RadioBilingue
By Maribel Hastings
September 14, 2015
The
heretofore unstoppable Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
brands anyone who contradicts him as “stupid” and prides himself that
the terrible things he
says are things that many want to say but do not dare. His arrogance
and rhetoric have made him an idol for the 30 percent of the Republican
Party that hopes that Trump, like an Etch-a-Sketch, will be able to
magically erase the demographic changes that have
altered the physical and electoral face of the United States.
And
so far, the fear and the hesitation that has been the response of the
Republican Party and the other Republican candidates to Trump, with the
possible exception of
Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham who have pushed back minimally, have fueled
the businessman who has altered forecasts and strategies in both
political parties.
Trump
has insulted Mexicans, immigrants, Spanish-speakers, women, veterans,
Hispanic reporters like Jorge Ramos and José Díaz-Balart, and everyone
he considers inferior
to his “greatness.” His rhetoric has emboldened certain prejudiced
sectors of our society and his incendiary rhetoric has the potential to
incite violence – which it has already done.
This
whole soap opera is unfolding in the context of the forthcoming visit
of Pope Francis to the United States, a Pope who represents everything
that Trump does not:
humility and compassion.
Immigrants,
their supporters, and the few politicians who have dared to confront
loudmouth Trump, see in this visit of Pope Francis to Washington, D.C.,
New York, and
Philadelphia the possibility that an ecclesiastical authority will step
up to Trump, albeit indirectly, with lessons of humanity and
compassion, regardless of the religion Trump claims, which is open to
debate, though he assures us he’s a Presbyterian. Many
of those who follow Trump are the types of Christians that “talk the
talk but don’t walk the walk.” They sing religious songs, but trample
biblical teachings at every opportunity.
On
September 15, from the York Detention Center in Pennsylvania, more than
150 women, immigrants and activists from diverse organizations and
local, state and national
campaigns will begin the Pilgrimage of 100 Women, 100 Miles which will
culminate on September 22 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The same day they will hold a
vigil and a procession from the Basilica
to the Capitol Reflecting Pool; and on September 23 there will be a
pilgrimage to the Ellipse during the White House welcome reception for
Pope Francis. Among the participating organizations and campaigns are We
Belong Together, Not1More, CASA de Maryland,
SEIU, AFL-CIO, PICO, and the DC Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
One
of the pilgrims is Juana Flores, deputy director of the organization
Mujeres Unidas y Activas in San Francisco, a group that assists domestic
workers and victims of
domestic violence. Juana was a nun in Mexico and in 1979 she was in
charge of preparing meals for Pope John Paul II during his visit to
Oaxaca, Mexico. Over time, Juana left the convent and later traveled
without documentation to the United States with her
children. She was married here and naturalized and is now a citizen.
But she experienced many bitter moments, like many immigrants who are
waiting for a permanent solution to their immigration limbo still do
today.
In Pope Francis’s visit and the pilgrimage, Juana sees hope.
“Pope
Francisco and Mr. Donald Trump are two very distinct parallel lines. We
hope that the messages of humility, peace and compassion that the Pope
preaches and lives
will alleviate some of the pain we are feeling due to everything that
Mr. Trump is saying,” Juana said.
“We
have been deeply humiliated, all of us Latino immigrants, and we hope
that the Pope can counteract the pain we feel. I have hope that the
Pope, as Pastor of the highest
church, will relieve our spiritual pain, but at the same time will put
political pressure and explain to this gentleman (Trump) that what he is
saying is wrong and that he needs to push for the immigration reform we
are waiting for,” Juana said.
Guillermina
Castellanos, founder of La Colectiva de Mujeres (The Women’s
Collective), a group of domestic employees in San Francisco, is another
one of the pilgrims.
“We
have great faith in Pope Francis’s visit. He is paying close attention
to the issue of immigration and especially to the anti-immigrant
discourse of Donald Trump,
which is highly racist. I’m sure he will advocate for all of the women
who participate in the pilgrimage and for our families. He has
encouraged and promoted many changes in such a short time, and has
changed the perspective to see things from the point of
view of humility and charity. As the highest authority he can change
the mindset of those who are anti-immigrant, because he will touch their
hearts as he has done with each one of us,” Guillermina said.
Will Pope Francis’s visit be a salve for the hurtful anti-immigrant rhetoric of Trump? Many hope it will.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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