One Family Under God: Immigration Politics and Progressive Religion in America

303 Pages·2013·2.609 MB·English

by  Grace Yukich

ONE FAMILY UNDER GOD
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OONNEE FFAAMMIILLYY
UUNNDDEERR  GGOODD
Immigration Politics and Progressive
Religion in America
Grace Yukich
1
3

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yukich, Grace, 1980–
One family under God : immigration politics and progressive religion in America / Grace Yukich.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–998867–9 (pbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978–0–19–998866–2 (alk. paper)—
ISBN 978–0–19–998868–6 (ebook) 1. United States—Emigration and immigration—
Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Illegal aliens—United States. I. Title.
BR517.Y85 2013
261.7—dc23
2013004449
ISBN 978–0–19–998867–9
ISBN 978–0–19–998866–2
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America

on acid-free paper
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. Th e New Sanctuary Movement 13
2. Changing Hearts and Minds 39
3. Sanctuary as Religious Conversion 68
4. Focusing on Families 92
5. Th e Art of Balance 120
6. An Immigrant Rights Organization Without Immigrants? 142
7. Who Rules in the Kingdom of God? 171
Conclusion 199
Appendix A: Storytelling and Terminology 2 23
Appendix B: Research Methodology 227
Notes 233
References 261
Index 279
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Few things in life are accomplished alone, and this book is no exception.
Without the help of my friend Rachel Soltis, a volunteer and coordinator
with the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, this study would not
have been possible. Several other New Sanctuary Movement organizers also
put me in touch with people, supported my work, and off ered comments on
this manuscript. Especially to Juan Carlos Ruiz and Amy Dalton—thank you
for your ongoing support and feedback on this project, which strengthened it
beyond measure. I am grateful to all of the New Sanctuary Movement fami-
lies and activists for their cooperation, help, and enthusiasm about this proj-
ect. While you may not agree with all I have to say, I hope much of this book
rings true to your experiences, struggles, and triumphs. Many thanks also to
Mizue Aizeki, Josue Bustos, Felton Davis, June Goudey, and Tom Martinez,
who contributed the photographs of the New Sanctuary Movement that
grace the pages of this book.
Many kind and generous colleagues off ered help and guidance as
I researched and wrote this book. Th is project started as a dissertation at
New York University. Th ank you to my committee members Jeff Goodwin,
Craig Calhoun, and Melissa Wilde for comments, encouragement, letters,
phone calls, and other forms of support. During the dissertation process, my
offi ce mates Jane Jones and Mark Treskon were the best working partners
I could have asked for. Members of my dissertation writing group—Hannah
Jones, Jane Jones, Sarah Kaufman, Amy LeClair, Tey Meadow, Ashley Mears,
Harel Shapira, and Owen Whooley—read and reread early chapters, as did
participants in the NYLON culture workshop in New York and London.
I am grateful to all of them for their insights and feedback. Dom Bagnato,
Candyce Golis, and Jamie Lloyd made the process easier and more fun
through their skilled assistance and friendship. Sarah Damaske, Kathleen
Gerson, Abby Larson, Jeff Manza, and Kim O’Neill off ered helpful advice
and feedback at various stages of the project. Finally, the National Science
viii • Acknowledgments
Foundation provided funding for the research phase, making much of the
travel and other aspects of the project possible.
A postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University’s Center for the Study
of Religion gave me the scholar’s dream: a year to focus on writing and work-
shopping chapters alongside some of the most knowledgeable and generous
religion scholars in the world. Th ank you to Bob Wuthnow, Jenny Legath,
and Anita Kline at the center for their mentorship, encouragement, and sup-
port during that year. Th anks to Carol Ann MacGregor for introducing me to
the Ivy’s free popcorn and to Phil Haberkern for advice on balancing writing
with a job search. Th ank you to participants in the Religion & Public Life and
American Religious History workshops at Princeton, who off ered feedback
on chapters. Th anks also to my informal writing group at Princeton—Annie
Blazer, Jessica Delgado, Michaela DeSoucey, Kathryn Gin, Nicole Kirk, John
Millhauser, Manu Radhakrishnan, Janet Vertesi, and Judith Weisenfeld.
During the fi nal writing and editing phase, Th eo Calderara and Charlotte
Steinhardt at Oxford University Press and several anonymous reviewers
helped strengthen the fi nal versions of the manuscript.
Th e contributions of colleagues were matched by the support of other
friends and loved ones. During the research phase, several friends fed me
and gave me couches and beds to sleep on during my months of research in
Los Angeles. Th ank you especially to Karolyn Mayo, Stacy Dacheux, Allan
McLeod, and the Los Angeles Catholic Worker. During the writing stage, Phil
Trzynka and Brett Henry off ered their home in Michigan as a writing retreat,
giving me thinking time that enabled me to develop and refi ne the arguments
in this book. I am so grateful for their friendship and generosity. Th ank you
also to Tim and Jan Bell for unexpected companionship and laughter during
those weeks, a wonderful respite from the oft en solitary act of writing.
Closer to home, the love and support of my spouse, my parents, my sib-
lings, my two cats, and other family members have sustained me throughout
this process. Th is book is about religion, immigration, and social movements,
but it is also about family, the joy and pain of intimate relationships, and the
transformational power of unconditional love. Th anks in large part to my
parents David and Joy Bazemore, my family has always been a place of this
kind of joy, support, and love. I am more grateful to them for this than words
can say. Finally, throughout this project, my husband Jonathan has been both
my most devoted advocate and my most insightful critic. His support helped
me keep the faith during tough periods, and his close reading of this book has
made it into something much better than I could have produced on my own.
His quiet indignation at injustice, ability to get to the heart of a matter, and
Acknowledgments • ix
commitment to quality, meaningful work continually inspire me. Like most
people, I cannot imagine life without my family. For this reason, I dedicate
this book to all immigrant families struggling to stay together as they seek
better lives for themselves and their children.