Oscar Contreras, and Cricket White

At the request of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Hope in the Cities facilitated a dialogue on immigration policy issues on October 2. Immigration has been a heated subject since local legislators in Manassas, Virginia were coerced into passing policy that enabled police to ask suspected immigrants for their identification and papers before they were even charged, thereby targeting immigrants and minorities without “due cause.” Thanks to the organized effort by people who desire fair standards, the law has now been overturned so that police must first arrest and incarcerate people before asking for their papers. However, it was an eye-opening experience for many to see how easily discriminatory legislation can be passed. The incident was an impetus to further the conversation about immigration.

Thirty people met at the African American Methodist Church, Westley Memorial, to engage in a public dialogue and view a video that described the events which took place; the creators of the film were present to answer questions. Cricket White, the Director of National Training and Facilitation, moderated dialogue with Connecting Communities Fellowship Program graduate Oscar Contreras following the film. Participants were asked two things: “what surprised you and what concerned you?” The Interfaith Center plans to further educate people on surprising issues that interested participants. Afterwards, people broke up into small groups to discuss what they saw and then a larger discussion took place. Participants were asked to hand write letters to their legislators expressing their concerns about policy at a follow up meeting.

Immigration Dialogue

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is a “nonpartisan coalition of faith communities” working together to “create change through education and public policy.” Their faith guides them to work toward public policies that are compassionate and just. They requested Hope in the Cities’ facilitating expertise on dividing issues.

Oscar Contreras was trained through the Initiatives of Change Connecting Communities Fellowship Program, a five month program that builds capacity in community building. HIC is pleased that Mr. Contreras’ training enabled him to provide leadership on this tough subject. HIC facilitation models are based on sharing the floor with someone different from yourself so that two contrasting views are presented. Co-facilitators White and Contreras juxtaposed each other in relation to their background and cultures.

Hope in the Cities values the partnership the Virginia Interfaith Center provides in building trust across divides. While Hope in the Cities does not advocate on either side of issues, moderators bring skill and commitment that provides a safe environment to allow individuals to communicate effectively with people of different views.