April 2018 Newsletter
Water Access
In 2010, the United Nations declared that access to
safe, clean drinking water is a universal human right.

The United Nations estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and 66% of the world’s population could be under stress conditions.


Only 2% of all the water on earth is "fresh."
96.5% of all water on earth is in the oceans and undrinkable and 1.6% is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers.

Every day each person drinks approximately .5 – 1 gallons of water, but eats 500 – 1,250 gallons of water -- used in the production of food. For example, vegetables require: 5 gallons of water, 1 slice of bread: 10 gallons, 1 apple: 17 gallons. Animals that provide meat require much more water. For example, 1 steak: requires 1,006 gallons.


Other ways we use water:
  • 1 load in the dishwasher = 15 gallons
  • A 10 minute shower = 25 gallons
  • 10 minutes dishwashing by hand = 30 gallons
  • A load in the washing machine = 40 gallons
  • A cotton shirt = 700 gallons
  • A set of 4 new tires = 2,072 gallons
For more on
Water Access , click here.
Racial Discrepancies
The April 2018 edition of National Geographic Magazine, highlights the many racial discrepancies that still exist in our country. For example:

Education
  • The graduation rate for Asian public school students is 90%, for Whites it's 88%, for Hispanics it's 78% and for Blacks it's 75%.

  • 63% of Asians ages 18-24 are enrolled in college, 42% of Whites, 37% of Hispanics and 35% of Blacks.

Health
  • There is a 4% infant death rate for Asians, 5% for Whites, 5% for Hispanics and 11% for Blacks

  • 6% of Whites live without health insurance, 8% of Asians, 11% of Blacks and 16% of Hispanics

  • 7% of adult Whites have been diagnosed with diabetes, 8% of Asians, 12% of Hispanics and 13% of Blacks.

  • Life expectancy for Asians is 87 years, 82 for Hispanics, 79 for Whites and 75 for Blacks.

Employment
  • The median hourly wage for Asian workers with a higher education is $31, for Whites it is $28, for Hispanics it's $24 and for Blacks, it's $24.

  • The unemployment rate for Asians is 4%, for Whites, it's 4%, for Hispanics it's 6% and for Blacks it's 8%.

  • The share of private employer sponsored retirement coverage for Whites is 57%, for Blacks it's 50%, for Asians it's 48% and for Hispanics it's 34%.

Poverty
  • 12% of Asian children live in poverty, 12% of White children, 32% of Hispanic children and 38% of Black children.

Housing
  • The home ownership rate for Whites is 72%, for Asians it's 55%, for Hispanics it's 46% and for Blacks it's 42%.

For more on Racism, click here.

Resources
Hope & Fury:
MLK, the Movement & the Media
A 2 hour documentary produced by NBC News, hosted by Lester Holt, marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Explores how the TV networks in the late ’50s began to cover the civil rights movement, and how King's tactics compelled them to do so. It also compares the Civil Rights movement to present day events. Watch the trailer.
For more on  Racism , click here .

Water.org
Their mission to bring water and sanitation to the world. They pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis focusing on empowerment through access to affordable financing, bringing hope and opportunity to those in need. Learn more.
For more on Water Access , click here.

Let's Stop Blaming Poverty on the Poor
A short animation that shows why many Americans associate poverty with personal failure and how this belief affects how they address poverty in society. Suggests that one response is to find opportunities to mingle with people not like us so we can better understand each others lives and motivations.
For more on Economic Justice , click here.

The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism & Religious Diversity in America
By Jeannine Hill Fletcher. Holds that the tendency of Christians to view themselves as the "chosen ones" has often been translated into racial categories as well. Christian supremacy has historically lent itself to white supremacy, with disastrous consequences. Proposes strategies that will help foster racial healing in America, the first of which is to demand of white Christians that they accept their responsibility for racist policies and structural discrimination in America. Read more.
For more on Racism , click here.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads:
A Story of War and What Comes After
By Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil. Tells the story of Wamariya's escape with her sister from the Rwandan massacre in 1994 when she was six years old. The two girls spent the next six years migrating through seven African countries, searching for safety — perpetually hungry, imprisoned and abused, enduring and escaping refugee camps, finding unexpected kindness and witnessing inhuman cruelty. Invites readers to look beyond the label of “victim” and recognize the power of the imagination that can transcend even the most profound injuries and aftershocks. Read more.
For more on Refugees , click here .
Dolores: Rebel, Activist, Feminist, Mother
The story of Dolores Huerta -- an important, yet largely unknown, activist in American history. An equal partner in co-founding the first farm workers unions with Cesar Chavez, she is one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century. With intimate and unprecedented access to this intensely private mother to eleven, the film reveals the raw, personal stakes involved in committing one’s life to social change. Watch the trailer.
For more on Labor , click here.

How to Become a Multicultural Church
By Douglas Brouwer. Addresses ways churches can engage and welcome other cultures as well as some of the issues multicultural churches face, including language barriers, theological differences, and cultural stereotypes. Shows how churches can adjust their attitudes and practices to embrace racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Read more. 
Extreme Weather and the Climate Crisis:
What You Need to Know
A new, free e-book from the Climate Reality Project; explains how events like extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, torrential rains, floods, heatwaves etc. are influenced by climate change and offers ways to get involved in the fight for solutions. Read more.
For more on the Environment , click here.
Courage and Conviction:
Unpretentious Christianity
By Anthony Gittins. Addressed to discerning adult Christians who seek something between high theology and pious platitudes. Ranging from consideration of Christian identity, via the challenge of faith-filled living in a world of diversity, to suggestions for mature discipleship today, these reflections—building on Scripture studies, cultural anthropology, and life experience—are offered by way of support and encouragement. Read more.
For more on Justice , click here.
Legal Assistance Foundation
Provides free professional legal assistance to people living in poverty. Attorneys and staff help clients with issues such as domestic abuse, unfair evictions and consumer fraud. Similar organizations exist in many cities across the country. Learn more about LAFChicago.
Coalition of Organizations and Ministries Promoting the Abolition of Slavery at Sea (COMPASS)
A cooperative agreement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Department of State with the Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking of Persons, to strengthen the coordination, collaboration and capacity of the global
Catholic response to maritime human trafficking. Learn more.
For more on Human Trafficking , click here .

The Amistad Movement
A resource from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, that provides education and awareness for immigrant communities to address key issues and become more responsible consumers. Targets communities that are more vulnerable to exploitation such as agriculture, domestic help, hospitality and construction because they are often unaware of their rights and poorly regulated. Trains leaders to conduct outreach and educate their peers on human trafficking, labor rights as well as resources and services available to victims. Learn more.
For more on Human Trafficking , click here.
Why Legal Immigration to the U.S. is
Almost Impossible
This MTV video offers a simple but effective overview of the current legal immigration process in the U.S. Watch now. 
For more on Immigration , click here .
The Work
A documentary set in Folsom Prison, that follows three men as they participate in a four-day group therapy retreat with level-four convicts. Over the four days, each man in the room takes his turn at delving deep into his past. Offers a powerful and rare look past the walls and reveals that redemption is not only possible but a path to freedom.
For more on the Criminal Justice System ,
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
This publication by Michael Foucault, explores the history of punishment, from the days of torture and forced labor to the reforms that resulted in the modern penitentiary, suggesting that the focus of punishment merely shifted from the prisoner's body to his soul. Read more.
For more on the Criminal Justice System ,
 
Legislative Advocacy

Affordable Housing
Congress will soon be considering budget requests for housing programs for next year. Affordable housing is a human right and it is the duty of people of faith to protect it. W e are in a unique position to lift up the importance of quality, affordable housing, so p lease contact your representatives to fund initiatives that provide safe and stable environments for people at the economic margins.
For more on Housing click here .
For more on Legislative Advocacy , click here .
 
Important Dates This Month

Individuals Honored This Month
Health care is an essential safeguard of human life and dignity and there is an obligation for society to ensure that every person be able to realize this right.
April 10th
The Peace Corps left today and my heart sank low. The danger is extreme and they were right to leave...Now I must assess my own position because I am not up for suicide. Several times I have decided to leave El Salvador. I almost could, except for the children, the poor, bruised victims of this insanity. Who would care for them? Whose heart could be so staunch as to favor the reasonable thing in a sea of their tears and helplessness? Not mine, dear friend, not mine.
April 21st

When people of color are killed in the inner city, when homeless people are killed, when the ‘nobodies’ are killed, district attorneys do not seek to avenge their deaths. Black, Hispanic or poor families who have a loved one murdered not only don’t expect the district attorney’s office to pursue the death penalty – which, of course, is both costly and time consuming – but are surprised when the case is prosecuted at all.
April 21st

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
April 23rd
I hope that you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you. Something worth living for – maybe even worth dying for, something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead. I can’t tell you what it might be – that’s for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking and support you in the search.
April 26th
We must learn to be silent long enough to hear the cries of the other.
April 27th
It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem.
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