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November 2021 Newsletter
Issue #57
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A Call for a More Just Economy |
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In a recent address, Pope Francis issued a call to nine specific sectors responsible for a more just world economy, including:
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Pharmaceutical Laboratories -- To release the patents of the Covid-19 vaccines so that every human being has access to them.
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Financial Institutions -- To cancel the debts of poor countries and allowing them to assure the basic needs of their people.
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Mining, Oil, Forestry, Real Estate and Agribusiness Industries -- To stop destroying forests, wetlands and mountains, to stop polluting rivers and seas, to stop poisoning food and people.
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Food Corporations -- To stop monopolies of production and distribution that inflate prices and end up withholding bread from the hungry.
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Arms Manufacturers and Dealers -- To stop their activity because it foments violence and war which leaves millions dead and displaced.
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Technology Giants -- To stop exploiting human weakness and vulnerability for the sake of profits without caring about the spread of hate speech, grooming, fake news, conspiracy theories, and political manipulation.
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Telecommunications Companies -- To ease access to online educational materials so that poor children can have access as well.
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The Media -- To stop the logic of post-truth, disinformation, defamation, slander and the unhealthy attraction to dirt and scandal, and to contribute to human fraternity and empathy.
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Powerful Countries -- To stop aggression, blockades and sanctions against other countries and that resolution for conflicts be done in multilateral manner like the United Nations.
The Pope said that the current economic system, with its relentless logic of profit, is escaping human control. He called on governments and politicians of all parties to represent their people and work for the common good and stop listening exclusively to economic elites, who so often spout superficial ideologies that ignore humanity’s real dilemmas.
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2021 Nobel Prizes
This year the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Abdulrazak Gurnah "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents."
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and
lasting peace."
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Klaus Hasselmann "for the physical modelling of Earth's climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming."
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Economic Justice Project
Works to make a world where every human is treated equally. Focuses on creating social justice through social impact, storytelling and services that are tied to direct actions with the intention of driving community to create positive lasting change on issues surrounding poverty and inequality in the US.
Strives for systemic change; ending the cycle of poverty and authoring policy and legislation that works to to prevent poverty, homeless and inequality in the first place.
Provides education, art and engagement to build community and shift social consciousness towards compassion and respect in an effort to bridge the socioeconomic divide and develop a better
social contract.
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The Earth Cries Out
By Gary Gardner. Describes best practices of faith communities responding to the impending climate and sustainability emergency, and presents the next steps for people of belief in the years following Laudato Si'. Twelve sustainability challenges, ranging from energy and water consumption to land use and socially responsible investing, are each introduced by the cutting-edge sustainability practices of a faith tradition, followed by discussion of the issue's global importance. Far from a litany of sustainability woes, the book is inspired by a vision of communities of faith that are models of sustainable living. Read more.
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Of Fear and Strangers:
A History of Xenophobia
By George Makari. Chronicles the rise of xenophobia, from its popularization and perverse misuse to its spread as an ethical principle in the wake of a series of calamites that culminated in the Holocaust, and its sudden reappearance in the twenty-first century. Investigates xenophobia’s evolution through the writings of figures such as Joseph Conrad, Albert Camus, and Richard Wright, and innovators like Walter Lippmann, Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon. Weaving together history, philosophy, and psychology, offers insights into varied, related ideas such as the conditioned response, the stereotype, projection, the Authoritarian Personality, the Other, and institutional bias. Offers a unifying paradigm by which we might more clearly comprehend how irrational anxiety and contests over identity sweep up groups and lead to the dark headlines of division so prevalent today. Read more.
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International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA)
A non-governmental human rights organization promoting, protecting and defending indigenous peoples’ collective and individual rights. Works through a global network of indigenous peoples’ organizations and international human rights bodies to promote recognition, respect and implementation of indigenous peoples’ rights, including the right to self-determination by virtue of which they can freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
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Color of Change
Helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, moves decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for all people. Learn more.
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Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
Works to address the gap in efforts to stop transnational hate and far-right extremism movements, particularly U.S.-based activity that is exported to other countries and across borders. Addresses the issue of hate and extremism by working to reduce the associated violence that terrorizes communities and tackling systemic problems rooted in hate in our governments and societies. Specifically focuses on addressing global hate and extremism, holding tech companies accountable, influencing policy and building transnational cross-sector coalitions. Learn more.
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Team Enough
A resource of the Brady Campaign, this youth-led organization's mission is to educate young voices about gun violence and mobilize them to take meaningful action against it. Team Enough believes that preventing gun violence not only requires regulating access to firearms, but also addressing how systemic racism and environmental factors cause this form of bloodshed to run especially rampant in communities of color. Holds that complex issues call for comprehensive solutions and that talking about gun violence must include talking about police brutality, white supremacy, the broken criminal justice system, poverty, homophobia, access to affordable housing, or the often insurmountable barriers separating disadvantaged populations from physical and mental healthcare. Learn more.
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Women for Women International
Supports marginalized women in countries affected by conflict and war. Helps them to earn and save money, improve health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support. By utilizing skills, knowledge, and resources, enables women to create sustainable change for themselves, their families, and communities. Learn more.
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Families USA
A leading national, non-partisan voice for health care consumers, dedicated to achieving high-quality, affordable health care and improved health for all. Their work is driven by and centered around four pillars: value, equity, coverage, and consumer experience. They believe these 4 focus areas — and the various issues unique to each area — are the cornerstones of America’s health care system.
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World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
An alliance of more than 160 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions, that works to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its objective is to obtain the universal abolition of the death penalty and advocates for a definitive end to death sentences and executions in those countries where the death penalty is in force. Learn more.
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Want to Talk:
Communication Tools for Divided Times
A program from JustFaith Ministries that helps deepen relationships with others while staying true to our values. Helps participants deal with heated disagreements, facilitate political tensions or work for systemic change on any justice issue. Offers wisdom for navigating disagreements in a healthier way — whether in personal relationships or when working for social change. Consists of eight 2-hour sessions, an immersion experience, and an optional get-to-know-you session. Learn more.
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Franciscan Service Network
A group of Franciscan-based service programs across the U.S. and the world that offer opportunities to be in relationship with people who are poor and marginalized and to care for creation. All of these programs share a rootedness in Franciscan spirituality, a desire to support intentional communities motivated by justice and love, and a commitment to live out our values in service with all our brothers and sisters, especially those who are impoverished and oppressed, including our Earth. Programs include Cap Corps, Change a Heart, Felician Volunteers in Mission, Franciscan Mission Service, Franciscan Volunteer Ministry, FrancisCorps and Mountain Companion Ministries. Learn more.
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Let's Revive the Golden Rule
A TED Talk, featuring Karen Armstrong, developer of the Charter for Compassion, who looks at religion's role in the 21st century and asks if dogmas divide us or if they unite us for the common good. She reviews the catalysts that can drive the world's faiths to rediscover the Golden Rule. Watch now.
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USAFacts
A free nonpartisan, not-for-profit civic initiative without a political agenda. Provides a data-driven portrait of the American population, the US governments’ finances, and its' impact on society. Offers vital spending, revenue, demographic, and performance information and focuses on social issues such as education, immigration, healthcare, and race in America. Learn more.
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Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace
A JustFaith program based on Jesus’s nonviolent witness. This 8-session program prepares participants to respond to personal and societal conflict with nonviolent action in order to build meaningful and lasting peace in their lives, their communities and in our world. Equips participants to respond to conflict with persistence, discipline, and courage, in order to end oppression and establish peace that honors the human dignity of all parties. Learn more.
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Important Dates This Month
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November 13th: Anniversary of the Publication,
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Individuals Honored This Month |
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November 8th
I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.
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November 9th
Do everything possible so that liberty is victorious over oppression, justice over injustice,
love over hate.
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November 9th
Peace requires the simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human beings is more important and crucial than what divides us.
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November 14th
Only by being a man or woman for others, does one become fully human.
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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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please let us know!
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contact@socialjusticeresourcecenter.org |
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