Unitarian Society Hosts Concert for Immigrant Justice

Singing for Asylum to Raise Funds for Santa Barbara County Immigrant Legal Defense Center, Asylum Project

A concert on September 7 at Santa Barbara's Unitarian Church will raise funds for people seeking asylum or trapped in immigration purgatory, and it features singer/songwriters Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg. | Credit: Courtesy

As harrowing reports on the grim treatment of immigrants at the U.S. border continue to pile up in national media, the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara is hosting a fundraising concert to help refugees and immigrants seeking asylum understand their civil rights and obtain basic needs like food and clothing.

Singer/songwriters Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg will perform folk and other musical genres at Singing for Asylum: A Concert for Immigrant Justice at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara (1535 Santa Barbara St.) on Saturday, September 7, 7-9 p.m. Although they are “partners in life and in music,” Wallace said they are two separate acts and don’t perform as a duo. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Santa Barbara Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC) and the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation’s (SBACT) Asylum Seekers Flexible Local Dollars Fund.

“As musicians, it’s why we’re here,” Wallace said. “The treatment of human beings at the border is abhorrent so we’re happy to play for this cause. … Playing music for this cause is much more important than making money.”

In addition to the concert, the event will also feature guest speaker Julissa Peña, the executive director of the Santa Barbara Immigrant Defense Center.

Tickets are available at the door only for a suggested $10 minimum, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Those who wish to donate but cannot attend the event can do so by calling the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara at (805) 965-4583.

The event is cosponsored by the local interfaith and community partners SBACT, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Pacific Pride Foundation, Trinity Episcopal Church, CLUE, PFLAG, Immigrant Hope, and CAUSE.

“Interfaith was looking for a way to respond to these national horror stories of children in cages,” said Maureen Claffey, Unitarian Society’s director of congregational life. “The Unitarian Society has a long-standing tradition of supporting social justice.”