“Human Needs Are Human Rights” in Topeka, KS feat. Rev. Dr. Jessica Williams | Photo by Pancho Metz

Dear friend,

This is a kairos moment. In this hour of national crisis, we must come together as people of conscience to mourn and organize. We can see that the weapons of imperial militarism are being turned on our families, neighbors, and communities.  As people of conscience and faith, it is our civic and moral responsibility to protect them. As students of history, we know it will get no easier to resist this violence.

This kairos moment is full of both grave danger and rare opportunity, and calls for bold and imaginative action from those who wish to break free from the intolerable conditions of poverty, systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation, and more.

In this letter:

• Call To Action: Praying With Our Feet in DC, Free Families @ Dilley Detention Center, and ICE out! Sing out!

• Resources: Protest Safety Guide

• Upcoming Events: We Pray Freedom book event in Brooklyn

In hope and solidarity,

The Kairos Team

Praying With Our Feet: No $ For ICE

People of faith are coming together to pray with our feet, showing up in Washington, D.C., and in communities across the country to bear public witness. Join us in DC, or organize an echo action at your local U.S. Senate office, as we call for justice and accountability.

⏱️ Thursday, January 29 • 10:00 AM ET

📢 WE WANT ICE OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES

Answer the Call of Detained Children Protesting

The National Coalition to End Family and Child Detention is calling for a show of solidarity with nationwide “Free Families” vigils to build on the growing momentum spurred by the courageous families – primarily children – detained at Dilley who staged their own protest on Saturday at the facility chanting “libertad,” or “freedom.”

The National Coalition to End Family and Child Detention, across the country, is meeting the moment by demanding: an end to family detention, no funding for ICE, and immediate action to stop the widespread abuse and neglect that children and adults are experiencing in ICE custody.

We invite you to join a national interactive Zoom webinar on Monday, February 2nd at 5 PM ET/ 4 PM CT/ 2 PM PT on “Freedom for Families in 2026: Ending Family Separation, Detention, and Deportation”. You will hear the latest updates from Dilley, stories from families, and receive new messaging guidance and advocacy tools for calling for an end to family detention.

ICE OUT! SING OUT!

No $ for ICE! In conversation with local Minnesota song leaders Songs In the Key of Resistance pulled together a toolkit so we can all take action through song whether local or nationwide - “We Are Many.”

Head over to our Instagram feed and like + share to amplify this week’s call to action. Or even better, record a video of your own.  

Stay Safe While Protesting

We keep us safe! Our co-strugglers at Common Defense have put together a guide for keeping yourself and your community safe while protesting. Explore, use, and share it widely!

NYC Book Event

This Wednesday, January 28th, you’re invited to join the Kairos Center at The Word Is Change Bookstore in Brooklyn for a book event celebrating We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor.

📍368 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216 | ⏱️ 7:00–8:30 pm

This gathering will include ritual space for lament, grief, and resistance, as we come together during a time when communities across the country are facing the ongoing atrocities of ICE activity and the immoral practices of detention and deportation. We will make space to mourn, to remember, and to ground ourselves spiritually for collective action.

Together, we’ll share an evening of healing and remembrance—lifting up prayers, songs, and rituals that sustain our movements for justice and help transform grief into courage and action.

Help us spread the word. Invite your friends, family, and comrades in struggle to be part of this powerful and timely gathering.