One important lesson that we’ve learned about being a fool in this world is that, in the words of Cornel West, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Fools Mission ’s audacious kinship experiment demonstrates how the power of human connection can often surpass the motivating capacity of big campaigns, email blasts, social media, or any activity that introduces layers of separation between fellow activists. Clarity arrives as a harvest of blessing when we sow seeds of interdependence and interbeing. Advocacy becomes as easy as making the morning coffee.

The sobering realities we experience during our quest for implementation that matches the intent of policy or legislation drives our desire to populate the landscape with many more “fools with a mission” with the ability and desire to create justice within the circle of their personal lives. We seek a collective change of heart that ripples through the world with reverberating consequences.

The Fools Begin with Enrollment Events

In 2011, our fledgling band of fools accessed training for four Latina women who became Certified Application Assistants (CAAs) for public health insurance programs, and throughout 2012 we conducted a series of enrollment events in area churches that focused on the immigrant community. Some disappointing turnouts taught us important lessons about the role of fear when immigrant families try to access public services for themselves and their children. Undocumented immigrants face the risk of deportation each time they come out of the shadows and present themselves in public. We learned that our success depends on community outreach, building trust in the community, and cultivating more deliberate multicultural relationships among ourselves.

Citizen Kids, Undocumented Parents

During our enrollment drives, we learned more about the risks undocumented parents take when they apply for public health insurance — even when the kids are U.S. citizens and eligible for benefits. We assisted a family with their application for California’s Healthy Kids program, and a few days later the family received a letter from the Human Services Agency (HSA) of San Mateo County, requesting additional information about their immigration status. The letter threatened to share any information they might provide with the Department of Homeland Security. Rather than risk tearing the family apart, the parents abandoned the application process immediately, preferring to work longer hours and pay thousands of dollars in medical bills out of pocket.

Fools Mission met with the HSA Director to bring these practices to her attention. The reaction of the staff was incredulous as they reacted with seemingly genuine dismay that such a letter went out under their letterhead. We can pass laws and Constitutional amendments against discrimination, but implementation is left to flawed human institutions. Both bad laws and human flaws can harm children by forcing their families to choose — between food, and rent, rent and health care, or health care and keeping their families together. Until attitudes and immigration laws change, many will resolve their “Devil’s Choice” by hiding from the government. It is for this reason we hope and work for changes not just in laws and regulations, but in the human heart.

Local advocacy for immigrant justice

For years, Fools Mission has partnered with the San Mateo County Coalition for Immigrant Rights (SMCCIR) to advocate for more humane treatment of immigrants. In meetings with the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s office, we jointly argued against the practice of holding immigrants in the County jail longer than necessary, giving ICE time to evaluate the citizenship status of prisoners — a practice that was struck down as unconstitutional by a Federal court in Oregon. The court ruled in in Miranda-Olivares v. Clackamas County that a two-tiered justice system, one for immigrants and one for everyone else, violated Fourth Amendment protections. Subsequently, the Dept. of Homeland Security re-branded their Secure Communities program (SCOMM) as PEP (Priority Enforcement Program). These days, officials in San Mateo County will still notify ICE of release dates, and coordinate with ICE to allow them to detain, and potentially deport, someone who has completed their sentence.

Fools Mission has also appeared at the annual March and Rally for Immigrant Justice in Mountain View, organized by communities of faith. Our message is clear: the American way of life is not possible without immigrants. We respect the dignity of all human beings, including those who come here without papers. Typically, undocumented immigrants come to the U.S. to flee destitution, death threats, or drug lords. Without comprehensive immigration reform that includes a clearly-defined path to citizenship, we will continue to embroil ourselves in controversy, acrimony, and hardship.

Regional advocacy for immigrant justice

Fools Mission has worked in partnership with immigrant advocacy groups in California to organize Immigrant Days in Sacramento to advocate for immigrant-friendly legislation in Sacramento. These meetings with legislators have helped to pass many bills that improved the lives of immigrants, including drivers licenses, streamlined application processes for U-Visas, and Medi-Cal coverage for 170,000 children.

Advocacy for human integrity

Another active community partner is the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI).

Rev. Deborah Lee coordinates IM4HI activities in Northern California, and we are so grateful for her inspired leadership. We have participated in many activities together, including a consciousness-raising bus tour of immigrant communities in San Mateo County, foot washing rituals in San Francisco and Redwood City on Holy Thursday, and the formation of accompaniment teams in Oakland that serve newly-arrived migrant families and unaccompanied children.

Advocacy in Congress

Twice monthly, our round table meets to share stories and make decisions for the group. When people join our circle, they find themselves surrounded by supportive companions who want to hear their stories. Despite the pain of holding unspoken stories inside, months and years can pass before time, confidence, and trust give them expression. In 2013, after our first full year of sharing stories and building relationships, four Latinas met with U.S. Representative Jackie Speier to share personal stories about how deportation affected their families, and to advocate for immigration reform. All four were regular participants in our emerging community of fools. (Editors note: We’re still waiting for immigration reform.)

Housing advocacy

Our advocacy also extends to housing security and renter protections. Many of the fools in our circle have encountered evictions without cause and huge rent increases—some of them in excess of $1,000 per month. Some landlords in San Mateo County have resorted to mass evictions of entire apartment buildings in search of the opportunity to renovate, raise rents, and cater to increasingly gentrified tenants. Some in our community of fools have moved to Central Valley towns like Tracy or Modesto in search of affordable rents, imposing commutes on themselves that are greater than two hours. In partnership with community groups, we advocate for rent control ordinances and to preserve the existing stock of low-income and affordable housing. Signature gathering campaigns have already begun, with the goal of passing ordinances that would enable service workers to live near the communities where they work.