"The strategy of Jesus is not centered in taking the right stand on issues, but rather in standing in the right place - with the outcast and those relegated to the margins."
-Fr. Greg Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
Gubbio stands where we have always stood: With the people that are afraid and with the people who are on the margins of our society. That means, given the outcome of the national election, standing with the undocumented who fear that they or their loved one could face deportation. With those living in encampments on the streets in San Francisco, faced now with a yet another law on the books criminalizing them and forcing them to move within 24 hours.
We stand with women, who have seen sexual assault treated cavalierly and sniggered at. With the GLBTQ community who is fearful of rights being taken away. With African Americans who have seen their legitimate complaints dismissed, the violence perpetrated on them blamed on them, and who will now be faced with a new Attorney General and calls for a renewal of the humiliating and ineffective policy of 'stop and frisk.'
We stand with the disabled who have seen themselves mocked. With the women wearing hijabs who have had them pulled off them in the last several days. [To see more of the hate crimes that have happened using Trump's name as justification since the election, you can follow @ShaunKing on Twitter.]
"We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop," Fr. Boyle shares. "We situate ourselves right next to the [so called] disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away." We do this by continuing to heartily welcome people of all ethnicities, orientations, mental health or chemical dependence statuses every day into the sanctuaries at St. Boniface and St. John's. We encourage folks who identify as transgender to use the bathroom they feel safest and most at home in. We open doors, not close them. We build bridges, not walls. We stand with.
Some Resources for "Standing With"
Here is a comic strip to see how to be an ally to someone who is experiencing Islamophobia. The five simple steps it outlines can also be used with someone who is getting harassed because of their housing status, or how they might look or smell. Here are 10 things you can do to be an ally to our brothers and sisters of all ethnicities, ages, orientations, and mental health status living on our streets. Lastly, here is a list of behaviors to avoid when trying to be an ally to those marginalized and rightly fearful given all that has been said and done.
Laura Slattery
Executive Director
|
|
Gubbio featured the Christian Science Monitor
We are so proud to be featured in this month's issue of the Christian Science Monitor. We don't want to spoil the whole thing, but here's a little snippet.
"... For a brief moment, their faces, beatific and babylike in sleep, do not betray the nights of fearful wandering and the way concrete seeps into a person's bones and stays there."
Click to read the full article
|
|
The Election & Gubbio
To say that this election was stressful would be an understatement. Gubbio wanted to hear what its staff, volunteers, and guests had to say about it.
"I think this means that literally anyone can run for president now." -Staff, Age 35
"What concerns me is that xenophobia is only getting worse. Trump, deliberately or not, has fed into that." -Guest, Age 64
"He's rich, I'm poor. I don't think it is going to be very good." -Guest, Age 36
"I am encouraged by the people I work with. The grassroots communities who put their body on the line for their people." -Staff, 68
"I don't believe it's happening." -Guest, 29
"Everything is going to get better." -Guest, 46
"I find it concerning and discouraging that half of our country voted for a man who was openly homophobic, xenophobic, and misogynistic." -Volunteer, 19
|
|
500 Signatures Needed!
Gubbio is working alongside the Coalition on Homelessness and the Homeless People's Popular Assembly to gather signatures for a demand letter that they will be sending to elected officials so that those who are homeless are heard.
Sign the Petition!
|
|
Amazon Wishlist
It is not yet December, but if you were feeling generous and ready to start your holiday shopping early, we wanted to give all of our wonderful followers the opportunity to contribute to The Gubbio Project.
Contribute to The Gubbio Project
|
|
