Workshop Announcement: April 27, Finding the Words to Shift the Paradigm
Language matters: They are Abductions (not arrests), Renditions (not deportations), Refoulements (not removals). And the Terrorists? Trump & Co & ICE. Disappearing people = a Crime Against Humanity.
When Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) called out the actions of Trump & Co and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for what they truly are:
Extra-judicial abductions and renditions of fathers and sons to a black-site concentration camp in El Salvador, where people go in and never come out.
And when conservative Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee, made clear that Trump & Co are acting outside the rule of law, writing:
The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order… shocking not only to judges but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans, far removed from courthouses, still hold dear.
They signaled to me and mi hermana de alma, Dora Rodriguez, co-founder of the Hope Knows No Borders Book Club & Webinar Series, that the paradigm of scapegoating, fearmongering, and hate that has polluted US group-think for too long may finally be shifting; that US residents, documented and not, may finally be ready to recognize the specter of Fascism nipping at their heels and to commit to fighting back against it.
But how? That is the one consistent and enduring question that Dora and I are asked at every speaking engagement, book club meet-up, workshop, webinar, training, or dinner confab among neighbors, family, and friends:
How do we stand up to anti-immigrant propaganda and disinformation machine?
For us, one answer lies in the mighty sword of language, for words influence thought. Another is in the transformative power of storytelling, for tales of humanity remind us that we all share the same core desires and values, no matter our color, creed, or the coincidence of our birth. Finally, it’s about communicating a vision of a world we all aspire to live in: a world in which we all feel safe.
To meet the urgency of this moment head-on, Dora and I are convening an urgent, hands-on Zoom workshop:
— April 27, 2025
— 2:30-4:00 pm ET
Feel free to spread the word. Everyone is invited to attend.
Sarah will discuss how her word and phrasing choices, as well as her storytelling point of view, evolved and became more human-centered in the process of writing her book, Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands. She will do this through a group examination of two selected chapters (see below).
She will share what she learned from her messaging guru, Anat Shenker-Osorio, about how to combat lies and misinformation with a values-villains-vision narrative.
She will also provide examples from her seven-month, 80-event speaking tour across the US, during which she moved audiences past slogans and deceptive talking points to a deeper understanding of the issue, and illustrated how our casual use of language perpetuates the tropes, thus contributing to the disinformation machine.
Dora will speak from her deep well of frontline experiences, supporting the impacted; interacting with their families as well as MAGA militia members and Border Patrol agents and officials; educating faith- and community-based organizations, her Fox News-addled neighbors, and audiences living well beyond the borderland’s 100-mile militarized policing zone, where everyone’s Fourth Amendment rights are compromised, but especially if you’re a person of color.
She will endow us with her sage wisdom gained from a lifetime of encounters across boundaries of geography, belief systems, and politics.
We invite you to bring your examples of…
Trying to get through to your brainwashed uncle/mother/nephew/sister-in-law/neighbor (you fill in the blank);
Wanting to be a better bystander when a random bully took aim without cause;
Standing up for human rights only to get doxxed, ghosted, and/or vilified for it;
And on, and on, and on…
Dora and Sarah will open their respective toolkits to arm participants with non-violent resources to confront today’s paradigm of “criminal-alien-invaders-and-perverts-coming-for-your-wives-and-your-jobs” with language that puts humanity and shared values at the center of our discourse — for that is what holds the power to touch hearts and change minds.
Workshop pre-reading:
From Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands*
Chapter 15: Collateral Damage
Chapter 32: Locked In
*Still need a physical copy of Crossing the Line? First, try your local bookstore, library, or favorite online retailer. If they are out of stock, no fear! Contact Sarah or Dora directly. They can help you to obtain a copy.
