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May 2020 Newsletter
Issue #39
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Immigrants
The administration has declared food and agricultural workers to be “essential” and that they continue working while others “shelter in place.”
50%
or about
1 million
of these farm workers are undocumented.
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The Environment
March 2020 was Earth's
2nd
hottest March on record. January through March was also the planet's
2nd
hottest year to date in the climate record dating back to
1880
.
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Guns
March 2020 was a record month for gun sales. There were nearly
2.6 million
sales, up
85%
from last year. The spike is attributed to fears about Covid-19.
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Domestic Abuse
In March, almost
50%
of the largest metropolitan police departments reported double-digit percentage jumps in domestic violence cases.
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Refugees
There are currently approximately
500
Rohingya refugees
stranded in boats in the Bay of Bengal. They escaped Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing and have no place to go since s
o far no country will accept them.
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Housing
At the end of
2019
the national median rent for a
2
bedroom apartment stood at
$1,343,
a
5%
gain over the previous year.
It is commonly recommended that rent be about
30%
of total income
,
which means that the
minimum
income to pay for an average apartment has to be
$4,477
a month, which is
$25.83
an hour or about
$53,724
a year.
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Health Care
In 1973,
53%
of Americans had a great deal of confidence in medicine. Since then the number has dropped to
38%
.
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War
In 2019, countries around the world spent nearly
$2 trillion
on their militaries. The U.S. accounted for
38%
of this total.
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Peace
On average, investing early to prevent violence is
60
times more cost-effective than intervening after violence erupts. However, the world spends
$1
on conflict prevention for every
$1,885
it spends on military budgets.
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Politics
Across party lines and religious groups,
94%
of Americans say it is either somewhat or very important to have a President who lives a moral, ethical life.
Since 1973, Americans who say that most people can be trusted has dropped from
40%
to
33%
today.
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According to the Southern Poverty Law Center's annual report, white nationalism and antisemitism are on the rise. In
2019
, there were
940
hate groups and the number of white nationalist hate groups rose for the second straight year — representing a
55%
increase since
2017
. In
1999
, there were
457
such groups.
The states with the most hate groups are:
California –
88
Florida –
67
Texas –
63
There was also a
43%
increase in the number of anti-LGBTQ hate groups — the fastest-growing sector of hate.
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Our Planet
A documentary series from Netflix, narrated by David Attenborough, that highlights our planet's natural beauty and examines how climate change is impacting all living creatures.
Learn more.
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Invisible Americans:
The Tragic Cost of Child Poverty
By Jeffrey G. Madrick. Brings to light the often invisible reality and irreparable damage of child poverty in America. Keeping his focus on the children, he examines the roots of the problem, including the toothless remnants of our social welfare system, entrenched racism, and a government unmotivated to help the most voiceless citizens. Backed by new and unambiguous research, he makes clear the devastating consequences of growing up poor: living in poverty, even temporarily, is detrimental to cognitive abilities, emotional control, and the overall health of children. The cost to society is incalculable.
Read more.
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National Center for Children in Poverty
Conducts research and translates the findings into actionable recommendations that advocates and policymakers use to improve the lives and futures of low-income children and their families. They delve into issues that contribute to child poverty and make sure our ideas reach those in a position to make meaningful change that reduces the number of families experiencing hardship.
Learn more.
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The International Campaign to Ban Landmines
A global network in about 100 countries that works for a world free of antipersonnel landmines and where landmine survivors can lead fulfilling lives.
Learn more.
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Prison Insider
Aims at raising awareness about detention conditions and upholding the rights and dignity of those throughout the world. Provides a tool for comparison and encourages best practice, testimony and solidarity. Promotes rights and dignity versus violence of inequalities, injustice and revenge.
For more on the
Criminal Justice System
,
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Climate Change: The Facts
A resource from PBS that brings together leading climate scientists who explain what might happen if global warming increases 1.5 degrees. Experts examine the consequences of rising temperatures on ice sheets, fragile ecosystems, developing communities and extreme weather events. Personal accounts of California wildfires, extreme coastal flooding in Louisiana and increasing temperatures in Australia illustrate these effects.
Learn more.
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American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country
By Jack Jenkins. Examines the re-emergence of progressive faith-based activism, detailing its origins and contrasting its goals with those of the Religious Right. Today’s rapidly expanding interfaith coalition — which includes Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and other faiths — has become a force within the larger “resistance” movement. Profiles Washington political insiders as well as:
as well as a new generation of progressive faith leaders at the forefront today, including:
- Rev. William Barber II, leader of North Carolina’s Moral Mondays and co-chair of the nationwide Poor People’s campaign
- Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the Women’s March
- Rev. Traci Blackmon, a pastor near Ferguson, Missouri who works to lift up black liberation efforts across the country
- Sister Simone Campbell, head of the Catholic social justice lobby and the “Nuns on the Bus” tour organizer
- Native American “water protectors” who demonstrated against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock
- Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop
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Lightfoot Films
Produces documentaries with a focus on social justice, culture, and human rights -- focusing particularly on women’s issues and Latin America. Their productions are produced in both English and Spanish and have aired on PBS, ABC, NBC, Odyssey Channel, The Learning Channel, Hallmark Channel, and the Brandenburg Television Network. Some of their titles include: In Our Son's Name, Approach of Dawn Scraps of Life.
Learn more.
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Ignatian Solidarity Network Online Store
Offers clothing, posters, mugs, jewelry, coffee, pins, prayer cards, candles, buttons and other items that promote social justice themes.
Learn more.
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Ethix Merch:
Merchandise on a Mission
Features wholesale promotional products made with respect for people and the planet. Here one can find branded merchandise and promotional items made in USA, which support union workers and the environment, and is never produced in sweatshops with unfair labor practices. Ethix Merch helps supporters apply their buying power to support workers and protect the environment.
Learn more.
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Important Dates This Month
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Individuals Honored This Month
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May 1st
We are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist, and forever will recreate each other.
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May 9th
I want a change, and a radical change. I want a change from an acquisitive society to a functional society, from a society of go-getters to a society of go-givers.
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May 9th
Instead of building the peace by attacking injustices like starvation, disease, illiteracy, political and economic servitude, we spend trillions of dollars on war, until hatred and conflict have become the international preoccupation.
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May 9th
How can we expect fate to let a righteous cause prevail when there is hardly anyone who will give himself up undividedly to a righteous cause?
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May 19th
Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.
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May 20th
I am convinced that it is still best that I speak the truth, even if it costs me my life.
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Since we launched our website in 2017, we've had over
60,000
visitors, from
123
countries
.
with over
2,000
Resources including:
Films, Publications, Websites,
Facts & Figures, Prayers, Quotes,
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Every month we email our newsletter to about
4,000
people around the country. Each issue focuses on a social justice topic and has resources that have been recently added to our website. If you know of other
s who might be interested in receiving our newsletter,
please forward this email on to them or let us know and we'll add them to our mailing list. For our previous
Newsletters,
click here.
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Contact@SocialJusticeResourceCenter.org
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