Episode 11: Sanctuary & Solidarity, Denver, CO

Host Taylor shares an interview with Arturo Hernandez Garcia from July 2015, on his last day living in sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church in Denver, CO. He shares his story of living for years in the U.S. and raising a family here before being threatened with deportation under Obama. In the years since this conversation, he had been targeted again by ICE and clearly cannot be reached now for a follow up for this show. Instead, we return to Jennifer Piper, who in 2015 interpreted the interview with Arturo. She was then working with the sanctuary movement in Denver and she now continues other work supporting immigrant rights with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

In the final part of the show, Taylor talks with Arnie Carter, one of the team of volunteers who have worked in solidarity with immigrant leaders in Colorado in the sanctuary movement, and a member of the First Unitarian Church where Arturo was staying in 2015. Discussions include history of immigration policy through the most recent U.S. administrations, advice for activists hoping to support the movement under Biden, personal stories, ways to be part of the immigrant rights movement where you live, and more.

Find a full transcript of the episode here.

For more information on the stories and projects discussed, check out the links below:

*Info and articles about Arturo: https://www.afsc.org/arturo

*Denver Post article about 2019 deportation: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/05/arturo-hernandez-garcia-deportation-colorado/

*Info about Colorado’s Sanctuary movement: https://www.afsc.org/ColoradoSanctuary

*TIME profile on Jeanette Vizguerra: https://time.com/collection/2017-time-100/4736271/jeanette-vizguerra/