The Philippine Human Rights Act (H.R. 3884) blocks US funds for police or military assistance to the Philippines, including equipment and training, until such time as human rights conditions are met. Some of those conditions include investigating and prosecuting members of the military and police forces who are found to have violated human rights, withdrawing the military from domestic policing, and establishing protections for the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, indigenous people, small farmers, LGBTI activists, and critics of the government.

Tell your Representative to support and co-sponsor this bill and encourage your Senators to introduce a similar bill in the Senate.

“Each month we ask UCC advocates to help us unpack the complex justice issues that we’re working on. This month UCC Washington D.C. Office Domestic Policy Advocate, Katie Adams, tackles the important history of workplace rights, and the continued fight for worker empowerment.”

Read Getting to the Root here.

United Church of Christ congregations have long assembled school kits and cleanup buckets to help others through Church World Service.

They now have two new opportunities. Church World Service Kits now include a Period (Menstrual Hygiene) Pack and a Welcome Backpack.

These join CWS’s well-established Hygiene and School Kits and Emergency Cleanup Buckets. And UCC churches assembling and donating any of the CWS Kits can apply for UCC Match Grants of up to $250 to help stretch their contribution.

Read the entire UCC news story here.