Webinar: Confronting Racism at the US/Mexico Border

Source: Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology

'Confronting Racism - What People of Faith Can Learn from the Experience of Haitian Asylum-Seekers at the US/Mexico' is the title of a webinar being organised on Tuesday. All are welcome to join. The Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology programme in the US is organising the webinar on Tuesday 12 July at 9pm UK time.

For many months now, Haitian asylum-seekers have been arriving at the US/Mexico border seeking safety. As with migrants before them, the immigration policies of the US government are denying them this fundamental right and are forcing them to "remain in Mexico" in life-threatening conditions. Haitians are also experiencing an added layer of discrimination, resulting in less access to services and hostility from local governments and communities.

Central to our faith is the belief that every person is created in the image of God regardless of their race or national origin. If we take our faith seriously, this should challenge our assumptions about ourselves and those we believe to be different from us.

In his encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti', Pope Francis makes it clear that racism is "a readiness to discard others … [and that] instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think" (FT #20).

You will hear directly from Haitian asylum-seekers, and the people of faith who welcome them, about their experience at the US/Mexico border. This discussion will help unpack how the legacy of colonialism and the reality of systemic racism are driving forces of displacement in the Americas and are influencing US immigration policies.

But the Church must do more than meet peoples' basic needs. Grounded in our faith, we must also act to dismantle the racism that displaces Haitians and other migrants from their homes, and that now prevents them from finding safety in the US.

Speakers include: Cynthia Gonzalez, Advocacy Coordinator at St Columban Mission for Justice, Peace and Ecology, who was born and raised in El Paso, Texas.

Fr Bill Morton, SSC, is a Columban priest who lives and works in Anapra, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He has lived and worked on the US/Mexico border for 25 years and is the founder of the Columban Mission Center in El Paso, Texas.

You can register for the webinar at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3JXSf1n_SU-878O6dp9S3w

The St Columban House of Hospitality for Migrants in Santiago, Chile provides food, shelter, lodging, and a welcoming place for the many migrants arriving in Chile. Over the past few years, Chile has received nearly 1.5 million migrants who are escaping from poverty, violence, and repression. A significant number are from Haiti.

Watch a video at: https://columbanjpe.org/article/st-columban-house-hospitality-welcoming-migrants-santiago-chile