Faith leaders demand justice for the poor at State House vigil

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PROVIDENCE — Representatives of faith congregations across Rhode Island marched on the State House last Wednesday, January 4, to demand just treatment for the poor at the ninth annual Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil.

The vigil, organized annually by the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, gathers members of the state’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu congregations to raise their voices on issues of common concern, including affordable housing, education, healthcare and immigration. This year, accessibility of public transportation was also in the spotlight following policy changes by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

Father John Kiley, ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Providence, joined with Mufti Ikram ul Haq of Masjid Al-Islam, North Smithfield, in offering the opening prayer.

“Oh Lord, we ask you today to bless all elected officials that they might give themselves wholeheartedly to the service of their fellow men and women,” prayed Father Kiley, asking for blessings upon the state’s executive, legislative and judiciary branches.

Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser of Temple Sinai, Cranston, offered the keynote address. In a passionate speech, he called upon those gathered to speak out in defense of the state’s most vulnerable individuals and to demonstrate the common values of their faith traditions before their public officials.

“We are here today, in the rotunda of the State House under its magnificent dome, to remember and to repeat the values upon which the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was founded,” he said. “Today, in this monument to freedom, we offer blessing and prayers to our governor, our lawmakers and public servants. We are proud to show them what we are fighting for.”

Citing the divisive rhetoric of the past year’s political campaigns, Rabbi Goldwasser reminded those present of their common mission and of the need to move forward united with one another.

“Justice is not a zero-sum game in which my group can only gain if another loses,” he said. “Liberty and justice for all means that your suffering is part of my suffering and my suffering is part of your suffering.”

Among other issues, Rabbi Goldwasser discussed the impending changes to RIPTA fares for elderly and disabled bus riders, a topic of immediate concern for many present. In December 2015, RIPTA announced the elimination of a program that had previously offered free bus rides to low-income elderly and disabled riders, replacing the program with a 50 cent fare currently scheduled to take effect on February 1. For many of the low-income individuals present at Wednesday’s vigil, the discounted fare still poses a significant burden.

“It can be close to $100 a month if you ride [the bus] as often as I do. It isn’t right to pick the pockets of 14,000 of the poorest people in the state,” Providence resident Zak Mettger told Rhode Island Catholic following the vigil.

“We’ve worked all our lives and now that we’ve become eligible, they’re going to cut us off. We’ve paid into this for years and years,” added Wendy Thomas, a Providence resident who said her finances were hit hard by the housing crisis and ensuing economic recession and who only recently became eligible for the no-fare bus pass program.

In addition to the RIPTA no-fare bus pass program, many of those in attendance at the vigil expressed concern over the future of immigration policy, in particular the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Established in 2012 by the administration of President Barack Obama, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), allows young adults who were brought to the United States as children to remain in the country for a temporary but renewable period of time in order to pursue an education or career. Though no formal plans have been announced to eliminate DACA, criticisms of the program made by President-elect Donald Trump have led many to anticipate its possible removal during the upcoming administration, a policy shift that would seriously impact immigrant families as well as students on college and university campuses.

Rodrigo Pimentel, a student at the University of Rhode Island, spoke with Rhode Island Catholic following the vigil about his experiences with DACA. The Portuguese native immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 10 months old and grew up in East Providence, where his family attends St. Francis Xavier Church.

“I didn’t know that I was undocumented and mostly lived a normal life until I got to high school and we were getting driver’s licenses,” he said.

Under DACA, Pimentel was able to obtain a driver’s license and enroll at URI. Because Rhode Island is one of 38 states that does not issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, without DACA, he could risk both the revocation of his license and deportation. During the past year, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has expressed support for the provision of driver’s licenses for undocumented individuals, while President Father Brian J. Shanley of Providence College and President Sister Jane Gerety of Salve Regina University have voiced their support for the continuation of DACA.

“DACA allows people who came here through no choice of their own to live a normal life,” said Pimentel, who is pursuing a career in computer science.

Following the keynote address, members of faith communities recited the names of elected officials, asking that they govern with wisdom, care and compassion. Participating in the reading of names were several religious sisters and Angela Howard-McParland, director of the Brown-RISD Catholic Community, which serves students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design.

“It’s just nice to see so many people from diverse faiths come together around poverty,” said Howard-McParland following the ceremony. She added that among the issues discussed, Catholic students on her campuses have expressed particular concern regarding immigration policy.

“Immigration is the one [area] where I talk to people and either they’re concerned or they have friends who are concerned,” she said.