WI Faith Voices for Justice
  • Home
    • Newsletter
    • About >
      • Programs >
        • Dane Sanctuary Coalition
        • Interfaith Community Building
        • Advocacy Workshop
        • Minimum Wage Challenge
        • Poverty Simulation
      • Sacred Site Visits
    • Annual Reports
    • Blog
    • Contact
  • Donate
  • Annual Celebration
    • A Voice for Justice Award
  • 2023 Ramadan Iftar

There's a lot to do!

3/19/2015

5 Comments

 
We progressive people of faith find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history, when so many political and social movements are coming to a head and beginning to converge. People are making connections between racism and poverty, economic inequality and political disenfranchisement, climate change and corporate take-over of governmental systems. We are beginning to realize we are stronger if we all work together than if we each just stay in our own vineyards, doing our own thing in isolation. 

At the same time, it is daunting to see all the issues we are facing, each of which comes with its own sense of urgency. As we have been tackling ongoing issues of hunger and homelessness, health care reform, and increasing income inequality, we are also asked to take on environmental issues. For none of these other issues will matter if our planet becomes unlivable. And yet we also must pay attention and acknowledge that ongoing issues of racism and classism exist even in the most liberal pocket of our state and country, and we cannot make progress on any other front unless we include these issues as an integral part of our work. 

So much is happening now, from Black Lives Matter; to the Fight for $15; to the Governor’s budget proposal with its devastating cuts to education, health care programs, its new drug testing requirement for applicants to W-2, a freeze on the Stewardship Fund; to the federal budget fight over deeply disturbing cuts to SNAP (food stamps) and the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP); to the erosion of the Voting Rights Act; to the continuing attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and so much else.  It can be overwhelming. We hardly know where to put our hands first. 

Two thousand years ago, Rabbi Tarfon said, “You are not responsible for completing the work, but neither are you free to refrain from it.” (The Ethics of the Fathers 2.16) He understood that the most important thing to remember is that, while none of us has the sole responsibility to save the world, each of us has our own role to play. If you can take just one action, attend one rally, write one letter, share information with one other person, then you have made an important contribution. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice appreciates all you do to help advance a progressive agenda that reflects the values and beliefs of Wisconsin citizens. Together, we can make a difference!

5 Comments

WISCONSIN FAITH VOICES FOR JUSTICE STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF TONY ROBINSON

3/16/2015

1 Comment

 
“You should love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18)

Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice extends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Tony Robinson.  His violent death has shocked and grieved our whole community. We pray for strength and healing for his family and for an awakening throughout our city and state to the issues of institutionalized racism and police violence toward young black men that poison our community.

We pray for wisdom for those investigating Tony Robinson’s shooting, and for patience and forbearance on the part of the community as we await more information.  We are grateful for the energy of the Young, Gifted, and Black Coalition in organizing protests and creating opportunities for dialogue, and for ensuring that all events are held in a peaceful and respectful manner.

When Wisconsin’s incarceration rate for black men is nearly twice the national average, something is terribly, systemically wrong. When Wisconsin ranks worst in the country in terms of child well-being for black children, something is terribly, systemically wrong. When more than half the children of color in Wisconsin live in poverty, something is terribly, systemically wrong.[i] As people of faith, committed to creating a more just and equitable society, we cannot stand silent while our neighbor bleeds. We must stand up and speak out against racism and violence and entrenched inequality.

As our community moves forward in the wake of this tragedy, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice pledges to strengthen our connections with the Wisconsin NAACP, and the Young, Gifted, and Black Coalition.  We pledge to educate our membership on the realities of what it means to be a person of color in Wisconsin.  And we pledge to build bridges to communities of color, and to fight for policies that address systemic racism, that keep people in poverty, and that perpetuate gaps in health, education, employment and other measures of community well-being.  Together, we can build a society that brings equality of opportunity to all our citizens.



[i] Statistics taken from Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Race to Equity Report,  http://racetoequity.net/dev/wp-content/uploads/WCCF-R2E-Report.pdf
1 Comment

    about

    The latest news from WFVJ, contributed by board members, interns, members, and friends.  
    Share your experiences with our Minimum Wage Challenge and discuss other economic justice issues.

    Archives

    January 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Economic Justice
    Living Wage
    Minimum Wage Challenge
    #raisethewage


    Follow WFVJ's blog by clicking on the RSS Feed below:

    RSS Feed

Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice | Moving from Charity to Justice
c/o Madison Christian Community
7118 Old Sauk Road
Madison, WI 53717
608-513-7121
wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com
Website managed by Rooted Consulting
Picture