Social Justice and Advocacy Update

LET US PRAY FOR OUR NATION

OCTOBER 27- NOVEMBER 4

Bishop Michael Curry Invites Election Prayers

Let us come together across the church to offer a novena for discernment in voting and for the well-being of our nation.

Starting October 27 and continuing through the day after the election, we invite you to pray for the election of leaders in the United States. Download the guide below for use at home or to share with your congregation:

The prayers will also be posted daily on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, #seasonofprayer. To download the images to share daily on your own social media accounts, visit Forward Movement.

EASY-TO-READ

VOTER GUIDE

League of Women Voters' Releases Nonpartisan Voter Guide

The League of Women Voters of Maine Education Fund produces and distributes thousands of copies of their nonpartisan voter guide across the state of Maine. View and download the guide here:

All candidate statements are provided by the candidates and are not edited or changed in any way. Candidate statements or explanations of any ballot questions included don't represent the views of the League or any of their distribution partners, like schools, libraries, nonprofit organizations, or agencies.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE ELECTING

The 2020 election season is in full swing. The EPPN Election Series, an ongoing educational series on the election process and the transfer of power, has provided pieces highlighted how voters can safely and successfully cast their ballots and some of the barriers to voter access that exist around the country.

As the American people begin the process of electing the president and the next Congress, we now hope to explain what voters can expect in the days and weeks following Election Day. No two elections are ever the same. The 2000 presidential election dragged on for weeks due to issues in one state: Florida. By contrast, the results of the 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections were known within a few hours of polls closing across the country. The 2016 election took a bit longer, but even then, we knew who had won the election by early the next morning.

Nothing is 100 percent certain about the 2020 race, but it would be prudent for voters to expect that we will not know the winner of the presidential election on November 3, 2020. EPPN goes go step-by-step into the vote counting process to show you why here. We encourage everyone to read this educational article.

DIOCESAN CONVENTION SUPPORTS SIX POLICY RESOLUTIONS

Clergy and lay delegates from all over the state converged via Zoom last Saturday to conduct the diocese’s first virtual convention. In addition to the 2021 budget and clergy and lay compensation resolutions, the diocese supported six policy initiatives.

The first two resolutions supported the Bishop’s creation of a new Justice Commission and Racial Justice Council and two related initiatives that adopt language contained in a letter to the Church on Breaking Free of White Supremacy and a Covenant to Root Out Racism.

The letter, written by the Revs. Stephanie Spellers, Winnie Varghese, and Kelly Brown Douglas, expresses the belief that with God’s help, The Episcopal Church can become an instrument not of oppression but of God’s peace. The Covenant of Anti-Racism is a relationship of commitment between God and God’s people written in response to the death of George Floyd and others in police custody by the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson of the Diocese of Missouri.

Both documents will serve as a template for the new racial justice council as it works to help Episcopalians in Maine recognize and respond to the 21^st century systemic injustices that still occur in multiple contexts.

The convention passed a resolution supporting stewardship of creation and practice of justice/equity. This initiative codifies an existing diocesan staff policy to offset carbon emissions for all business-related air travel. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has unexpectedly shown how people can adapt lives and livelihoods to avoid traveling in the short term, the convention agreed to support the resolution. Several delegates spoke to the need of crafting a more comprehensive diocesan-wide climate justice policy in the near future feeling this effort did not go far enough.

Finally, the convention approved a resolution submitted by the Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations to support the recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. The resolution was drafted to support LD-2094, a bill currently on the docket, introduced with a statement of support from John Dieffenbacher-Krall, and was amended from the floor to include language supporting substantially similar legislation offered in the next legislature.

The creation of the Justice Commission, Racial Justice Council – and possibly a future Climate Justice Council – affirms that the Gospel and our Baptismal Covenant call individuals and churches to find more effective ways to respond to racial injustice in Maine. The Racial Justice Council will help all congregations to engage in appropriate actions and responses in order to be ready and able to listen to diverse neighbors to develop reconciling relationships.

The convention endorsed continued support for an aggressive approach to creation stewardship and a renewed commitment to the work of the Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations.

You will be hearing much ore about the good work of these groups, including Episcopal Peace Fellowship and the Maine Episcopal Public Policy Network in the weeks and months ahead.

Maine Office of the General Attorney Election Advisory

The right to vote is a fundamental principle of our democracy. State and federal law protect the rights of Maine voters to vote safely in elections, free from intimidation. The Maine Office of the Attorney General will enforce those laws as necessary to ensure that all Mainers are able to peacefully exercise their fundamental right to vote without disruption. In furtherance of the right of the people of Maine to vote freely and safely, the Office of the Attorney General issued an advisory concerning poll monitoring and voter intimidation. Read the advisory here.

Explore the History of Campaign Songs

At the surface level, it might seem like music’s role in politics is just a convenient way to begin or end a political rally. However, history has shown us otherwise. Political songs have been used for hundreds of years to bolster the image of politicians running for office. Not only is it a way for politicians to promote the ideals around which their campaigns are centered, it is also a way for a politician to portray themselves in a more relatable light by striking an almost literal chord with the general public.

Over time, campaign songs have evolved from original jingles composed specifically for a candidate to the use of billboard hits and popular music adopted by a politician as a metaphor for the overarching theme of their campaign.

Visit The Great American Songbook Foundation to learn more.

Gun Safety Reform as a Concern for Religious Leaders and Communities

More than 40% of Americans either own guns or live in a home where firearms are present. Members of my faith tradition, white evangelical Christians, are more likely to own guns than are their complements among the general populace, but we are not alone among religious gun enthusiasts.

According to analysis of Pew data done by Christianity Today: “Between a quarter and a third of other religious groups own guns: 33 percent of white mainline Protestants, 32 percent of the unaffiliated, 29 percent of black Protestants, and 24 percent of Catholics.” Of gun owners overall, two-thirds say they keep weapons for personal protection.

Read more here at Future Story of America.

Turnout Sunday Resources for Civic Engagement

Turnout Sunday coordinates civic engagement and public policy information sharing among denominational and independent church leaders facilitated through the Skinner Leadership Institute and the National African American Clergy Network (NAACN). This important clergy network has worked together on voter registration, education, protection, engagement and turnout activities and is proud to partner with Sojourners, a recognized authority on faith-based advocacy, and a source of information and inspiration to more than 5 million people of faith across the nation.

The National African American Clergy Network partnership with Sojourners through the Turnout Sunday/Lawyers & Collars project brings together clergy (often in sacred collars), and lawyers to provide a moral and legal presence at polling sites of vulnerable voters. Download these materials in the faith-based voter toolkit here to empower you as clergy and lay leaders to reach out to your family, friends, colleagues, congregations, and acquaintances to raise awareness and promote activism.

Portland and South Portland have released a draft of One Climate Future after more than 18-months of work. Thousands of residents completed surveys, attended events, and participated in workshops. City staff, businesses, and local leaders also contributed knowledge, ideas, and experiences to help shape ambitious yet achievable solutions. These voices helped craft One Climate Future to enable these cities to take on the climate crisis in creative and practical ways. You can read and explore the plan online at oneclimatefuture.org.

The Sustainability Offices of Portland and South Portland will host two online workshops to share key elements of the plan, including the Six Big Moves. Join them on Thursday, October 29 from 6:30-7:30pm or Friday, October 30 from 12:00-1:00pm. Register online free and zoom information will follow.

Cathedral Volunteers Registering

New Voters

Dan McDonald of St. Luke's Cathedral is part of a group volunteering to register new voters. In his shift, he had a total of 9 enrollments and 4 requests for absentee ballots, and many requests for “Making Your Vote Count” in French, Spanish, Somali and English from clients of St Luke’s Food Pantry and St Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry. Many of their clients are non-English speakers and/or not yet citizens. Volunteers were trained by League of Women Voters to register voters and request absentee ballots.

Hope Acts' Asylum Seeker

Assistance Program (ASAP)

Hope Act's Asylum Seeker Assistance Program (ASAP) has been adapted to serve clients in a safe manner during the COVID pandemic by appointment. They are open to any asylum seeker needing help understanding documents, completing work permit and housing applications, making medical appointments, etc. Make an appointment based on the schedule here. Work permit assistance is offered Wednesday from 11:00 - 2:30pm. Assistance with other issues is available on Mondays and Thursdays from 11 - 2:30pm. To make an appointment, contact Julie at 207-274-6005. French/Portuguese speakers should call or text Eliodor at 207-409-7952.