Catholics and the Poor People’s Campaign

On Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m., there is a webinar to educate Catholics about the upcoming Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls on June 18. This assembly is the culmination of a year-long campaign that is seeking legislation to improve the condition of poor people in America. Proposals include expanding voting rights and the Voting Rights Act; a living wage; the right of workers to form and join unions; and high-quality pre-K-12 education for all. 

This webinar is especially for Catholic groups. Among the sponsors are the Franciscan Action Network, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Pax Christi USA, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and NETWORK. Speakers include the National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis; Bishop John Stowe, Bishop President of Pax Christi USA; and Sister Patricia McDermott, President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Locally, the activities of the Poor People’s Campaign have been organized by the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition. I am on their Board of Directors.
 
Click here to register. More information about the Poor People’s Campaign is here.

Religious orders urge support of voting rights legislation

The Sisters of Mercy and the Franciscan Action Network are urging people to participate in a call-in today (July 28), demanding passage of S.1., the For the People Act. 

Supporters of the legislation note that it has five main components: 

1. Election administration: Expand voter registration and voting access, specify how to appropriate remove voters from voter rolls.

2. Redistricting: Require states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting (states begin the redistricting process once the 2020 Census data is released, so this could have a huge impact for the coming 10 years).

3. Election Security: Investments and enhancement.

4. Financial transparency: Campaign Transparency, Countering Foreign Interference, Empowering Small Donors and Related Reforms, Enforcing Campaign Finance Laws, Strengthening Campaign Contribution Limits.

5. Ethics Reforms: Supreme Court Ethics Reform, Expanding Lobbyist Disclosure, FARA Reform, Recusal of Presidential Appointees, Executive Branch Ethics Reforms, Congressional Ethics Reforms, Disclosure of Presidential Tax Returns.

Please call each of your senators at 1-888-885-1748. 

“My name is {NAME} from {CITY/TOWN}. I’m calling because as a person of faith I am deeply concerned about state laws that are passing around the nation to restrict citizens’ voting rights. This is a moral issue for me, since when we infringe upon the voting right of one individual, we fail to recognize their human dignity and we end up threatening the health of our democracy. I urge Senator {NAME} to make it a top priority to pass the For the People Act (S.1), which would establish federal rules to protect the sacred right to vote and supersede those anti-voter laws.

Will the senator do whatever it takes—including delay recess and confront the filibuster rule —to pass the For the People Act?”