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August 2021 Newsletter
Issue #54
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As much of the world experiences record heat and drought conditions, the need for access to safe, affordable water is becoming more urgent.
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According to the United Nations, 25% of the children in the world will be living in areas with extremely limited water by 2040 unless climate action is taken now.
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2.4 billion people on our planet lack access to basic sanitation facilities that water provides.
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In the U.S., more than 2 million Americans live without basic access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
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From 2010-2018 water bills in the U.S. rose an average of 80%.
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44 million people are served by water systems that recently had health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations.
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Federal water funding has declined 77% since the 1970's.
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Meanwhile, there are 10.4 million residential and 309,000 public swimming pools in the United States.
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Golf courses around the U.S. use approximately 2.08 billion gallons of water per day for irrigation. That's about 130,000 gallons per day per course.
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Americans consumed 14.4 billion gallons of bottled water in 2019, up 3.6% from 2018. Bottled water's retail dollar sales also grew in 2019, up 5.2% reaching $34.6 billion.
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25% of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle—sometimes further treated, sometimes not.
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22% of bottled water brands contain chemicals above state health limits.
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Thirst Project
A nonprofit organization that works with the support of young people to end the global water crisis by building freshwater wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water. Learn more.
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One Tree Planted
A non-profit organization focused on global reforestation. As an environmental charity, they are dedicated to making it easier for individuals and businesses to give back to the environment, create a healthier climate, protect biodiversity, and help reforestation efforts around the world. Started in 2014, they have more than doubled the number of trees planted year over year, and work with reforestation partners across 43 countries. These projects restore forests after fires and floods, create jobs, build communities, and protect habitat for wildlife. Learn more.
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Great Immigrants Great Americans
An initiative of the Carnegie Corporation that celebrates the exemplary contributions of immigrants to American life. The Corporation honors naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened our nation and our democracy through their contributions and actions to serve society. Honorees come from many countries of origin and have been recognized for helping others as medical providers and researchers; as advocates for the disadvantaged, disabled, and disenfranchised; and as changemakers in politics, voting rights, climate change, and teaching. Learn more.
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Responsible Jewellery Council
The world’s leading standard setting organization for the jewelry and watch industry. Promotes standards that underpin people’s trust in the worldwide jewelry and watch supply chain. United by a shared belief that responsible business is good business, works to create a globally sustainable future for the industry without causing harm to people or the planet.
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Alliance for Responsible Mining
ARM was established in 2004 and is a leading global expert on artisanal and small-scale mining. They work to transform the industry into a socially and environmentally responsible activity, while improving the quality of life of artisanal miners, their families and communities. Learn more.
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Philly D.A.
An 8-part documentary from PBS that looks at the first term of Philadelphia's unapologetic District Attorney, Larry Krasner. The series explores some of the challenges of trying to address issues like police brutality, the opioid crisis, gun violence, and mass incarceration—through the lens of an idealistic team attempting fundamental overhaul from within the system. Learn more.
For more on the Criminal Justice System,
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The Improvement Association
A five-part audio series, from the New York Times that looks at Bladen County, North Carolina, to investigate the power of election fraud allegations — even when they’re not substantiated. Learn more.
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When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough: A Shooting Survivor's Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence
By Taylor S. Schumann. Invites readers to see what it means to be a survivor after the news vehicles drive away and the media moves on. Weaves her story of survival and recovery into a larger conversation about gun violence in our country. Encourages readers to reconsider their own engagement with the issue and to join her in envisioning a more hopeful, safer future for our nation. Read more.
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How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
By Clint Smith. Leads readers on a tour of monuments and landmarks—those that are honest about the past and those that are not—that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation’s collective history,
and ourselves.
It includes the Monticello Plantation in Virginia -- the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving more than four hundred people, the Whitney Plantation -- one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it, Angola -- a former plantation–turned–maximum-security prison in Louisiana that is filled with Black men working the 18,000-acre land for virtually no pay and Blandford Cemetery --the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers.
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Exterminate All the Brutes
A four-part hybrid docuseries from HBO that explores the exploitative and genocidal aspects of European colonialism and challenges how history is written. Watch the trailer.
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Pray in the Spirit
A resource from Dismas Ministry, this pocket size book contains prayers for prisoners to renew their spiritual life behind bars. It features art and prayers by prisoners, as well as the lives of saints who have been in prison. It is available is both English
For more Criminal Justice System resources,
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Fair Trade International
Works to share the benefits of trade more equally – through standards, certification, producer support, programs and advocacy. Founded in 1997, Fairtrade International is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder association of member organizations – including producer networks and national Fairtrade organizations. Fairtrade International coordinates activities for its member organizations and owns the Fairtrade Mark, a registered trademark of Fairtrade that appears on more than 30,000 products. Currently it's top 7 products are bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, flowers, sugar and tea but the organization also helps producers of gold, wine, rice, honey, vegetables, sports balls etc. Learn more.
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Catholic Social Teaching in Action
Works to have Catholic social teaching implemented in society through lay Catholic business, academic and professional leaders; to order and throw light upon all the affairs of the world in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, especially as contained in the Church’s social doctrine. Learn more.
For more Catholic Social Teaching resources,
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Eyes of Compassion:
Living with Thich Nhat Hanh
By Jim Forest. An intimate portrait and unique introduction to one of the most influential and revered spiritual teachers in the world. Written by a Catholic peacemaker who accompanied Nhat Hanh for several decades, learning through conversations and daily life about Nhat Hanh's spiritual teachings on mindfulness and the inner peace that is necessary for promoting world peace. Read more.
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Freedom Lifted
Uses social movement history as a starting place, helping people envision and build strategies for social change and grow as leaders grounded in a commitment to racial, gender and economic justice. Offers online social justice learning labs, civil rights tours and small group facilitation. Learn more.
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I'm Not Sitting Down
by Neil Thomas
I’m not sitting down
No I’m not sitting down
I’ve been silent for too long now
So I’m not sitting down
We are just the same
But skin gets in the way
We will all lose our breath some day
Cause we are just the same
When it's rigged before the game's begun
We should question every hand
Until the deal's the same for everyone
You know we gotta make a stand
If we wait here for the wind to change
That ship’ll sail on by
If we really wanna see that day
It’s up to you and me to try
So I’m not sitting down
No I’m not sitting down
Yeah I’ve been silent for too long now
So I’m not sitting down
I’m not sitting down
No I’m not sitting down
I will stand here beside you now
And I’m not sitting down
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Yes, We Pray
I don’t pretend to know much about what’s going on in the world. But I know enough to realize our world is very broken. It always has been, but recently, I feel like our brokenness is showing more than ever.
I don’t pretend to know much about prayer. I don’t understand how it works, but I know it works. I
have seen it. I don’t understand why the creating God of the universe asks us to pray, but I know God does.
When the whole world is severely splintered and disintegrating right in front of us, it is hard to know
how to respond. It is difficult to know what’s actually
helpful. This I know, even though I don’t understand, we are to pray.
We pray for the world. For all the places God’s
image-bearers are sitting in terror, hurt, and
confusion. We pray for the impossible. We pray for
healing. We pray for peace that would completely pass understanding because in a way how could peace be understood here? We pray for comfort. We pray that somehow, there would be a stillness in the terror, some sort of salve for their hurt, a bit of clarity for the confusion.
We continue praying for the impossible. We pray the people of God would rejoice in their sufferings,
remembering that these sufferings, while unimaginably horrifying at times, are temporary. We pray the rejoicing will lead to endurance, because endurance eventually leads to hope. Hope that will not disappoint. Hope. The impossible. We pray.
We pray for forgiveness, grace, and mercy to find their way into the hearts of so many. We pray love
will win battles and not just the war. We pray that swords will be turned back into plowshares, that weapons will be laid down.
We give thanks for those who are sacrificing their lives to provide aid. We give thanks for those who
are working diligently to tell the stories, change the laws, heal the wounds, and share the love of Christ. We thank Jesus for them. We pray they will somehow be encouraged in the middle of any overwhelming
disappointment.
Yes, we pray! That, somehow, in a way only God can accomplish, lives will turn to God. We pray that God will work with us to heal this broken world and set
things right and new and beautiful again.
Amen!
Elizabeth Hyndman
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Important Dates This Month
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Individuals Honored This Month |
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August 9th
If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church ever opened again?
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August 14th
The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.
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August 15th
The life of "peace" is both an inner journey toward a disarmed heart and a public journey toward a disarmed world. This difficult but beautiful journey gives infinite meaning and fulfillment to life itself because our lives become a gift for the whole human race. With peace as the beginning, middle, and end of life, life makes sense.
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August 21st
What is a pilgrimage? Isn't it a group of people, in the company of one another, who are travelling together for a holy purpose? Our journey is a pilgrimage that has Jesus Christ as both its origin and its destination.
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Since 2017, more than 200,000 people have visited the Social Justice Resource Center website. We provide a wide variety of facts and figures on specific social issues as well as thousands of free resources including films, publications, links to other organizations, prayers, quotes, principles of social justice, key dates throughout the year, action ideas, Diocesan office contact information and biographies of famous people who have worked for social justice.
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