Getting to the Root of It

Each month, the Justice and Peace Action Network meets to discuss possible topics for the next Getting to the Root. This month there was one thing weighing heavy on all of our minds. Online Communications Specialist for the D.C. Office, Jessi Quinn attempted to address recent events and assembled resources we could all use in this present moment.

June 24, 2020 01:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

This webinar is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt of the United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Ministry and the Rev. Michael Malcom of Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council.

Instead of becoming suppressed by the pandemic, the spirit of justice has arisen with fierce determination and become embodied in countless ways. This webinar will reflect upon how protest has manifested itself during this time and the lessons that can be learned for communities of faith dedicated to answering the unrelenting call of justice.

Can you add your name to this NEW open letter to the US government about immigration policy in the time of COVID-19? Deadline to sign is June 12.

Desert Palm UCC is collecting cards for Refugees at the Eloy Facility, for The East Valley Church Network, the week of June 15-20. A CARD COLLECTION BOX will be set up inside the church gate for you to drop your cards off. 1230 E Guadalupe Rd., Tempe, AZ 85283

The Holiday Card project last November sent 5000 cards to asylum seekers held in the Eloy Detention Center. They are doing it again. Their goal is to collect several hundred "Thinking of You" cards by June 30th. Several worship communities in the East Valley Network are taking part. If you have friends or neighbors looking for something to do, you might suggest they write some cards.

by Katie Adams, UCC Policy Advocate for Domestic Issues

What does it mean to be a witness for justice? We show up at protests (in person and virtually) as physical witnesses to atrocity, we speak out and advocate. Saying we see this. We will not ignore this. We are also witnesses to justice as the work we do; as the church, and as faith advocates each day. So I hope this week this list is showing that each person, each injustice, is seen. And that as part of the Body of Christ the United Church of Christ is showing up in those spaces and saying you are seen, you are loved, and we will stand in solidarity with you. Please see this update, not just as a list of what is broken in the world, but of what justice advocates are doing for radical restoration.

In partnership with a number of organizations, the Arizona Undocumented Workers Relief Fund is being gathered by the Arizona Community Foundation and provides essential support for rent, food and other life-critical essential needs as a result of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. 

Thursdays in June, 7 - 8 pm

The Arizona Faith Network and the Sema Foundation invite you and your family to a series of Virtual Interfaith Prayer Vigils for Global Health. Join us each Thursday night throughout June from 7 pm to 8 pm as interfaith and community leaders throughout Arizona offer prayers of strength, hope and healing.

Thanks, Rev. Nathan Watts, for passing along these suggestions from the Minnesota Freedom Fund for on-the-ground donations.

Even in these unprecedented times, we must continue and deepen our anti-racism work. Or, if you are new to this work, it is never too late to start. Click here for a Google Doc of anti-racism resources specifically intended for white people doing or getting started in this work.

…My whiteness has become unmanageable in that I am addicted to my privilege. I do not want to be a racist. Yet, I commit racism every time I interact with or feel or believe differently about someone who is not white, or when I act to preserve my privilege. While I am working to be more aware of and to overcome my privilege and my racism, that does not mean I am not racist. That means when I succeed, I am a racist in recovery. Until white people confess and change what is happening inside of ourselves, Black people will continue to bear our sins in their bodies. "What have you done?! Listen! your brothers’ and sisters’ blood cries out to me from the land.”

A Statement from the National Officers of the United Church of Christ

The front page of ucc.org is now given over to a letter from the Officers of the United Church of Christ speaking about lynching in America. Please share it as widely as possible.

The recording is now available from the webinar on environmental justice and health justice featuring Senator Cory Booker, Francesca Dominici, and the Rev. Lionel Murphy.

Learn about what the UCC Mental Health Network is and why it exists.

Tell Congress to oppose Israeli annexation, and to make clear that the US will not continue to subsidize Israeli occupation and appropriation of Palestinian land, in contravention of international laws, and against established US principles and interests in the region.

Arizona Faith Network’s Social Justice Commission invites you and your faith community to share your sustainability work with our “Cherishing Creation Collaborative (CCC).”

We are rooted in faith and respectful relationships, seeking to support one another to live our daily lives with integrity. We connect to learn, educate, resource, be challenged, offer logistical support, and advocate for just legislation, policies and business models