April 2024 DEI Committee Blog

Title: Reflections and Recap on our Community Conversation with Doug Pagitt, Vote Common Good

Inspired by Doug’s hands-on experience with and regular visits to the border, DEI Leadership asked him to present on the current state of the U.S. - Mexico Border and specifically the impact of Christian Nationalism on the border. Doug Pagitt is one of the founders of Vote Common Good. Doug is an author, pastor, social activist and Executive Director of Vote Common Good. Doug makes frequent national media (MSNBC, Politico, CBS) and speaking appearances. Through efforts like We The People Ride documentary Doug uses his platform to share his firsthand perspective about the communities impacted by current immigration policies.

“We had to find a way to bring other people get close to the border and had to 

find a way to bring other people close to the border because for many… 

the border feels like it is a million miles from home.” 

  - Doug Pagitt 

Doug also educates and dispels misconceptions while advocating for a more humane immigration approach. Doug shared observations and learnings during our conversation: 

• Barriers for asylum seekers such as blockages by law enforcement on entering United States land

• Restrictions and responsibilities of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agents

• Humanizing the impact of the border wall and restrictions on immigration including but not limited to, the number of missing and unidentified individuals and human remain relocation and identification 

• The prohibitive costs related to becoming a U.S. citizen

• How to approach confrontation related to Christian Nationalism

• How voting identities are shaped by years of cultural input and drive our voting habits and choices  

Doug spent time helping us explore the concepts intertwined with our voting identities. For myself, I was immediately taken back to my childhood. I was raised in a home where we watched the news first thing in the morning and during dinner - every day. A home where current events were springboards for informed and deep debate and conversation. When it was time to register to vote I was incredibly empowered to register with the political party that I felt most represented my political interests. Today, I’m not as confident that I could make a choice so easily. As access to candidates has grown so has the influx of information. Doug reminded us all that staying vigilant and informed is the way forward toward ensuring that our elected officials are a representation of our true interests.  Doug is motivated in his work to dispel blanket negative opinions on the border situation and to bring attention to the impact of policy and harmful rhetoric.  

Hate in all its forms is unacceptable. This event was a community conversation to learn about injustice with dignity and to connect through our common humanity. The series highlights a living program of issues, topics, and perspectives that are raised by our own members. We welcome all WGR members to join our Community Conversations. 

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We welcome all WGR members to join DEI Committee Meetings on the third Tuesday of each month. We will not meet in May - we hope you join us on May 8th and 9th for WGR’s 5th Annual DEI Summit, Register Here. For more information on WGR’s DEI Committee, please reach out to dei.wgr@gmail.com.

Rayven Davis Fugitt authored this month’s blog.