Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
With the DNC and RNC behind us, election season is in full swing in a democracy that seems to be crumbling before our eyes. Our voting rights have been stripped over the years with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, racist gerrymandering and voter suppression, and now with an attack on the U.S. Postal Service, in a year where voters will be relying on casting their votes by mail more than ever.
It is clear that our rights are all but guaranteed. It's up to us, the time is now, our backs are against the wall, and we've got nothing to do but push.
Read on to learn more about the current political and economic situation with our new weekly "Forward Focus" policy briefing, RSVP for our Sept. 14th forum on voting rights, and register for this week's trainings on how you can help protect the vote.
A Word from Laura: Flunking Fall
“I don’t know how we’re going to do this fall. I really don’t. We’re so…”
My friend finished her text with an expletive appropriate for a working parent already overwhelmed with on-line schooling for her youngest two, upon finding out that her first-born’s college dorm is closing due to a covid outbreak. Not appropriate for a church-related email.
At our house Scott and I are coming out of denial that this fall would bring extra stress. Unable to find my battery-dead cell phone all morning, I felt like I was flunking life, when Scott brought my phone to me a few minutes ago. And told me it had been behind my laptop, at the desk where I had been sitting, the whole time!
Reclaim Our Vote (ROV)
About two weeks ago, twenty-seven (27) Westerners signed up to be Reclaim Our Vote (ROV) postcard writing volunteers. Twelve hundred (1200) voter names have been distributed to Western volunteers! Postcards are now being written, with messages to check registration and encourage early voting, and sent to voters in targeted southern states where voter suppression is occurring.
A Word from Session
Your Session sat, via Zoom, for its regular monthly meeting last week.
The main topic of the evening was to hear from the investment fund task force, led by Elder Jennifer Druliner.
It’s no secret that Western is the beneficiary of a substantial endowment – a legacy from our move to Virginia Avenue 25 years ago. Over the years, it has been used for much (or most) of the operating costs of the church, not to mention the considerable expense to maintain our building. This investment fund has allowed us to operate our 200-member church (staff and facilities-wise) like, say, a 500-member church.
Participate: #Give828
As part of the PCUSA-sponsored Week of Action (Aug. 24-30) , the denomination will be joining #Give828, a national day of giving focused specifically on supporting Black-benefitting organizations. #Give828 isn’t like other fundraising campaigns. This day takes place during Black Philanthropy Month and commemorates multiple important historical landmarks in Black Americans’ march toward freedom. The Anti-Racism Leadership Group encourages members of the Western community to stand in solidarity with Black Americans on August 28 by donating to Black-benefitting organizations.
A Word from Laura: Voting-A Sacred Right
As we get ready to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of women’s suffrage, I think of my Tennessee grandmother. She remembered August 18, 1920 with pride, when her state became the thirty-sixth to ratify women’s voting, thus establishing the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution, making it the “law of the land,” to use her language. Nanny told us the story of the day because she didn’t want us to take voting for granted. She wanted her granddaughters to remember the sacrifices made by many so that we could exercise our right. Her reminders are a big part of why I get myself to the poll, almost like it’s my religion.