paraphrased, from memory): "what mother does not want better for her children than what she herself experienced?"
The immigrants are here because opportunity is here. To condemn/punish them is to rage against the reality of human life itself. As long as there is difficulty elsewhere and opportunity here, people will come. And if the difficulty is great and the opportunity is truly promising, they will come over any fence we construct. And to respond with humanity and cooperation is probably the only path to peace.
Very, very well said!
anonymous #1. If this is about the extreme left, then why is the Republican Party so divided over this issue? Do you consider George W. Bush a member of the extreme left?
I have no problem at all with immigrants coming to this country. As you said, our country is one of immigrants. However, our current welfare and healthcare systems are unable to handle the drain that illegal immigrants place on our economy. I understand that they do jobs most Americans won't do and I don't believe that they are "stealing" jobs from Americans.
I'm just asking why can't people be here legally? What's wrong with that?
Todd, great question that really goes to the heart of our current dilemma.
If the US would up the number of immigrant slots available or create a real guest worker program or institute a plan that would allow these workers to come and go freely and orderly, they would.
Our current policy puts an insanely low limit on the number of Mexicans who can come to the US legally.
Todd,
I just hope you're also looking at the thousands of business owners that are hiring these folks thru the same lens that you see the illegals. Is there any responsibility of us who gladly take advantage of the products made and services delivered by these folk? Also, where is the culpability with our government that continues to silently collect Social Security taxes from folk that will never collect it? There's plenty of dirt to go around on this issue, and many of us are covered in it. Make sure you drive the speed limit on the way home, we don't want to break the law now do we??
Yes there is a need for reform but I err on the side of caution before using very powerful terms like ‘illegal activity’ for certain situations, do you apply the term as readily to other activities that are against current law?
I have to admit that my opinions on this important issue change from day to day depending on how I approach the issue. On the one hand, I don't like the fact that they are here illegally, putting a drain on our insurance and health care, and also in many instances refusing to assimilate into the American way of life by learning English, etc. On the other hand, when I stop and think about how I should feel from a Christian standpoint, how lucky I am to have been born in America, and the fact that most of the "illegals" just want the same thing I want for my family, it is hard to fault them for being here and wanting to stay. I believe that our Government has dealt with this issue wrong for so long that the problem may not have a happy ending for either side. You can see it in the hostile way this issue is approached in public dialogue. I pray that a compromise can be reached so that we can look these little kids and their parents in the eyes one day as US citizens, and when the "illegals" become "legal" they all assimilate fully into the American dream and wrap their arms around this great country in every way.
Larry - Are you critical of Mexico for encouraging and/or allowing Mexican citizens to come across the border in order to rid their country of the poverty and/or criminal elements? Based on my readings, it apppears that Mexico has adopted a policy of encouraging mexican citizens to come to America and also of allowing the Mexican border to be a gateway for others from the Latin/South American countries to enter the US illegally. What are your thoughts on this issue?
Larry's point is that there is much that unites us, much that calls out to us to create a more just and sustainable world.
Just because the US has erected laws that have made it "illegal" for folks to do the same thing that our ancestors did does not mean that it is right to marginalize or dehumanize our immigrant brothers and sisters.
We must find a way to build a better world. People like Larry are helping us to get there, and criticizing them with no alternative (other than self-aggrandizement) gets us nowhere.
Interesting, that Larry's simple celebration of the nature and importance of a genuine community would spark such a sudden outburst from the anti-immigrant folks. What is it that makes them so nervous?
Larry, if you tap into this much of a nerve by simply celebrating community, imagine what it will be like when we convince you to run for office! :)
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