La frontera nos divide, pero la tierra nos une.
(The border divides us, but the land unites us.)
We may not be a nation of immigrants (listen to Forum guest and historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz discuss her book of that title on September 29, 2021), but immigration continues to impact us all. Natural disasters, war, corruption and oppression continue to drive migrants' continued pursuit for an opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and hope for a future. Under the Biden administration, there have been policy changes that have been welcomed by immigrant advocates. At the same time, migrants seeking asylum have overwhelmed the federal system for processing them, including thousands of unaccompanied minors. What is life like on the border today? What can and should be done about this humanitarian crisis?
The Rev. Canon David Chavez has spent nearly all his life breathing in the culture, customs and geography of the United States' southern border, from his childhood in the 1980s growing up between border communities in Arizona and California to his current role as the Diocese of Arizona's Canon for Border Ministries.
Each year the cathedral chooses a theme for inspiration and reflection, and in 2021 our theme is healing. Join Dean Malcolm Clemens Young for a conversation with Rev. Chavez about how to heal the divides our borders cause, and rediscover what unites us.
About the guest
About the host
The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young is the dean of Grace Cathedral. He is the author of The Spiritual Journal of Henry David Thoreau and The Invisible Hand in Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God, and is a regular contributor on religion to the Huffington Post and San Francisco Examiner.
About The Forum
The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. We invite inspiring and illustrious people to sit down for a real conversation with the Forum's host, Malcolm Clemens Young, the dean of Grace Cathedral, and with you. Our guests range from artists, inventors and philosophers to pop culturists and elected officials, but the point of The Forum is singular: civil, sophisticated discourse that engages minds and hearts to think in new ways about the world. More about Grace Forum Online
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