Remembering February 12, 2019: Nine Arrested as Faith Leaders Disrupt Georgia Board of Regents Meeting To Protest Ban on Undocumented Students

At approximately 10:15 am on Tuesday, February 12, nine community leaders - including four clergy members - disrupted a Georgia Board of Regents’ public meeting in support of undocumented students banned from public universities in Georgia.

Following the opening invocation at the Board of Regents meeting, nine individuals stood up to continue the prayer in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience. Participants included clergy members Rev. Matthew Laney, Rev. Federico Apecena, Rev. Jonathan Rogers, and Rev. Dave Dunn. Community members included Freedom University faculty members Dr. Cindy Lutenbacher, Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis, Charmaine Minniefield, and Greg Ames of the Housing Justice League. Also arrested was comedian Jordan Klepper, who was covering the event for the Comedy Central show “Klepper.”

Ten undocumented student leaders from Freedom University were also present at the meeting, identifying themselves by wearing handmade monarch butterfly wings to symbolize their identity as migrants. Faith leaders prayed that the Board of Regents would “love thy neighbor” and “welcome the stranger” by respecting the human rights and dignity of undocumented youth and repealing Policies 4.1.6 and 4.3.4, which ban undocumented students from equal access to public higher education.

Reverend Matt Laney, Senior Pastor at Virginia-Highland Church, began the disruption in prayer, stating, “God of all people, the State of Georgia has overcome segregation in education before, and we call upon your presence and power to move the conscience of our state to end segregation in education again today.”

Georgia Capitol police arrested all nine individuals, and transported them to Fulton County Jail.

The direct action was coordinated by the students at Freedom University, an award-winning human rights organization and freedom school for undocumented students in Atlanta.

Photos by Miguel Martinez