For a couple of decades I've been watching my friends and neighbors suffer due to our nation's broken immigration system. I was slow—inexcusably slow—to join the work of changing this system. But over time the accumulation of painful memories became too substantial for me to ignore, especially the [...]Read More
I walk for my son
We walked into the apartment and the air was thick and stood still. Everyone sat frozen, avoiding our eyes. His sister stared at the television, his step-dad worked vigorously at a spot on the table. His mom was the only one... eyes locked. "Ven, siéntate, necesitamos hablar," she managed. He [...]Read More
Chauncey Shillow’s Story
Abre tu boca por los mudos, por los derechos de todos los desdichados." -- Proverbios 31:8 I met Evelyn when she walked into my theatre class five and a half years ago. At that time, I did not know how much she would give to me, those students, or their school. Now I know that she dedicates herself [...]Read More
Brad and Kim Bandy’s Story
We're in a world where phrases like 'elevator pitch' and 'return on investment' land deeper than business plans and seep into our spiritual beings. We find ourselves surfing the waves of social issue to social issue—trying to stay afloat, never letting ourselves be immersed with the understanding [...]Read More
In Legacy of César Chávez: Robert Chao Romero
Inspired by César Chávez and the Chicana/o civil rights movement of the 1960’s, I am walking El Camino to declare that Jesus loves and cares for immigrants, and that our broken immigration system desperately needs to be reformed. On March 17, 1966, Chávez and the farmworker community embarked [...]Read More
Melina Rapazzini: Why I am doing El Camino
As a middle class, suburban-dwelling, white girl, I did not meet immigrants or refugees in America until I sought out a narrative different from which I was raised. Last summer I obtained a grant to organize and run a summer camp for children in Oakland, CA, who were largely refugees and [...]Read More
Bethany Anderson: Why I am doing El Camino
In 2013, I had the opportunity to participate in a public display of solidarity with my immigrant brothers and sisters on the lawn of Congress in Washington DC through the Fast 4 Families. I was almost a decade into my journey of understanding our broken immigration system in the context of the [...]Read More
Felicia Graham: Why I am doing El Camino
This summer has been bittersweet. The bitter part of this summer has been losing family members. My Uncle Greg, my Tio Agustine, and my cousin Norma all passed away within weeks of each other. At my Tio Agustine’s funeral, I had the honor of meeting my 96-year-old Tia Concha. I also learned that my [...]Read More