Ushu Mukelo shared an Ethiopian Amharic proverb with an audience of about 100 people at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton on Monday.
"They say ‘when the webs of a spider join, they can trap a lion'," he said. "Tonight, we stand as a web woven together by love and justice, stronger than any policy that seeks to divide us."
Ushu was one of three community members who shared their story of migration to the Electric City during a prayer vigil for immigrants and refugees. A group of faith-based groups organized the service.
On Monday, Presidents’ Day, bitterly cold temperatures did not stop hundreds of people from taking part in a day of protest and prayer in Northeast Pennsylvania.
They were among thousands who participated in demonstrations nationwide, as The Associated Press pointed out, with protesters shouting “No kings on Presidents Day” in some cities.
In Luzerne County, Geisinger Wyoming Valley nurses walked picket lines for better staffing, pay, healthcare and workplace safety. Separately, Action Together NEPA organized a protest in Wilkes-Barre to motivate Pennsylvanians to take action against Project 2025 from the local level.
Project 2025 is a 900-page guide to reorganizing the federal government under a conservative agenda. It calls for drastic cuts to federal funding, including eliminating the Department of Education, and to crack down on illegal immigration.
About 200 people walked from Wilkes-Barre City Hall to the Luzerne County Courthouse. Organizers held signs with “Dismantle the Oligarchy” and chanted slogans like “Trans rights are human rights” and “Immigrants are welcome here, say it loud and say it clear.”
In the evening in Scranton, prayers were said for those immigrant and refugee communities living in fear amid the Trump Administration’s immigration sweeps.
“In recent weeks, our community has been shadowed by anxiety and fear, yet tonight, we come together to reaffirm a commitment to compassion,” said Alejandra Marroquin, an IHM (Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) associate who led the vigil.
Not 'going back' in Wilkes-Barre
Kurtis Lisi, a volunteer with 50501 Movement, said their mission is to protect the U.S. Constitution and democracy by limiting executive overreach.
“There's been a lot of abuse of power and being above the law from the presidency, including [from] his shadow president, Elon Musk, that we're looking to reduce and, in fact, eliminate,” said Lisi.
Action Together NEPA, a grassroots progressive organization, held protests in Wilkes-Barre, Bloomsburg and Lewisburg as part of the 50501 Movement – which stands for "50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement,” according to NPR. Kayla Johnson, a local organizer with 50501, worked with Action Together on the protests.
Those who addressed the crowd shared personal experiences of how they believe Project 2025’s proposals, if enacted, would destroy their communities.
One speaker said she fears for her transgender daughter’s safety and access to gender-affirming treatment. She was barely able to get out the words over her tears.
Berwick resident Jeff Grieswood, a self-described Reagan Republican, said Project 2025 shows that the current Republican Party is not “constitutional.”
Hazleton Area teacher David Dominguez told the crowd outside the courthouse that on Election Day this November, he saw a group of elderly women crying at the polls. He asked them why they were crying.
“Because they're fighting and voting for the same issues” they fought years ago, he said.
The crowd erupted “won’t go back.”
“In the Hispanic community, whether you're a citizen, whether you're undocumented, or whether you're a permanent resident, there's fears because of being wrongfully detained,” said Dominguez. “[Hispanics] have to surround [themselves] with their passports, their social security numbers – and even then – that might not be enough for the officer detaining whoever they want.”
Jessica Brittain, Action Together’s Communications Director, is pushing people to fight back against the Trump Administration’s orders.
“Our neighbors who, whether they've been here for six months or 30 years, are terrified about their family and their communities. We need to have their back too. Immigrants are welcome here, all immigrants,” said Brittain. “And then it's going to take all the white people standing up and saying that we have their back.”
Speaker Michelle Rothenbecker added that she worries that the Trump Administration will eliminate Medicare and Social Security. She said the programs saved her mother’s life from cancer.
Organizers told protestors in Wilkes-Barre to fight Project 2025 by calling out their local elected officials by phone and on social media for failing to live up to promises to the public.
'Standing together' in Lackawanna County
The vigil in Scranton began on Lackawanna County Courthouse Square. The group processed to St. Luke’s about a block away as the sun went down.
IHM Sister Donna Korba burned incense both at the courthouse and inside the church from Chichicastenango, Guatemala. She spent time in the Central American country and said the incense is burned during religious ceremonies and was used by the indigenous Mayan people.
The religious leaders from Catholic Churches, Jewish Temples and the Islamic Center of Scranton shared a common message.
"The United States has served as a refuge for the oppressed — your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Our nation of immigrants has been a source of national pride and a moral beacon to other nations," said Rabbi Marjorie Berman.
They pointed to passages in the Bible, as did many of the signs held by those in the crowd.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
"I just want to remind us that anyone who is not from a First Nation in this crowd ... we are all resident aliens on this land. So we need to remember where we came from, ourselves or our parents or our grandparents or our great-great-grandparents,” Berman said.
Inside the church, Wenceslao De La Cruz, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, shared his story from the podium.
De La Cruz and his wife left the Caribbean nation to give their children better opportunities. Their son and daughter are now both studying at the University of Scranton.
De La Cruz helps the Spanish community at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. He says some are no longer coming to church because they are afraid to walk out on the streets.
“This made me very sad," he said, sharing that he feels like part of that group.
“It is something that is harmful and shameful for our community," he said.
Mukelo, meanwhile, came to the United States in 2015 through the country’s refugee resettlement program. His family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo because of the civil war. They spent many years in a refugee camp in Uganda.
He is now a U.S. citizen.
"This was not an easy journey, or one that anyone takes up lightly," he said.
Mukelo mentioned passages from the Bible, the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita that call for compassion and mercy.
"Many call this nation a Christian country, but where is the faith when we turn away those seeking refuge, where is the compassion? When families are torn apart?” he asked.
Mukelo finished speaking by drawing on that Ethiopian proverb.
"Let us weave our web together, strong enough to hold each other, strong enough to stand against injustice. May we continue to stand to struggle against injustice, to welcome those who need us most," he said.
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