Special to IFN

Indivisible Citizens of Catawba Valley (ICCV) partnered with Repairers of the Breach to hold one of hundreds of prayer vigils to mark the longest night of witness.

As Repairers of the Breach said, “On the longest night of the year–December 21–we gather across the nation to stand against policy violence that steals healthcare, food, safety, and human dignity. We gather to offer public moral witness and moral clarity because no one in our communities should be left in the dark.”

In announcing the vigils that were held across the country, Repairers of the Breach highlighted “the human cost of policy violence:

♦ 51,000 people could die next year from lack of healthcare access;
♦ SNAP + Medicaid are under attack;
♦ ACA premium spikes put coverage out of reach;
♦ Immigrant families face intensified raids; and
♦ Unhoused communities are punished instead of supported

Deacon Deborah Johnson, ELCA, opened the vigil, held outside Congressman Pat Harrigan’s Hickory office saying, “Tonight, we join people across all 50 states who refuse to abandon moral clarity. We gather to witness what is happening to our brothers and sisters, to name what is happening, and to stand in the sacred tradition of those who have always resisted harm and comforted their neighbors and welcomed the stranger.

“Tonight,” Johnson continued, “we call on the U.S. Representative of the 10th District of North Carolina, Rep. Pat Harrigan, to heed the cries of the people; and, in particular, to hear the cries of two brave people – his constituents — who tell the story of how the Big Ugly Bill you voted for has affected their communities and how the Big Ugly Bill will cause thousands of people to die needlessly.”

Alex Tenjhay of Claremont spoke about the plight of immigrants who struggle to make a better life in the United States. Standing near a pair of shoes he said, “These empty shoes represent the thousands, if not millions, who have, in most cases, sacrificed everything to come to the U.S., who live in fear today because CBP and ICE might kidnap them and send them back to live a life they fought so hard to escape.

“These shoes,” Tenjhay continued, “represent the mothers, fathers, children, and friends many have lost through these disgusting immigration raids. We must continue to apply pressure to our government in hopes of ending mass deportations and family separations, while at the same time guiding them in the direction of creating a progressive immigration policy.”

Clergy leading prayers at the vigil were Rabbi Dennis Jones (retired, Temple Beth Shalom), Rev. Susan Smith (Senior Associate Pastor, Exodus Missionary Outreach United Church of Christ), Rev. Bill Garrard (retired United Methodist Church), Rev. Steph Kelly (Associate Pastor, Unifour Church), and Pastor Leo Jones-Morton (Unifour Church)

ICCV is a non-partisan grassroots organization working to uphold the U.S. Constitution strengthen our democracy, and through its mutual-aid efforts help provide for “the least of these.”