Speech on immigration raids wins college's annual peace oratorical contest
Monday, February 9, 2009
Goshen College Online
GOSHEN, Ind. – Analisa Gerig-Sickles, a Goshen College senior elementary education major from West Branch, Iowa, won first place with her speech "No Mas Redadas" during the college's annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest on Feb. 3. She was one of six Goshen College students from a variety of disciplines who spoke about peace and justice issues during the competition.
By winning the contest, Gerig-Sickles received $150 and the opportunity to compete in the U.S./Canada Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. The runner-up was Isaac Yoder-Schrock, a first-year physics major from Moundridge, Kan., who received $100 for his speech "National Healthcare, Caring for Others."
In her speech, Gerig-Sickles talked about the impact of work raids on illegal immigrants. She used stories from her experience last summer working with St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa, the site of one of the largest work raids in U.S. history. About 400 workers from the Agriprocessors meat-packing factory were arrested by about 1,000 government agents. At St. Bridget's, she helped people affected by the raids with financial, physical, spiritual, legal and emotional support.
Gerig-Sickles told vivid stories that people affected had told her to convey the inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants by government officials. "During the raid many people were maltreated. One woman who was hiding under a pile of boxes was yanked out and slapped across the face," she said. "Hundreds of workers suspected to be illegal immigrants ... were loaded in vans and taken to the National Cattle Congress facility, a place normally used to exhibit cows."
By putting a face on the immigration issue, Gerig-Sickles hoped to encourage people to speak out against raids. "No matter how you feel about immigration and how our country deals with it politically or socially, I hope that you can feel compassion for the people and families affected by this raid," Gerig-Sickles said. "I encourage you to contact your senators and representatives and to spread the word that you do not support raids."
http://www.goshen.edu/news/pressarchive/02-09-09-smith-winner222.html
