NHPB journal

A week ago I was in Washington DC for the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. Here are some thoughts that I jotted down as I reflected on the experience on the plane ride home.

May 10. On the shuttle from the airport to my hotel I chatted with a fellow passenger. She was the head of her realtor association in a Bay Area county. We were both in DC for conferences and visits with legislators, but she made the trek every year and this was my first time. We listened to news about the floods in Memphis and I remarked that I had been in Biloxi to help with rebuilding after the floods resulting from the hurricanes in 2005. She said that she had just been in Biloxi to encourage government to do more to help homeowners. That was when it hit me that I had an understanding of doing works of mercy, but influencing government officials to act justly was unfamiliar to me. But both are needed. My fundamentalist upbringing encouraged me to remain separate from the world. My Chinese heritage distrusted government and preferred to use the “back door” of relationships instead of the front door of official channels. But this conversation opened my eyes to see that swinging a hammer isn’t enough, that speaking up in the halls of power is also needed. I had made the trip partly because of the tourist appeal of seeing President Obama. God was starting to open my heart to the work that was needing to be done.

That afternoon I received instruction on how to speak to a legislator. I found that conferees would be divided into groups according to the states we lived in so that we could let the lawmakers know that we were their constituents. I received information about Esperanza’s stance on immigration reform and the state of education resources for Hispanics. I learned that Esperanza is anti-amnesty, and for strong borders, verifiable employment status and compassionate treatment of families while still being tough on enforcement of immigration status. This knowledge prepared us to visit the many freshman legislators who had been elected by socially and fiscally conservative voters.

That evening we learned about how many Hispanics were being adversely affected by the housing downturn, losing homes to foreclosure while being targeted by scam artists. We wanted to let legislators know that resources to help Hispanic homeowners keep their homes would pay dividends in the future because immigrants tend to be hardworking and diligent in pursuing the American dream.

May 11. We had to get up early to attend a breakfast briefing in one of the Senate office buildings and then be addressed by Newt Gingrich. His agenda was clear once he disclosed that he was going to officially announce his run for the Presidency that afternoon. In order to appeal to the over 200 mostly Hispanic voters, he began by addressing us in Spanish. Then he argued that he had a strategy for passing immigration reform legislation that was more likely to succeed than the President’s. It made me realize that being in DC was no mean feat. The people in these halls of power are bright and articulate and resolute. And they care about people. But being in DC can isolate a person from the very people that a lawmaker is there to help.

The most striking moment for me was the prayer that was said as we prepared to make our “Hill visits”. The meeting was closed with a prayer that we would be empowered as prophets of old. I realized that I was in DC to “speak truth to power.” I was there to remind the lawmakers of the challenges that their constituents were facing and to suggest ways they could help, primarily by developing and passing laws to fix an extremely broken immigration system while also giving our country secure borders.

I made three visits to the offices of members of the House. All were Republicans: a freshman, a multiple-termer, and the House majority whip. We spoke to staffers who would later be informing the members of their constituents’ perspective. It was a bit counter-intuitive, but the more powerful the member, the more open and reasonable their staffer. The freshman member’s staffer was firm that no immigration reform legislation would be passed by this Congress because jobs and budget were too important. We heard this line all three times, but the more seasoned staffers seemed to understand that it was important to hear us out, even if they disagreed with our agenda.

It was a little comical that in the most powerful member’s office our visiting team consisted of no Hispanics, an African American, an Anglo, and an Asian American. But our team worked well together and the assistant chief of staff, was amiable and open. He shared the misgivings of his party so that we could respond and encourage partnership from a standpoint of shared values, even if the strategy wasn’t yet agreed upon. It was in that meeting that I felt most comfortable, allowing my enjoyment of dialog to be a vehicle for the Spirit to give voice to a prophetic message that was needed in that place. And I felt the value and need for working for justice in the halls of power as well as doing acts of mercy among people who are hurting.

After the visits we attended a briefing by senior White House staff, informing us of what the Cabinet members were doing to help the Hispanic community in many areas, including housing, employment, food, and education resources. I realized how important it is to get the word out about the resources that the government is offering. Part of our church’s community involvement could surely include connecting people in need to resources that are already available. As a taxpayer, I don’t want the government spending an inordinate amount of money on advertising campaigns. On the other hand, I don’t want resources that could improve our neighborhoods going to waste. For example, instead of complaining about the high rate of foreclosures, I could help connect people with counseling to help them avoid foreclosure. That helps raise my property values, gets us out of the current credit crisis sooner, and increases overall wealth and economic health for the good of all. It seems like a no-brainer but I’d never thought of it before.

May 12. We had to arrive at 5:30 for a 7:00 breakfast because of the security surrounding an event involving the President. Along with checking everyone’s ID and having us go through a metal detector, we saw bomb-sniffing dogs investigate the platform. Most of us were kept at a distance by a scarlet rope, and we were aware of both highly visible armed guards and of the Secret Service, who were hardly inconspicuous in their dark suits and earpieces. It reminded me that the President is both a powerful and influential leader, and a fragile human being. The actual speech was a bit of a let-down, containing no strategic substance as to what sort of legislation he wanted to sign. He said that he couldn’t do immigration reform alone and needed our help to mobilize our congregations. But the message was a good reminder: none of us can do such important work alone. We are fallible human beings who can become blinded by the trappings of power or frustrated by the lack of a hearing for our good ideas. We need each other in order for all of us to do our jobs well.