Arizona Freedom Summer 2010: A Faithful Response to SB 1070
A Letter from Arizona to People of Faith Around the Country

Context
As people of faith we have to ask ourselves, how are we responding and how does our faith call us to action in the ongoing struggle for justice and immigrant rights? The passage of SB 1070 has brought national attention to Arizona's longstanding climate of racial profiling, law enforcement impunity, and criminalization of immigrants and workers. What happens in Arizona will have profound implications all over the country. The next several months are critical for continuing to build resistance on the local, state, and federal levels.

Freedom Summer
Many organizations throughout Arizona and on a National level are calling for a Freedom Summer in the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement wherein people from all over the country went to the South to organize against the intense racism of Jim Crow laws. With the passage of SB 1070 we are in a similar position and Arizona has become the epicenter of the Immigrant Rights Movement.

There is a general statewide strategy in which all agree on the importance of voter registration, community education, continued mobilizations and actions, building the Arizona boycott and the injunction of SB 1070. However, it is our responsibility to create a structure and frame for the Arizona Freedom Summer which will manifest itself differently for people of faith.

Faith Communities Involvement
Faith communities have the opportunity to be involved in several different ways. They may hold continuous solidarity actions and vigils throughout their state. In addition, there is also the opportunity of coming down to Arizona and connecting with the organizations and faith communities who are already organizing against SB 1070 in our state.

Organize from Your Home State
Keeping immigration on the national agenda will require continued organizing throughout the country with special attention to those states introducing copy cat legislation.

Going to Arizona
As the summer-long national battle regarding immigration continues to heat up, Arizona welcomes all who are willing to join the movement on the ground to organize against SB 1070. Many organizations and faith communities are looking for support this summer. See Volunteers Needed

Strategies and Tactics on a National Level
• Hold vigils and solidarity actions, especially around the date of July 29 when the law takes effect
• Organize for support from Conferences and Associations around teh country (several UCC Conferences have already taken a position against SB 1070)
• Educate the community through visiting various congregations, forums, workshops, training the trainer and guest preaching
• Seek commitment from faith communities for non-compliance to SB 1070 to guarantee a safe space for all people in our places of worship
• Do outreach to congregations, especially with Latino or immigrant populations
• Present “Know Your Rights” trainings for vulnerable populations
• Mobilize against specific identified political and economic targets
• Do voter registration in key districts
• Participate in the boycott
• Hold actions at Diamond Back baseball games or other Arizona related targets
• Organize to get a city resolution against SB 1070

National Action for July 29th
On July 29th the SB 1070 will become law unless the injunction is taken up beforehand which is not likely. Various organizations are calling for a National Action on July 29th that will include massive mobilizations and possible civil disobedience. It would be a powerful display to bring a massive number of faith leaders to the streets for this action, either in Arizona or around the nation.

Logistics on Housing and Border Education
For all those faith leaders and volunteers who are willing to come for a given length of time or for the National Action on July 29th, our Arizona faith communities are committed to helping provide housing and hospitality. In addition, some of the churches and organizations that do border education are willing to take delegations of faith leaders to help broaden the base knowledge around border issues and immigration. See Volunteers Needed.