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- March of Faith in Resistance to Mass Deportation united Athens faith groups to publicly oppose mass deportation and family separation.
- Interfaith leaders called for moral action to support immigrant neighbors and uphold human dignity regardless of status.
- Event cosponsored by the Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens and Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition.
- Clergy and musicians from diverse traditions delivered brief remarks and songs at the downtown federal courthouse.
Athens faith organizations joined together for a “March of Faith in Resistance to Mass Deportation” which took place this Sunday. Marchers gathered on Prince Avenue and marched to the downtown post office where several ministers and faith leaders spoke to a crowd of hundreds.
Speakers included:
- Music Minister Tom Eggleston, hymn
- Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
- Rev. Dr. Daryl Bloodsaw, Ebenezer Baptist Church West
- Rev. Miki Chastain, Oconee Street Methodist Church (OSMC)
- Chaplain Shane Sims, Al-Huda Islamic Center
- Dr. Alys Willman (OSMC) with Ms. Angie Martin (Comer Friends Meeting), song
- Mr. Jesse Siebentritt, Athens Friends Meeting (Quakers)
- Rev. Nikki Mathis, St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church
- Rev Nathan Byrd, Milledge Avenue Baptist Church
- Rev. Tom Buchanan, Covenant Presbyterian Church
- Chaplain Cole Knapper, Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens
- Music Minister Tom Eggleston, hymn
The Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens and the Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition issued this press release before the event:
Athens area faith organizations have joined together to host a March of Faith in Resistance to Mass Deportation on Sunday, September 21. Marchers will gather at 595 Prince Avenue (across the street from the School District) at 2 pm and, at around 2:30, march to the federal courthouse (downtown post office) where brief remarks will be given and then march back to the starting point.
“Religious leaders will speak on moral calls to support immigrant neighbors, to oppose mass deportation, and to end family separation,” commented Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens and co-chair of the Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens (ICPGA), which voted unanimously to cosponsor and participate in the march.
“This is not a political event, it is an expression of our faith,” said Greg Davis, chair of the Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition (ISC), cosponsor of the march. “We are called to stand in moral opposition to the repression and intimidation of our immigrant friends and neighbors.”
Planners of the march include leaders in Unitarian Universalist, Methodist, Quaker, Episcopal, Catholic, Jewish and Baptist congregations.
“We come together to uphold the inherent value and agency of every human being,” said Tim Johnson of the Athens Friends Meeting (Quakers). “Our faith calls us to work for a world where dignity and rights are upheld regardless of migration status and not on the basis of citizenship or perceived deservedness. ‘Love thy neighbor’ includes all our neighbors.”
Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition (ISC) is a faith-based group drawn from a cross-section of congregations dedicated to offering hospitality, safety, and opportunities for all immigrants, regardless of status. It is affiliated with the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition.
The Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens (ICPGA) includes scores of faith leaders from diverse traditions who believe that we are strengthened by religious and cultural diversity. ICPGA works to build and nurture relationships amongst religious leaders in the Greater Athens area, fostering partnerships and pursuing initiatives to help strengthen our community.
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