Sweet Encounters in Phoenix

Nuns on the Bus & Friends dialog with members of the community during the stop at La Flor de Michoacan in Phoenix on Oct. 13.

Writer: Sr. Richelle Friedman, PBVM

Bus riders and community members gather at La Flor de Michoacan ice cream, paletas & snacks in Phoenix, following the Nuns on the Bus & Friends visit to the border that morning, Oct. 13.

A community event at an ice cream shop, La Flor de Michoacan in Phoenix, followed our intense morning with the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales. Yes, it was 3 p.m. and 100°, and we couldn’t wait to enjoy the ice cream. But the stop was about much more than a sweet treat.

Laura, the owner, and her son Luis make ice cream treats like the ones they enjoyed in Mexico. Their customers from the surrounding Latino neighborhoods stream in to request their favorite homemade treats. Laura is a successful small business owner who prides herself in bringing “a little of home” to her neighborhood. She is feeding body and spirit and building community all at the same time.

As the Bus rolled into Phoenix, the small, sweet-smelling shop was a buzz of excitement. Old friends gathered with new, including the Nuns on the Bus & Friends. People were hungry for community amid a tumultuous election season. We were there to encourage those present to vote based on values meant to address and strengthen the common good. We heard from the customers who came into the shop what families like theirs need to thrive: affordable housing, childcare, the Child Tax Credit, health care, and just wages.

Several riders on the bus shared perspectives on the need to vote to support those issues which allow all communities to thrive. Amelia shared lessons she learned from being ultra-marathoner: the need to stay focused and engaged with community, to stay committed to mission, and have the strength to go forward despite setbacks. Sister Mumbi Kigutha, herself an immigrant to the United States, talked about the commonality of the human experience across geography and how this shared humanity grounds a universal call for justice and welcome.

Sr. Richelle Friedman, PBVM speaks with community members at the event in Phoenix.

Finally, there was Alicia, a young Latina organizer with Corazon Arizona, a powerful multi-racial, multi-faith and multigenerational organization working for justice in Arizona. Her words to those gathered were spoken with a deep sense of urgency and passion. She is fighting to protect her friends and family; there is a weight on her young shoulders as she fights to protect her community’s safety.

Alicia educated those gathered about measures on the ballot in Arizona that if passed will harm her community. In particular, she called out Prop 314, which would allow the state and local police to arrest non-citizens who cross the border without papers, would mandate state judges to order deportations, and would requires e-verify for some public programs and employment. Her words brought home critical concerns on the ground in Arizona this November. Justice and freedom are on the ballot.

As with all stops, following the exchange, those gathered to sign the bus. This is a communal act of solidarity a promise to work together to “Vote Our Future,” to create community where all thrive, no exceptions.

On this hot October day, our collective prayer is Lord, let it be.

This reflection is from the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends bus rider blog.