Last year, we moved to “the Friendly City” of Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is, unarguably, a beautiful location in the Shenandoah Valley, embraced by the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountain ranges. But why “friendly?” One popular explanation invokes the welcome given to a steady influx of folks from around the world. As of 2022, over 9,000 (17.6%) Harrisonburg residents were born outside of the country. Harrisonburg City Public Schools students speak 55 languages in addition to English, Rosetta Stone language software was founded in Harrisonburg in 1992, and the multilingual "Welcome Your Neighbors" yard sign originated in Harrisonburg in 2016.[
Why this influx? Several factors here. Harrisonburg and the encompassing Rockingham County are home to one large state university and three smaller colleges which bring in international students, faculty and families. Rockingham County is also highly dependent on its many poultry farms and processing plants, which account for one of the largest economic drivers in the County, employing nearly 3,000 residents, including a steady in-and out-flow of migrants.
And then there is Church World Service. Founded in 1950 by 13 Christian denominations in the US to address the massive refugee crisis following World War II, CWS has continued to provide and expand its services and advocacy to encompass emergency relief and international development efforts. In 1988, CWS came to Harrisonburg, where it has served and advocated for nearly 3,000 refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children (currently over 100), and immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley.
How times change. In the blink of an eye. We also joined up with the local Unitarian Universalist church, a small but feisty group. On Tuesday, some members of our Social Justice Committee met with Jennifer from CWS-Harrisonburg, to see how we could help them ensure that Harrisonburg remains a friendly city to immigrants. A week later, Jennifer along with 2/3 of the staff were furloughed as flights were cancelled for 29 fully vetted refugees headed to Harrisonburg. ICE is reported on our college campuses, and the Harrisonburg School System was in the crosshairs of the new Administration. One challenge: While the City of Harrisonburg is “blue,” rural Rockingham County is “red.”
What to do? Well, here’s what we UUs are doing to start with.
Calling our elected officials, including our fully MAGA congressman, Ben Cline
Writing letters to the editor of our local papers and submitting op ed pieces by our cadre of writers
Financially supporting CWS Harrisonburg and other local immigrant/refugee resource programs
Ordering “Welcome Neighbor” signs and putting them out all over the County.
Meeting with other community organizations and organizers to forge plans to protect immigrants from ICE and deportation
If your community is fortunate to have a significant Mennonite presence, as we are, you may want to tap into their resources. Though their congregations are also divided along the red/blue lines, local Mennonite congregations have (1) called upon the Anabaptist tradition to resist the powers that be, “fortified with courage and irrepressible joy” (sermon by Sara Wenger Shenk, skip ad and go to 30:00 for sermon); and (2) proposed hosting a community-wide documentation center at a local church, staffed with advocates, lawyers, a notary public, and the rest of us to track down needed documents, make copies, coffee and tea.
Our little Unitarian Universalist congregation is small, but we are choosing "which side shall feel the stubborn ounces of our weight." What we can’t do alone, we can do together.
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