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SOCIAL JUSTICE & ADVOCACY UPDATE January 27, 2021

RESOURCES The BTS Center's February Workshop The BTS Center is offering a workshop "Unleashing What You Already Love for a Hurting Planet" created and led by Peterson Toscano, host of Citizens Climate Radio. It's designed to help people better understand their role in our changing planet, while also affirming the passions, interests, and callings they hold dear. Thursday, February 11 2:00 - 4:00 pm via Zoom $20 Program Fee Register Here Creation Justice Ministries Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation. Read their latest newsletter here: News and Views Winter 2021 Share Your Opinion There's a way to share your views and ideas with the Office of Governor Janet T. Mills. She and her staff would like to hear from you about any topics - from pending legislation to a policy issue or an idea to improve Maine .Submit your comments here. How to Contact Your Legislator Letters are extremely effective. Personal visits are also valuable. Personal postcards, phone calls, e-mails and well written letters all help. Be sure to tell your legislator why you support or oppose a measure. Find out who to contact and how here. MEPPN ORGANIZING FOR LEGISLATIVE SESSION The Maine legislature has begun its work under extraordinary circumstances due to Covid-19. Committees will begin meeting electronically after a brief process of orientation. The first 187 bills have been printed and can be found in the weekly legislative report. The Maine Episcopal Public Policy Network (MEPPN) is looking forward to our continued advocacy work with the Maine Council of Churches (MCC) through the MCC Public Policy Committee, of which John Hennessy, Director of Advocacy, once again, serves as co-chair. The Network is also working closely with the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Maine Tribal Populations and will be supporting many of their bills to address systemic oppression. The Commission released a report of recommendations to the Legislature last September that will serve as a guide for analyzing new legislation in ten key areas in terms of its potential to combat racial inequities. In December, the Maine Climate Council released a four-year plan for climate action called Maine Won’t Wait. MEPPN is eager to work with our allies at the Environmental Priorities Coalition to help advocate for climate change. The newly formed diocesan Justice Commission, including representatives from the Racial Justice Council, Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Maine Chapter, and the Committee on Indian Relations, led by the Rev. Eleanor Prior, will work to align all advocacy work within the diocese for maximum effectiveness and efficiency.  GUIDED BY A MORAL AGENDA Two years ago, the MCC Public Policy Committee created a Moral Agenda to guide its work in the legislative arena, both at the state and federal level. As people of faith, united in our belief that every human being is a child of God, created in the image of God and beloved by God, we promote the full humanity and dignity of every person, the sacredness of all Creation, and the opportunity for everyone to achieve their full potential by calling for: • The full civil, political and economic rights of every person regardless of race, creed, gender expression, or sexual orientation. • Elimination of hunger and poverty, and enactment of policies benefiting the most vulnerable. • Affordable and accessible healthcare. • Tax and budget policies that reduce disparities between rich and poor, strengthen democracy, and provide greater opportunity for everyone. • Sustainable communities marked by affordable housing and public safety. • Sustainable use of Maine’s natural resources, while reversing the effects of climate change.

MEPPN JOINS MAINE GUN SAFETY SHOW UP NETWORK

Maine Gun Safety Coalition is a grassroots organization founded in 2000 to protect Maine families and communities from gun violence. They educate parents, administrators and the public about issues relating to gun safety, voice the concerns of their constituents to elected officials about gun legislation and provide free trigger locks to prevent the accidental discharge of weapons by children and unlicensed individuals.

They are starting a project called Show Up Network (SUN) having concluded that the only way to get gun safety legislation passed in Maine is to make sure legislators hear from gun safety constituents in the same large numbers that the gun lobby is able to mobilize. Their goal is to facilitate gun safety supporters to show up, call up, email and text in large numbers too. Sympathetic Legislators have made one thing clear: until gun safety advocates show up at the State House, email and call in large numbers to advocate for laws that will save lives, they won't be able to rally enough votes to pass life-saving gun safety bills. Watch this space and future Action Alerts to learn how to get involved!

INVEST IN TOMORROW

REDUCE CHILD POVERTY IN MAINE

While the poverty rate in Maine was starting to gradually trend downward, COVID-19 has upended some of our progress and exacerbated hardships. According to the Census’ Weekly Pulse Data, in Maine, more than half of adults living in households with children lost employment income since March of 2020, while more than one in three of Maine adults living in households with children reported difficulty paying for usual household expenses in the past week. The impact of the pandemic on families and children has made our shared goal of reducing child poverty while also strengthening Maine’s workforce more important than ever. Given the data, community needs, and progress we have made to date, the Steering Committee believes Invest in Tomorrow can make the most meaningful difference in 2021 working on the following priorities identified in the 2018 Invest in Tomorrow report. Please see the 2021 Invest in Tomorrow Priorities Overview for details on opportunities to move this work forward in 2021.

URGE CONGRESS TO PASS MEANINGFUL VOTING REFORM We must keep acting to address voting rights! Contact your Representative and Senators and urge them to vote for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Read more www.episcopalchurch.org

2021 FAITH-BASED ADVOCACY PROGRAMS

BE INFORMED AND PREPARED FOR LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

If you have questions about how to engage in advocacy, or want to learn more about the legislative process here in Maine, starting with the Maine Council of Churches advocacy series is an excellent place to start. All programs run from 6:00pm-7:30pm.   February 23 – Who Invited God to Augusta?  A look at the theological and scriptural foundations for doing faith-based advocacy work, including case studies of recent legislation in Maine where this work had an impact.   March 16 – Process and Perspectives An overview of the legislative process in Maine and the importance of using non-traditional lenses for analyzing proposed policies’ impact on people of color, women, and those experiencing hunger, homelessness and poverty.   April 6 – The Legislative Landscape This Session Hear from policy experts and MCC partner organizations about specific bills before the legislature and how you can make a difference in their outcomes.   April 27 – Practice, Practice, Practice Former Maine state legislators will reflect on their experiences in Augusta and offer advice to faith-based advocates on how to be most effective. They will also hold a mock committee hearing to provide participants with the chance to present testimony and receive feedback on how their message was received.   To learn more and register, visit the Maine Council of Churches.

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