OAKLAND — Leaders from the city’s religious, educational and progressive communities gathered last week at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, the grand Catholic edifice near Lake Merritt, to ponder the presidential election — what it might mean and how to respond.

“No matter what happened in this election, nothing has changed for any of us,” said the cathedral’s Rev. Jay Matthews in opening remarks. “We were in solidarity before Nov. 8 and we will continue to be in solidarity.”

He quoted Pope Francis, saying, “We live in a time in which polarization and exclusion are burgeoning.”

But “what unites us is far greater than what separates us. There are so many of us who are afraid. By being people of peace, of passion, we will rebuild our nation.”

Oakland’s city council and school board were well represented at the gathering Nov. 21. Council members Annie Campbell Washington, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Abel Guillen and Noel Gallo attended.

Also seen were school board members James Harris, Jody London and Jumoke Hinton Hodge, along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Assemblyman Keith Campbell and former Mayor Jean Quan.

Also present were representatives of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and other faiths and several students who described themselves as “Dreamers.” They arrived in the country as minor children of undocumented parents but have some guarantee of educational opportunity.

“We are organizing this forum to assure families and the wider community that Oakland public schools are a safe place for them and their children, Oakland Community Organizations said in a statement before the forum began.

“OCO has been overwhelmed with desperate calls from local families, including many with children who attend Oakland public schools and congregations.”

One of the students, Sara Chavarria, a sophomore at Oakland School for the Arts, played the violin at one of the cathedral’s pulpits as hundreds of people arrived.

“My goal is to enter a conservatory,” she said later.

“I am worried about what will happen. I cannot concentrate when someone wants to take away my family. Living without family is like living without oxygen,” she said. “How can you breathe?”

“Being undocumented in California is a lot different from being undocumented in Arizona,” said another student, Ivan Villasenor Madriz. “And being undocumented now is a lot different from being undocumented in the Eighties.”

Nonetheless, he said, “I’m undocumented, and I’m afraid.”

“The fear is real,” Lee told the audience. “We need to remember the power of the people. We have to be as unified as we have ever been.

“Just like the majority of people in the city who did vote for Hillary Clinton, I felt the anger, the shock, but after a day or two I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to fight back,’ ” she said.

“I’m on the Appropriations Committee,” Lee added. “We’ve got to fight many of these appointments. We’re not going to let ICE (federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement ) come into our communities. We’re not going to let them. They’re not going to get away with that, even if we have to keep them in court the next 10 years,” she said.

Several people spoke of their determination to maintain Oakland’s status as a sanctuary city for immigrants. A city council resolution to that effect, “denouncing tactics used to intimidate immigrants residing in Oakland and re-affirming the city’s declaration as a city of refuge” introduced by Campbell Washington, Gallo and Larry Reid, was passed unanimously by the full council at its next meeting.

“As a mom, I feel this pain and fear resulting from this election in such an acute way,” Campbell Washington said. “I have searched so hard to find a silver lining.”

But, citing the “five or six deep” circle of hands around Lake Merritt the weekend before, she said, “Here in Oakland, we know how to show up for each other.”

Of the city’s refuge status since 1986, she said, “that’s not going to stop. It’s only going to get stronger. There’s also an effort to encourage the state to become a sanctuary state.”

“We have your back,” newly re-elected school board president Harris said.

“We will be OK. Sometimes it’s these moments that bring us together. We are in a sanctuary, but our city is our sanctuary. We will never turn our backs. We will continue to rise to the challenge,” he said.

Contact Mark Hedin at 510-293-2452, 408-759-2132 or mhedin@bayareanewsgroup.com.