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Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, a Louisville Christian writer and activist, launched The Resistance Prays, a daily devotional for progressive Christians. Graves-Fitzsimmons is listed as a faith leader to watch this year by Center for American Progress and will be releasing a book in 2020 called "Just Faith." Nov. 22, 2019(Photo: Alton Strupp/Courier Journal)

With 2020 on the horizon, the Courier Journal peppered questions on a number of influential Kentuckians for their view on the new years priorities, opportunities and challenges. This is the secondin the series.

Christian writer and activist Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons has made Louisville home.

A Texas-native,Graves-Fitzsimmons and his now-husband moved to Louisville in 2016, just before the presidential election. To sort through the chaos post-election,Graves-Fitzsimmons created a daily, online Christian devotionalcalled"The Resistance Prays."

The free, uplifting newsletter has thousands of followers and gets new subscribers every day. The goal? To equip progressive Christians with theology and prayer in their activism.Graves-Fitzsimmons wants to dispel the false stereotype that all Christians are conservatives.

"I was wanting a spiritual resource to get me through the crazy political landscape and the everyday barrage of attacks on every kind of person who wasn't a white, Christian, conservative person,"Graves-Fitzsimmonssaid of creating "The Resistance Prays."

He was inspired byresistance efforts, likethe women's and climate marches, and was desperate tofind the people who were praying and acting,he said.

"I hated how in regard to gun violence, Republicans would say 'thoughts and prayers' and Democrats would say 'we need action, not prayers,'"Graves-Fitzsimmons said. "It's a false divide. I think we need both. Prayer and action."

Now, his work is inspiring Christians and the LGBTQ community all over the country.Since starting the daily devotional, people often reach out to say "I had no idea there were other people like me."

Graves-Fitzsimmons has degrees from American University and Union Theological Seminary. He's worked in the White House, in churches and nonprofits, has written several op-edsfor CNN and the Washington Postand has been listed asa faith leader to watch in 2020by the Center for American Progress.

At Highland Baptist Church,Graves-Fitzsimmons leads a weekly study group with local church members. Lately he's been discussing with the grouphis new book, coming out in 2020, called"Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity."

"The point of my book is to encourage Christians to be loud and stand up against the hate that's being used in the name of God," he said.

A sober safe space: Louisville straight edge scene is hardcore music, not hardcore drinking

We caught up with Graves-Fitzsimmons to learn more about his work, his vision for Louisville and what to expect from him in 2020.

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons:My priority for 2020 is to try my best to follow the example of Jesus Christ and co-create the kingdom of God here in Louisville, in our nationand in our world. The most pressing moral concern for our nation in 2020 is defeating President Donald Trump. And second to that is defeating Sen. Mitch McConnell. Trump and McConnell seek to enrich the wealthy, demonize immigrants, deny the image of God in LGBTQ people, deny access to health careand profit off climate destruction. They fail to live up to the most basic understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

Graves-Fitzsimmons:Conservative Christians in Louisville have twisted the Gospel to serve their own agenda of greed, bigotry, and power. Would Jesus build a wall? How would Jesus react to climate change? Who did Jesus exclude? These basic questions are ignored because they can't be answered with Republican talking points. The biggest obstacle to change is conservative Christians have become accustomed to controlling the narrative about Christianity in public life. That's going to change, but they won't give up without a fight.

Read more: A Louisville mom couldn't find a Christmas story about a brown boy. So she wrote her own

Graves-Fitzsimmons:I'm deeply inspired by our city's commitment to religious pluralism. We're not just committed to religious freedom for all, but put that belief into practice by fostering a sense of appreciation for what other religions bring to our city. At a time when we're witnessing a rise in hate crimes and far-right violence targeting religious minorities, Lousiville's compassion and inclusive policies are a beacon of hope.

Graves-Fitzsimmons:I created the "Resistance Prays" to equip progressive Christians to spiritually and politicallydefeat Trumpism. After the election of Donald Trump, I witnessed so many Christians putting their faith into action by resisting the white nationalism and anti-Christian policies of the Trump administration. Several of our writers and many of our readers are in the Louisville area, and we will be continuing to follow Jesus by standing up for social justice and the common good in 2020.

You may like: This Louisville woman's tea shop will be an LGBTQ space for black and sober people

Graves-Fitzsimmons:There is a long tradition of progressive Christianity in the United States. Christians have been active in the movements for racial justice, immigration reform, reproductive rights, LGBTQ equality, global peace, and caring for the environment (just to name a few). Sadly, most of what we hear about Christians today in the public square is conservatives making excuses for Trump's immoral agenda. Don't get me wrong: Louisville has its share of fundamentalists. But we also have thousands upon thousands of Christians in this city who support social and economic justice. Organizing and equipping progressive Christians will help us reclaim the narrative of what it means to follow Jesus.

Graves-Fitzsimmons:"Just Faith" is my love letter to progressive Christians. As I've traveled across the country, I've met so many Christians who say a version of "I'm a Christian, but not that kind." We are so tired of conservatives betraying the message of love and radical inclusion that Jesus preached. My book offers a word of encouragement by reminding us of our bold tradition, explaining how we ended up in such a bad situation, and offering a hopeful vision of "Christianity" not being synonymous with "conservative" any longer.

Reach culture and diversity reporter Savannah Eadens at seadens@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at@savannaheadens.

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This nationally recognized LGBTQ faith leader to watch for in 2020 is based in Louisville - Courier Journal

Photo Courtesy IBIC

On Thursday, Dec.13, the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition (IBIC), the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, World Business Chicago and a few others co-hosted a convening on the 2020 Census efforts with Chicago business leaders. In attendance wereGov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who shared the work that is underway that aims to secure a complete count in Illinois and offer opportunities for collaboration and support.

The IBIC is an organization that promotes and supports sensible immigration reform to ensure the economic recovery of the state of Illinois.

Rebecca Shi, executive director of the IBIC and City of Chicago Complete Count Committee Member, said that all communities all have a stake in ensuring the complete census count, including the business, immigrant communities and communities of color.

Not only does the census determine the allocation of $800 billion in federal resources, [but] it also helps businesses decide where to set up shop and understand the changing face of consumers and informs the flow of almost $4 trillion in private investment annually, said Shi.

Shi thanked Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot for their leadership in making sure there was a vast share of stakeholders in ensuring that communities get counted.

In another statement, Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal President and Illinois Business Immigration Coalition Co-Chair said that addressing the barriers in hard-to-reach communities in the city, which is comprised of 20 percent of the population, is necessary in order to meet the goal to count 75 percent of the residents.

This requires that all Chicagoans and Illinoisans come together to combat the mistrust and fear of the government prevalent among marginalized communities that [result] in them being undercounted, he added. I believe that business owners and employers have a unique opportunity to lead this work in places of employment by partnering with our elected officials and other community leaders to dispel confusion and misinformation about census data, and spread the message that participating in the census is safe, easy, and vitally important.

Senator Billy Lawless, Senator of the Irish Senate, Chicago Restaurant Owner, and IBICSteering Committee Member said that he knows first-hand the importance of making sure every person gets counted in the census.

Businesses like mine use census data to make operational and marketing decisions, and politicians use the data to help direct billions of dollars in federal aid and draw legislative districts. I am happy that the leadership in Illinois is taking this seriously and committed to making sure that every person is counted no matter their country of origin, job title, income, or any other superficial factor.

The convening also included remarks from Cook County Commissioner Stanely Moore, 4th District, and Chairman of the Cook County Census Commission; Alderman Ariel Reboyras, 30th Ward, and Chair of the Special Legislative Committee on the Census; Marilyn Sanders, Regional Director of the U.S. Census Bureau; Michael Fassnacht, President and CEO of FCB Chicago; and Andy Zopp, President and CEO of World Business Chicago.

For information and help with the census, you can visit the Census Bureaus websitewww.census.gov.

See the rest here:
The Illinois Business Immigration Coalition co-hosts a Census 2020 convening - The Gate News

Democratic lawmakers announced broad legislation on Tuesday aiming to decriminalize migration and disrupt the prison-to-deportation pipeline.

The New Way Forward Act from Rep. Jess Chuy Garca (D-Ill.) co-sponsored by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and dozens more aims to correct racial and anti-immigrant injustices embedded in our immigration laws, per a release from Garcas team.

The package includes a slew of proposed legislation to overhaul the immigration system, including ending mandatory immigration detention, generally blocking local police from engaging in immigration enforcement and decriminalizing border crossings.

It would also seek to disrupt laws that broadly make involvement in the criminal justice system a threat to immigrants status in the U.S. namely by ending automatic deportation proceedings for people whove had certain convictions or other contact with the criminal legal system.

We must end the labels of the good versus bad immigrant used to dehumanize and divide communities, Garca said in the release. An attack on one community is an affront to us all.

Its time to end the criminalization of immigration, reads the release.

The new legislation would decriminalize border crossings, a contentious issue among Democrats in recent years. It would repeal sections 1325 and 1326 of U.S. federal immigration law code, which make it a criminal, not civil, offense for someone to enter the U.S. outside official ports of entry or reenter after being deported.

Under the guise of section 1325 of the U.S. code, President Donald Trumps administration notoriously separated thousands of migrant children from their parents at the border in 2018.

The new package also attempts to undo some of the 1996 Clinton-era laws that added more severe punishment for immigrants who violate U.S. immigration or other criminal laws.

The 1996 laws notably removed much of judges discretion in immigration proceedings for people with previous criminal convictions for instance, green card holders (or permanent residents) are subject to mandatory deportationfor many convictions that occur within seven years of their being in the U.S.

The new legislation would allow immigration judges to exercise discretion in cases, for instance, on humanitarian grounds. It would also stop summary or automatic removal procedures for immigrants based on prior criminal convictions, ensuring them a shot at a fair day in court.

An explainer on the new proposalspoints to how immigration reform is connected to racial and criminal justice issues. Law enforcement practices like stop-and-frisk and traffic stops have been shown to disproportionately target people of color.

Convictions, often steeped in racial profiling, should not lead to deportation, the explainer reads.

The explainer details the case of Howard Bailey, who came to the U.S. from Jamaica at age 17 as a lawful permanent resident with his mom, a U.S. citizen. After serving in the Navy, he was later convicted of a first-time drug offense in 1995 and pleaded guilty on the advice of his lawyer. A decade later, as a father of two who had started two small businesses, Bailey applied to become a U.S. citizen. In 2010, his application was denied and Immigration and Customs Enforcement came to his home and detained him. He was eventually deported to Jamaica, a country he hadnt been to in 24 years, and remains there to this day.

The proposed legislation would create a statute of limitations for removals based on past behavior meaning the government could not start deportation proceedings based on criminal conduct that made someone removable more than five years earlier.

It would also limit ICEs power to detain immigrants for the duration of their deportation proceedings by adopting presumption of liberty for all immigrants, as well as by requiring the government to establish probable cause within 48 hours of a persons detention and ensure they have a bond hearing.

The legislation would notably block local law enforcement from broadly partnering with ICE in its enforcement of federal immigration laws, including having to share information on detainees.

And under the new legislation, people previously ordered deported, like Bailey, would be able to apply to return to the U.S. if they can show they would not have been deported under the terms of the new laws.

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Democrats Introduce Sweeping Plan To 'End The Criminalization Of Immigration' - HuffPost

Review of: Michelle Malkin, Open Borders Inc.: Whos Funding Americas Destruction (Washington,DC: Regnery Publishing, 2019).

Conservative pundit Michelle Malkins latest book is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the forces and interests behind the open borders and mass migration lobby. Open Borders Inc. is a scathing indictment of this irresponsible and dangerous lobby, and exposes it as a corrupt racket aiming to undermine the United States and other Western nations by making borders irrelevant and encouraging and facilitating massive and unsustainable levels of migration.

Malkins left-wing critics frequently label her (andpretty much anyone who supports common-sense pro-American immigration reform)as anti-immigrant. In fact, she is the daughter of legal immigrants from thePhilippines, who inculcated in her an attitude of gratitude the antithesisof the toxic defiance, arrogance, and resentment that typifies the newgeneration of open-borders beneficiaries, such as Somali-born MinnesotaCongresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who is just one example. As opposed to herdetractors, Malkin believes in immigration policies that benefit the Americanpeople and respect our borders and national sovereignty. Open Borders Inc.has a very different vision, however.

The book dispels the illusion promoted by themainstream media and pro-mass-migration activists that the Central Americanmigrant caravans and the great waves of Muslim migrants pouring into Europe area largely spontaneous response to gang violence, war, and poverty. The reality,Malkin demonstrates, is that there are entire networks of people who encourage,organize, transport, feed, guide, smuggle, and otherwise facilitate these vastarmies of migrants. Much of this is driven by virtue signaling, utopianopen-borders zealotry, and, yes, also genuine compassion, but Open Borders Inc. shows that the entireenterprise is also big business.

Malkin does not mince words about the main mover andpusher funding the migrations to America and Europe: Its not a conspiracytheory. Its a conspiracy truth. Hungarian-bornbillionaire George Soros is the mastermind of mass-migration chaos. He is thecenter of the globalist galaxy, and its central financier. Furthermore,while the globalist left-wing multi-billionaire can plausibly deny directly subsidizing any specific orsingle caravan attempting to violate our borders, his elaborate network ofnonprofit grantees and sub-grantees around the world serve as advocates,activists, organizers, lawyers, and enablers for illegal alien and refugeeinfluxes. Between 1997 and 2013, his Open Society Foundations spent more than$100 million on immigrant rights, and in 2017 Soros transferred $18 billion of his wealth to the OSFs.

Why is Soros so committed to this cause? The reason isthat he like much of the globalist establishment in the West sees nationalsovereignty and borders as obstacles to some global system of politicaldecision-making () to stabilize and regulate a truly global economy and thepursuit of the common interest. The sovereignty of states, according toSoros, must be subordinated to international law and internationalinstitutions.

Other chapters of the book focus on topics such as:the Abolish ICE movement, which seeks open borders and views mass illegalimmigration as a way to decolonize America; the thugs and anarchists ofAntifa (self-described anti-fascists who often resort to violence andintimidation in pursuit of their radical agenda kind of like actualfascists); the Southern Poverty Law Center, which rakes in millions whilebranding any right-of-center individuals or organizations includingpro-American immigration reformers such as FAIR hate organizations; and thehypocrisy of the Hollywood elites who preach about the alleged morality of openborders and mass migration while simultaneously living comfortably and securelybehind walls and protected by armedsecurity.

Malkin also provides useful indices ofSoros-affiliated NGOs, a list of 60 Jihadis/terrorists who originally came tothe U.S. as refugees, and sanctuary jurisdictions. While the chapters may atfirst seem to jump from subject to subject, the reader will see that they formpart of a larger coherent whole. If you have friends or family who are on thefence about immigration, Open BordersInc. may be a great Christmas present for them.

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Michelle Malkin exposes Soros and the globalist mass-migration racket - ImmigrationReform.com

This Saturday marks the seventh anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. In Eugene, community members will hold a remembrance vigil and peace rally for issues impacting youth.

The names and biographies of 20 children and six staff members who were murdered in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting will be read during the vigil.

The event will be held by Peace For Our Children, a group founded by Pastor Fred Lydum with Asbury United Methodist Church, and Jan Osoinach Smith. Smith said it is important to remind the public of these incidences so we dont see more victims.

We see incidences of gun violence almost on a daily basis in our country, said Smith. And people say, Oh, we're so sad. We're sending you our prayers. We're so sorry for your loss. But nothing is changed to prevent further acts of violence.

The vigil will also honor the following victims and survivors of recent acts of violence in Oregon.

Five Violent Incidences of Oregon in Recent History:

Smith said the large amount of gun violence doesnt have to happen.

If we can change our culture and we can decide we're not willing to accept this as the reality of today and tomorrowwe [can] vote [against] people who make these rules and laws and make these decisions, said Smith.

Although the event focuses on gun violence, it will also will address social issues that will impact the next generation.

It's our choice how we're going to leave this planet for the next generation and if we continue to live the way we're living right now, then the planet is not going to be livable for very much longer, said Smith.

After the vigil, government officials and local activists will give speeches to promote gun safety, immigration reform, and climate justice. Speakers include Mayor Lucy Vinis of Eugene, Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle, Oregon State Senator James Manning, Patty Hine from 350 Eugene, and Lex Worden with Sunrise Eugene.

Smith said if the country truly cares about freedom and human rights, people need to express these concerns to their lawmakers.

We don't want children to be treated like criminals when they come across the American border, said Smith. They're fleeing war-torn countries and drug cartels. They're coming here because their lives are in danger in their countries and we're treating them as criminals when we've all come here from an immigrant past.

The goal of the rally is to draw attention to issues not just in the United States, but worldwide.

We already have a lot of species of plants and animals that have gone extinct or on the brink of becoming extinct, and if we don't do things to protect these living plants and animals, then the world is going to change in a way that is not for the better, said Smith.

Smith said people need to take action if they want a peaceful and law-abiding society.

Theyre big goals, but if we just sit back and say, We can't do anything, then nothing's going to change, said Smith.

The rally will be held Saturday at noon at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza.

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Remembrance Vigil and Peace Rally for Sandy Hook Victims and Youth Issues - KLCC FM Public Radio