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Dear John,
Today, June 6th marks 85 years from the day the United States denied entry to a ship carrying over 900 refugees, mostly Jewish, fleeing Nazi Germany. A quarter of them were subsequently killed when they were forced to return to Europe. In the shadow of that anniversary, President Biden has issued an executive order barring asylum to today’s refugees, this time from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, who face persecution from their governments or from people that their governments are unable or unwilling to control.
Like the decision to turn back refugees in 1939, Biden’s decision this week violates the basic human rights and dignity of people seeking shelter from danger. As a San Diegan whose parents survived the horrors of the Holocaust, I know how lucky they were to find safe haven in the U.S., and I am presently reminded of what’s at stake for those seeking asylum.
The well established human right to seek asylum is sacred — it is the promise we make to each other as human beings to answer the doorknock when someone flees danger in search of safety. As a board member, I was extremely proud that Alliance San Diego partnered with the Southern Border Communities Coalition to issue a statement [[link removed]] calling on the President to center dignity in decisions about the asylum process and lift the ban. This is how we build collective power, the cornerstone to creating an inclusive democracy.
For the refugees on that ship in 1939 and at our borders now, asylum is a matter of life and death. The way we treat those asylum seekers has everything to do with how we recognize and protect human dignity. We all play a critical role in honoring each other’s dignity. For government officials, at every level of our democracy, that role is to adopt policies that recognize and protect our human rights. For those of us outside of government, our role is to elevate and claim that dignity until there are no more exceptions, exclusions, or excuses.
Alliance San Diego is hard at work helping people claim their own dignity. Through our signature ‘Start With Dignity’ workshops, we provide tools, resources, and language to uplift dignity and protect human rights. We train hearts and minds to proudly assert our collective humanity and we develop leaders to advocate for change. We push back on blatant attempts at dehumanization, like asylum bans that put families at grave risk, just as my family would have faced had they not been allowed to seek safety here. Today, I invite you to join us as we strengthen our call to start with dignity. Your donation can help us train more people, build more power, and deepen the ways dignity shows up in our lives, our communities, and our democracy. [[link removed]]
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Your partner in change,
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Vivienne Esrig
Board Treasurer, Alliance San Diego
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Alliance San Diego
P.O. Box 12266
San Diego, CA 92112
United States
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