North Carolina Churches Join DREAM Sabbath to Focus on Plight of Undocumented Students

Miguel Campos, left and Eduardo Rodriguez hold signs in support of Fresno State Student Body President Pedro Ramirez who spoke to hundreds of students and faculty about getting the Dream Act passed by Congress Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 in Fresno, Calif. in the Free Speech area of the university. Ramirez was recently outted as being undocumented and could now face deportation. The legislation would grant undocumented students who were brought into the United States as minors by their parents a path to citizenship through higher education or military service. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) (AP)

It's dubbed DREAM Sabbath 2011.

It is a nationwide campaign to draw attention to the difficulties faced by undocumented youth when they try to attend college, which often is cost-prohibitive for them because they are at times charged out-of-state tuition.

Ten North Carolina churches are among 300 houses of worship nationwide that are participating in the  campaign.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported the DREAM Sabbath 2011 is named after the DREAM Act, proposed legislation to give such immigrants a way to become legal residents.

The Washington-based advocacy group Interfaith Immigration Coalition is organizing the event and says the churches are participating during September and October.

Among the churches is Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin.

Jane Motsinger, the director of the outreach program at Galloway Memorial, there says young immigrants who would likely qualify for the DREAM Act are being invited to houses of worship to speak about their experiences.

"If we profess to be Christians in this country, and a lot of us do, then it's not enough to talk the talk," Motsinger is quoted as saying in the Winston-Salem Journal. "We feel very strongly that we need to walk the walk, and in doing so follow Jesus where he wants us to go. Sometimes those places are uncomfortable, and sometimes those places are not where we want to go. But he calls us to go anyway, and he commands us to love one another."

This is based on a story by The Associated Press.

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