I Was a Neighbor & You Welcomed Me
Although the Bridgeport community is always welcoming of immigrants and keeps their issues in the forefront of our social justice work, September is especially a month in which we focus on welcoming immigrants and like to talk about our experiences in this great work. This year's community member spotlight focuses on Kaye Exo, a long-time congregant and advocate for immigrants. She started her advocacy work in Portland in 2009 when she was introduced to immigration court by a close friend and fellow advocate. Her first step into these involved listening to cases from families seeking asylum so they could stay in the US. Kaye recalls that it was heartbreaking listening to those stories. Then, she became connected to an organization that taught people from many congregations how to advocate for immigrants and protect them from federal authorities who wanted to deport them.
The Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice was created in 2007 by activists from Ainsworth UCC. IMIrJ is an organization whose original purpose was to call attention to the plight of immigrants, particularly undocumented persons, and how allies protect them from harm by federal authorities. IMIRJ organized trips to Tacoma Detention Center, to bear witness to the detainees’ incarceration and to give them hope, letting them know they were not forgotten. Under the leadership of IMIrJ, Kaye did a lot of advocacy, going to Salem to lobby for legislation that affected immigrants. One of the most important was lobbying to help strengthen state law regarding sanctuary in Oregon.
Other legislation that needed strengthening was legislation forbidding local law enforcement, from helping federal authorities in trapping undocumented people. Kaye joined a group that met with and monitored the Multnomah County sheriff’s department for their compliance with this law.
Advocacy for immigrants in Oregon included educating people in our communities about the discrimination and injustice that they face on a daily basis. Here at Bridgeport, we have experienced years of education about the facts of immigrant life in Oregon. And, as Kaye says, we have taught others. Our recent collection of school supplies and backpacks for the Immigrant Mutual Aid Coalition is a result of our experience and that education. Kaye participated in many demonstrations organized by IMIrJ to call attention to the needs of our immigrant neighbors. She continues this work today, and by sending money to causes like No More Deaths, a humanitarian group on the Mexico/Arizona border that takes food and water to people crossing the border through the desert.
If you'd like to help raise awareness, learn more, or become an advocate for immigrants yourself, you can find the link to IMIrJ HERE to see how you can help.
