Walking Together
An evangelical preacher, a human resources manager, and a community organizer walk into a…
It’s sounds like the beginning of a joke, most likely a groan-worthy anecdote as bad as the dad-jokes I’m becoming known for. This motley trio really did walk into a room, but their reason for walking together was no joke.
I was asked to be part of a delegation from Northwest Arkansas to attend a conference in D.C. hosted by Welcoming America, an organization dedicated to empowering communities to be more prosperous by making everyone feel like they belong. Municipalities can be certified “welcoming” through simple and intentional steps to reduce the barriers immigrants face and to build bridges between newcomers and long-time residents. The conference concluded with scheduled visits with our state’s legislators, something that I hadn’t done since my senior trip when our class visited 93-year-old SC senator Strom Thurmond.
I hope the irony of S.T. being mentioned in the same breath as an effort to create more inclusive communities is not lost. While that’s slightly funnier than my dad-jokes, the fact that Strom’s “separate but equal” legacy endures is no laughing matter. It takes much different forms now 60 years removed from the water canons and police dogs, but direct opposition to meaningful immigration reform and indirect resistance to local inclusion efforts is fueled by the same thing: fear. I’m discovering that it’s not a fear of change, but a fear of what one may lose.
Life is too short to spend it with clinched fists, perilously holding on to a status quo that brings familiarity but little else. How long will we try to solve a 21st century migration crisis with an antiquated and self-serving ideology. Perhaps the words of my favorite community organizer who drew the ire of both left and right ruling classes of his day are helpful here: “new wine requires new wineskins.” New wine will always break the skins of ideologically driven policies. By contrast, an immigration solution based on our historic values of liberty, equality, and justice will help us to form a more perfect union.
The prospect of a Welcoming America partnership in Northwest Arkansas is exciting. If you have never been involved or supportive of inclusion efforts, I recommend this model as a way to live out your days unafraid of what you might lose and relentlessly hopeful of what you might gain. The strongest case for immigration reform will be made at the local level. When enough communities commit to being welcoming and inclusive, the positive groundswell will necessitate a response from lawmakers.
This has been a journey for me and my family. It began with a decision of our church to be intentional about integrating our English and Spanish congregations, becoming 1 church with 2 languages. Since then my wife has embraced a new career in refugee resettlement with CanopyNWA and our church has engaged in direct advocacy efforts for our immigrant pastor. Together, we’ve walked in new places, empathized in new ways, and learned the story of the other.
I never dreamed this journey would take me to Capitol Hill, but it did: a preacher, an H.R. manager, and a community organizer walking together. How would our communities be different if more stories started this way? Imagine the possibilities of local mayors walking with refugees to start new businesses, CEOs walking with immigrant employees to understand what could be done to increase the stability of their home life, small-business owners walking with employees who are learning a new language, and school boards walking with educators and PTAs to enhance ESL learning. That’s a picture of a welcoming America of which we could all be proud.
