| Developing Social Justice Partnerships |
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Watch Video of Laurel's Statement Early in my ministry in Dallas I met with Ernesto Cortes, Jr., the organizer for the Industrial Areas Foundation in the Southwest. Perhaps you know the IAF as an outgrowth of the Saul Alinsky organizing in Chicago which grew into a method of community organizing in many areas of our country. Ernesto impressed me from the start. He is multi-lingual in spoken language, in his ability to speak across class and race, and to bridge the many other ways we separate ourselves from each other, even in community. He impresses people near and far: when I asked an experienced community organizer I knew in another state about him, she said, “Ernesto Cortez is the best organizer in the United States.” When we met in the late ‘80s, Ernesto Cortes had already gathered the Catholics and the Lutherans in Dallas. Would our church join the beginning of a community organizing effort called Dallas Area Interfaith? It seemed to me to be a perfect way to involve our church members in effective action in our community. In the years since, the members of our congregation have worked tirelessly to get after school programs for children in our public schools, 200 additional police on the Dallas Police Force, public safety issues, public housing to address Katrina Relief needs, accessible and affordable health management and medical care. The DAI is now focusing on immigration issues. The Dallas Metroplex is among the 20 top areas in the world in number and diversity of people immigrating here.  On May 29, Dallas Area Interfaith held a meeting with representatives from member churches, to ask members of the Plano City Council and the Plano Chief of Police for their support in calling for a comprehensive national plan to work constructively to manage the issues of undocumented people living and working in our communities. (Plano is a major suburb north of Dallas.)It was well attended by citizens and immigrants from the Plano area, ministers from the Plano community and members from our church who are from all over the Dallas area; over 200 people in all. There were speeches, breakout sessions, and the accountability requests for the elected officials and the Chief of Police. Everything spoken into the microphones was immediately translated into Spanish and available by headset. .jpg) Willie Bennett, our local organizer, and Ernesto Cortes asked me to be part of the panel of ministers and to close the program that evening with brief summary and call to action as we would need to get the program completed in time for the 10pm news. Please see the linked video of my remarks. Ernesto Cortes is standing behind me and Willie Bennett is the organizer who speaks to him during my brief speech. It was a powerful experience for all involved and one of the many ways UU’s in Dallas and UU's across the country have worked in strategic partnership for social justice in their region -- and have had a significant impact successes as a result. |
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