good morning and welcome to mosaic. the pastor here at st. mark's lutheran church. welcome to this wonderful sunday morning. on behalf of my cohost, ryan swisher and my wonderful cohost year, i have reverend debora lee who is the executive director from the interfaith movement for human integrity. she is also a pastor with united church of christ. she is involved in all kinds of important issues here in the bay area. welcome deborah. >> thank you elizabeth. >> is so glad to have you here.

is always good to know something about our guests, so you are a pastor but you are not currently in a church. you are doing other things, that we will be getting to a moment. tell us about your call to ministry and your up bringing. >> thank you for asking. i think my call to ministry was really shaped by my upbringing. part of that, was being part of an immigrant family. my parents are immigrants who came to the state of ohio. i was one of very few chinese- american children or rather the only one really in my school district. besides my younger school district -- my younger school sister. being a racialized other in america shaped my call to ministry which is about faith and justice. my understanding of what it means to be other and what it means to feelor alone has led me to other forms

of ministry to stand with other communities that also feel isolated and alone. and wonder whether not they belong here. right now in our country this is a key cut -- question around issues of immigration. wondering if they are part of this nation or not. and how long they have to be here before they can be considered fully part of this country. and be able to participate. being able to feel welcome and have that sense of belonging. >> this is when religious communities need to really stand with them. yes you belong. you belong in the religious institutions any belong here. did you experience that sense of belonging in a church when you grew up? >> yes. i think from my mother who was an immigrant, in 1966, in ohio. with a strong accent and learning english, she was

making her way with the young baby. i think the church was a place where she definitely found welcome. she said that was the only place where someone affirmatively welcomed her and that really set the course for our family. and religious life for our family. for myself growing up, it was also an important community for me definitely. an important place of formation. and a place that held contradictions. often our faith communities hold racial contradictions. it was a mixed bag. i was also in a church that was unsure about whether our faith should lead us into practice in the street. or in two politician -- politics or social justice.unp wanted my church to do more. i wanted it to be more vocal on things that i saw happening in the world.

that was my tension as a young person growing up. i eventually found another community there was really putting those things together in a powerful way. >> your mentors, who were they for you? or who are they for you? how did they shape you? >> i have had some wonderful mentors. people who have been in pastoral leadership. those through the civil rights movement who has helped guide me and help me think about things in a really deep and important way. pastors who lived through the japanese and american internment camps. from the asian community who before we had seminary professors, they were y su. and i just want to lift that the name of reverend lloyd wonky. he important

mentors. he was freely unafraid to practice his faith. he was doing gay marriages in the 1970s. he was really outspoken on the issue of anti-nuclear station. -- on the issue of anti- nuclear heirs. >> we want to learn more on how those mentors and your faith the shapes what you're currently doing. so when we come back, we are going to hear more about that. so how was work?

sam: it was thirteen hundred hours. my math class, room 302, was in the trenches. davy roth had it the worst. fractions were coming at him left and right. he just didn't get the damn things. two days ago, i tried to teach him what 1/4 of 1/2 was using different sizes of blocks. yesterday, i tried again by dividing up pizza. both missions failed. rachel: oh no. sam: but today...i was ready. sam: i created a combat math game where the only way to beat the enemy is to out-fraction them. davy conquered every last denominator. my game was so successful, the principal is deploying it to math squadrons all over the school. m: oo, how wa d? rachel: oh, uhh... today my boss treated the office to salad wraps.

sam: mmm, salad wraps. rachel: i know. good morning and welcome back our special guest is reverend debora lee. she is the executive director for the interfaith movement of integrity. >> our organization works on two issues. one is on immigration justice and the other is mass incarceration. i want to share a story about how i first got into the issue of immigration. my parents are immigrants. but being born a citizen in this country, i grew up with a lot of privileges and just the blind spots of things you don't have to worry about. things that we don't have to think about it all. my parents protected me from a

lot of what they were going through. one of my first ministry assignments, was with a group of young people who were asian pacific islanders. many were second generation immigrant -- immigrants. i began to see how much the issue of immigration was coming up in their lives. and in their stories. immigration is a young person's issue. it affects families. we are seeing that now with children at the border. it is one of the most extreme cases there. but the parents that immigrate, or someone has to move away, it affects children and families all the time. i can see how that was manifested. i had one young person from the church in modesto, all american in every way. volleyball team, cheerleader,

excellent student. as she approached graduation, she was completely devastated. she could barely tell me what was going on in her life. i thought maybe it was a terminal illness. she was in such a deep depression. as i was trying to pastor with her and understand what was going on, it became evident that what was happening was she found out for the first time that she was undocumented. she was the oldest child in her family and the other children were citizens. she also assumed that she was a citizen and had this life planned out to become a doctor and do all of these things, but then she suddenly became aware that many things would not be available to her. federal financial aid and things like that. it was completely crushing. she waited for a number of years for president obama to be elected and hoped there would be a dream act. in the end she ended up self- supporting.

she moved to a country that she had not been in since she was two years old. she left her family behind, her siblings and her parents here. but she left with such profound disappointment in the country that they would not be able to make a space for her. that she would not be able to achieve her dreams. she gave up and i do not blame her. we still do not have a dream act. she still would not have a solution in her life. and it is 10 years later now. >> i can see how that story would profoundly move and shape someone. >> definitely. >> thank you for sharing that. let's talk about your call to ministry. tell us about the organization and the important work you're doing. >> our organization works particularly with faith communities to help educate them and help them discern and fitheir voiced leadersh some of the key social issues

of the day affected this. with the working to areas primarily in the last few years. one has been around immigration, with all that is happening. and even more so now thanks to things being undone in the system becoming even more cruel and brutal. and more violent -- violent actually. the other issues have been around with ending mass criminalization and mass incarceration in particular communities being targeted by a policy of mass incarceration. here in california and around the country. we work with over 140 congregations here in the bay area. in los angeles and in the inland valleys of the state. >> and interfaith? >> yes. we work across different faith communities which is a wonderful opportunity. not just to work together on something, but to really appreciate the spirituality and faith of other religions.

and learn more about our own faith in and to appreciate and break down other barriers that we have between people of different faiths sometimes. >> i want to go back to immigration ask what concerned you the most as a christian leader regarding immigration practices? >> i think what concerns me the most right now, is the ways that human life, the sacredness of human life and families is being utterly disregarded. the kind of violence that is being created, and of course we are looking at the children of the border, and it is a status -- devastating separation happening but that is happening in every city across america. every day. ice showing up in people's homes and taking parents away from children. sometimes even minor children, we don't see it in mass but we

don't have the kind of attention this year the border. there's the construction of the border wall which already exists and has i -- and i've gone down to see it. the thousands of deaths that are preventable of young people in their prime that are happening every year. people dying on our side of the border. for lack of some things as basic as water. and so, the thing that is costing lives and i believe this hurts god deeply. it hurts god's creation deeply. and it affects the entire families. not even mentioning the way that it affects the future of our world. we can't be needlessly losing and destroying to create so much suffering. >> i appreciate what you had to say about our atteion on the border. that is important that we are doing that. but we need to focus our attention locally as well. so when we come back, you need to tell us about how people are going to be able to get

involved and what they can do to be part of this just world that we all want for our children. wwe superstar john cena: patriotism. it inspires passionate debate and is worn like a badge of honor. and with good reason. because it means love and devotion for one's country. love. but what really makes up this country of ours? what is it we love? it's the people. almost half the country belongs to minority groups. people who are lesbian. african american.

and bi. and transgender. and native american. and proud of it! after all, what's more american than the freedom to celebrate the things that make us...us? this year patriotism shouldn't just be about pride of country. it should be about love. love beyond age, disability, sexuality, race, religion, and any other labels. because the second any of us judge people based on those labels, we're not really being patriotic, are we? because love has no labels.

welcome back to mosaic. with me today is the reverend debora lee. executive director of interfaith movement for human integrity. and you are just going to tell us now, about what people can do here in the bay area to live out their christian call to advocate with immigrants and protect, otest and resistu have th >> yes. den sy. the hinthat

immigration detention system. >> and the lack of transparency, what's going on there? >> the accountability. members of congress can't even get an. it is operating outside of the constitution. this is a huge concern. is a profit-making venture. we have the largest immigration detention center with the largest prison center in the world. we have 5000 prisons in this country and over 200 immigration detention centers. they are trying to build more as we speak. >> we have one here in the bay area? >> yes the closest one is here in richmond california. which the faith communities have been organizing and working to say that we want to help hold this facility accountable. because it is here in our backyard. since 2011, easter, we have been rst saturday of h since 2011. the next one is going to be in

july, august, september. if you can't come to one come to the next one. different faith communities have been leading that service. it is a beautiful one hour service of prayer and hearing from families whose lives have been affected. whose loved ones have been detained. for people to find out ways to get involved. many other opportunities have expanded to help bridge connections between the inside and the outside. the only reason why this immigration detention center can continue to exist is because people on the outside do not realize that it is happening. people do not realize that the beauty of the people of the inside. they have been able to create a stigma around anyone who is in prison or detention to make it seem like it is okay. our faith tradition calls us to move beyond that barrier. >> to the detainees know that these vigils are taking place? >> they do know.

because sotit on television. sometimes their families on the outside and they tell them. and also, sometimes we have been able to get people released. and they join us. and one of the things that they tell us is they never believed that there were this many people out there. it is such a beautiful moment when they're able to come out and able to cry and welcome them back into communities. to say that we got one person free. >> that is the first saturday of every month? >> 11 am. west county detention facility 5555 giant highway. >> what else can people do here locally? >> we are also working with congregations to discern to become sanctuary congregations. we know there are over 40 congregations in the bay area who have gone th being sancary means involved in the cacywork. it means being involved in the accompaniment and part of networks of protection.

and also considering housing hospitality needs of those who are newly arrived or those who are getting out of detention. >> all aspects of sanctuary? >> yes. it is an umbrella term to mean that we stand with a community that is under attack right now. we are willing to covenant a be in a relationship and walk with them. to see what needs they have. not every congregation has to do all those things but as a network we do. there are a lot of easy ways for congregations to start. >> what are some of the questions that might come up from people who might have a concern about being labeled a sanctuary congregation? >> definitely. i think one concern is does it mean to someone is live at the church? that is the idea that people have in their minds. we disavow them of that. and we talk about how the concept of sanctuary has expanded. in fact, there are a number of congregations that do have

family living in there but they are not someone with a final order of deportation so there is no risk. but many people who are at risk live in their own homes. and they don't need to be. we really want to communicate to people that this is a community -- a commitment to walk with them. >> and that is what your organization does. it educates people on what this means? >> another thing that we do is we bring people into congregations to tell our story. families whose lives have been affected, whose love one is in detention, someone who may have gotten out of detention. someone at risk for deportation. we hear these things on the news but until you meet someone face-to-face, flash to flash, in your congregation -- and your congregation gets to meet them a lot of your fears go way. suddenly they say we want to do this. we want to help out our brother

or sister. we have this thing called sanctuary dialogues and these micro voices that come into the pulpit to be able to share their stories. it really humanizes a community that has been dehumanized very intentionally. >> when we come back, we are going to hear more about what we can do together as a christian community and more of pastor lee's story.

welcome back. in this brief laugh -- last segment we wanted to hear more about what we can do with these families. so tell us more about what we can do. >> currently, as you know there are many people who are being stuck in detention because laws have changed where people could be indefinitely detained. one of the particular calls that we are offering to congregations is to come center sponsor someone. >> what does that mean? >> it means mo idg someone especially those who don't have any family in the united states who are asylum seekers looking for protection but have nowhere to go.

they will not be released without an address. >> they still have to go through the court process, but they can do it from outside of detention. it is very hard to get a lawyer inside. so be able -- so to be able to provide a stable place for three months until they can get their feet on the ground and we can help support them to find their next path. that is one big important thing. >> the other thing that people can do from the living room, is become a friend outside. those who commit to write to someone who's detained. or put a few dollars on their commissary each month. the most important thing is that your giving hope in building a connection between somebody there so they can feel like someone is caring. you have someone to pray for you and you know that someone is concerned about you. >> and then if anyone has a ete question about participating or

being part of this you have a website that they can go to? >> we do have a website. it is for i am for human integrity.orc. it is for movement, human integrity.org. we are happy to talk about this for many people. we want people to know that migration is second -- sacred. it is through our scriptures. we see the face of god in the face of the migrant. migration should not be criminalized which is the current policies that are being enacted today. >> in our christian tradition we remember that jesus was a refugee. and that is part of our christian tradition. and seeing the sacred in our brothers and sisters. treating them as god's children. i think all of these ways that your organization helps us participate deliver ian cag.

to practice our faith and grow. i cannot tell you how many of the volunteers say how much they have received as not what they have given to others but what they have received and been transformed. and are now different because of it. and richer for it. >> where do you see hope or find hope these days? >> in the number of people that want to get involved in speak out. those who are not normally the time to do things like that. they are out there and saying that these are not the values that we share. and they want their voices to be heard. i think the face -- faith voice is being heard at this point. to give moral compass and reminders about compassion and the values that are important. >>reverend debora lee has been our guest today. she is the leader of the human integrity movement at the interfaith communities.

on this we hold these families who have been separated from their children in our hopes and prayers. there are ways that you can be involved. i want to thank today our producer hugh burrows. ron swisher, and we wish you a blessed morning. thank you for being here. my name is jamir dixon and i'm a locate and mark fieldman for pg&e. most people in the community recognize the blue trucks as pg&e. my truck is something new... it's an 811 truck. when you call 811, i come out to your house and i mark out our gas lines and our electric lines to make sure that you don't hit them when you're digging. 811 is a free service. i'm passionate about it because every time i go on the street i think about my own kids. they're the reason that i want to protect our community and our environment, and if me driving a that truck means that somebody gets to go home safer, then i'll drive it every day of the week. together, we're building a better california.

it's now in the final stages. with more than a dozen divers swimming t it is a race against time to save a soccer team trapped in thailand. is now in the fae -- final stages with more than a dozen swimmers swimming. and other fast-moving wildfire explodes three california neighborhood. protesters have taken over washington street in san francisco for seven straight days. the goal is to abolish ice. >> believe it or not we were here just an hour to ago. let's start off with our forecast. we have beautiful forecast last night. concorde is at 62 degrees. santa rosa set