From tariffs to federal job cuts, the Trump administration policy changes may have people concerned about what’s next. WNIJ’s Yvonne Boose talks with a few people who share how they cope during these uncertain times and offer advice for others.
“I'm definitely leaning in on my faith way more than I ever have,” said Rebecca Francis, first lady of the Rockford church Soar Assembly.
Francis is also the owner of Ignite Change Solutions LLC. This consulting firm focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“My company is built on the exact thing that the government is tearing apart,” she said. “And to know that everything you've worked for is going down the drain in one minute, right? You have to trust in something that's much bigger.”
And the something bigger Francis is referring to is God.
Dan Schwerin is the bishop of the northern Illinois/Wisconsin area for the United Methodist Church. He said the administration’s policy changes are causing some community members to experience something that others don’t have to grapple with, and that’s the possibly of deportation. The Trump administration changed the rules around allowing ICE agents to enter churches and schools. These institutions used to be off limits.
“Our Hispanic community is feeling a good deal of stress,” he explained, “and we have tried to help people know what their rights are to get resources and if they don't feel confident getting their groceries or getting health care, how can the church help?"
Jose Galarza was once undocumented but is now a citizen. He also a member of Rockford Action for Immigrants. He said he is seeing more fear in those who are undocumented about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, than there was when he had that status.
"You know, people aren't sending their kids to school," he said. "People aren't going to work because of this fear that they might get raided by ICE and get deported or get separated from their families.”
Schwerin, the Methodist bishop, said they can’t keep ICE from coming into the church, but they will offer nonviolent resistance for their vulnerable populations. And he said people are continuing to look for ways to find hope. Schwerin said one way to do this is for individuals to discover their anchor practice.
“Here's one that's very, very simple," he said. "Watch the sunrise as a form of meditation. Now, my wife would tell you, ‘If it looks like the sunset, I'll wait till the sunset. I'm not doing a sunrise thing.’ But then watch the sunset as a form of meditation.”
Tricia Alexander is a performing and healing artist. She said it feels like fear and divisiveness keep us from diving into spirituality with each other.
“So much of fear is not, is about something that might happen out in the future. You're rarely in fear when you are in the moment,” she added. “It's the thought process that we get into, the worrying process, the what if process that holds us in that terrible space of fear, where it stops us from creating a healthy reality."
Alexander said one way to reconnect is by practicing intentional breathing. She said breath is a scanning tool that the brain uses to scan frequencies in the body. And she also suggests people using humming as a calming mechanism.
“One of the most powerful tools I've come to know about," she said. "And all you [do is] hum; you can hum anything. But if you're humming, the brain stops working."
Francis said she hopes these uncertain times will push people back into their faith.
“Because," she said, "you're not going to be able to sustain for four years on self.”
