Philly immigrant advocates plan to offer local prayer, music events to counter Trump’s inauguration

Several Philadelphia groups plan to counter next week’s inauguration with local music, prayer, and protest, with some taking to the streets as President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

HIAS Pennsylvania, the immigrant support organization, said in a news release that the inauguration of the 47th President will be difficult for many, as Trump promises a raft of harsh immigration-enforcement orders, and it intends to offer “an uplifting alternative” by presenting a live concert on Monday to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This year the federal holiday that honors the slain civil-rights leader falls on Jan. 20, the same day as Trump’s second inauguration.

The concert is titled, “A loud celebration of infinite hope,” a reflection of King’s statement, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope,” words spoken in Washington, D.C., two months before he was shot to death in Memphis in April 1968.

The concert will be performed by immigrant and refugee musicians who’ll “unite through the universal language of music to drown out hate and celebrate the richness they bring to our community,” according to HIAS Pennsylvania.

Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented people who are living in the United States without legal permission.

The concert will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Ethical Society on Rittenhouse Square in Center City, presented in partnership with BuildaBridge and the All Around This World Global Orchestra. The concert is free, though registration is required and donations to HIAS Pennsylvania are appreciated, the group said.

Meanwhile, New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia is calling for people to come out in defense of sanctuary-city policies, as Trump promises to crack down on jurisdictions that don’t cooperate with ICE.

The immigrant-advocacy group plans a public gathering for prayer, songs and community near City Hall at 2 p.m. Jan. 25, the precise location still to be determined in the next few days.

Trump’s promised workplace raids and mass deportations “are a gross violation of our faith teachings to love one another,” New Sanctuary Movement said in a statement. “And they are a gross violation of Philadelphia’s value to be a city of Brotherly and Sisterly Love. Philadelphia elected officials will come under tremendous pressure to cooperate with ICE, and they have a choice — to stand in love with Philly families or to stand with ICE.”

All are welcome, the group said, to “come together in our grief, fear, and anger to demonstrate love in public.”

In Philadelphia, the issue of sanctuary cities has bloomed in sudden controversy, as immigrant leaders criticize Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s lack of a full-throated endorsement for those policies. Sanctuary cities like Philadelphia are places that deliberately limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they’ve become a volatile political issue and vulnerability for Democrats who suffered a bruising national electoral loss.

On Inauguration Day, the Party for Socialism and Liberation will hold a rally against Trump’s stated plans for immigration and reproductive-rights policies, gathering outside Philadelphia City Hall at 2 p.m. The group said it would honor King by “continuing the struggle for the defense and expansion of our democratic rights and for a world without poverty, hunger, and war.”

This Saturday, at 10 a.m., Refuse Fascism Philly plans to gather at Philadelphia City Hall and then march to the Art Museum in what it calls a defense of civil rights.

“If you believe that decisions about your body should remain yours, that books belong in libraries, not on bonfires, that healthcare is a right, not a privilege for the wealthy … then this march is for you,” the group said on Facebook.

Staff writer Michelle Myers contributed to this article.