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National Day of Action for Children to Stop Family Separation!

THIS FRIDAY, June 1st
Dear Friends,

I invite you to join with faith and human rights partners around the country on Friday, June 1st for a National Day of Action for Children to stop family separation! 
 
Families are the foundation of our communities, and as people of faith, we know the importance of family unity. Right now, new policies of the administration are separating parents from their children at the U.S. border, as well as detaining and prosecuting parents. Since it became official U.S. policy to routinely separate children from their parents, hundreds of children have been ripped from their families: 658 kids in the first 13 days of the program alone. No one benefits when families cannot be together. It is critical that we make our voices heard and tell our national leaders to stop family separation and protect family unity.

See here for how our Disciples General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, responded recently to immigrant family separation. Also, read here for a helpful backgrounder and timeline of how policies have transformed in recent months to remove protections for families.
   
Here are 5 IMPORTANT WAYS to take action THIS FRIDAY-and beyond!!:
  1. Sign the PetitionClick here to sign the petition and demand that families belong together.
  2. Call Members of CongressClick here to be connected to your 2 Senators and 1 Representative. Here's an example of what to say: 
    "I'm your constituent from [CITY/TOWN], and [as a person of faith], I urge you to support policies that protect and unite immigrant and refugee families. The administration is detaining and prosecuting parents, and forcibly separating them from their children. I call on you to do everything in your power to stop family separation. Congress should increase oversight over the Department of Homeland Security and urge them to end unjust policies. Congress should cut funding for harmful immigration enforcement that separates families. I value the sanctity of the family and believe Congress should act to bring families together, not keep them apart."  
  3. Attend or Organize a Local Event: Click here to find events near you or to register your event. 
  4. Raise Your Concerns on Social Media: Click here for sample social media posts,  and consider using images like the ones above, and Write Opinion Editorials for Local Media Outlets: Click here for a template op-ed. 
  5. Mention Concerns about Family Separation in Worship, and Pray for Immigrant Children and Their Families!  Click here for multiple resources to plan for "Refugee & Immigrant Welcome Sunday" on June 17th (or another Sunday soon!)
For more resources on how to take action, please  click here for a National Day of Action for Children toolkit.  Also, contact our Refugee & Immigration Ministries office at 202-957-7826 or sstanley@dhm.disciples.org for further assistance!
 
Thank you for your work and please spread the word!

Blessings to you!
 
Sharon

For advocacy and refugee resettlement questions, contact: 
R ev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries,
sstanley@dhm.disciples.org
202-957-7826.
To subscribe to regular 
news updates from RIM, go to: http://bit.ly/RIMWRAPSignUp 
To support RIM's Ministries, go to:    https://www.discipleshomemissions.org/product/donation/ 
and select "Refugee & Immigration Ministries."
 
Thanks for raising your voice and values of faith to support immigrants and refugees, and for answering the call to  "open your mouths to defend the rights...of the needy." (Proverbs 31:8)
 
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(2nd floor, National City Christian Church)
RIM is a ministry of Disciples Home Missions