Kate Bigam is the Press Secretary of the Religious Action Center of reform Judaism. This post first appeared at RJ.org.
Passover is rich in social justice themes. It is impossible to study the story of our redemption and not feel compelled to eradicate injustice in the world today. If your family or congregation is looking for a way to engage in social justice advocacy and awareness while remembering the story of our slavery in Egypt, we've got a few suggestions for you.
Is your synagogue already planning something creative and social justice-themed? Leave a comment a let us know!
A piece in the Forward provides a good introduction to Tav HaYosher, an ethical seal given to kosher establishments that commit to treat their employees with respect.
The program has lofty ambitions, but is starting at an attainable tier. As the founder of Uri L'Tzedek (the organization that issues the seals) says:
When I went into this, I wanted a living wage, health care, all kinds of benefits, but came to realize that even the most basic things were not being respected.
Three of the 36 establishments granted the seal spoke with the paper, and indicated that the seal has "been a draw" for those committed to ethical standards of employment.
Last night at the Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow broke a celluloid glass ceiling, becoming the first woman filmmaker to win best director. And that’s something to celebrate this International Women’s Day.
But every time we see a crack in the glass, we need to remember the people on the lowest rungs of our societal ladder, people who need our attention – if not the limelight. Like women. After all, women are more likely to live in poverty, face job and pay discrimination, and be abused. Not to mention that women are disproportionally affected by disasters, like Hurricane Katrina. And that’s just for starters.
Yes, this song is slightly cheesy, but its also really refreshing and a cool video. Makes me want to play in a field and apologize to anyone I've ever been a jerk to.
Anyway, the full story of the video can be found HERE, but basically, it was created by a group that's trying to encourage yogis to see their yoga practice as personal, social and political. To date, they've raised half a mil, by sponsoring Sun Salutation marathons. Not bad, eh?
Justseeds Artists' Cooperative is a decentralized community of artists who collaborate with social movements. They have a new book coming out featuring over 200 artists by "activist and non-activist printmakers who have felt the need to respond to the monumental trends and events of our times. "
Here are some prints and stories from their website where they're selling these prints.
"This poster was originally used for a poster/education campaign trying to apply the United Nations's laws for "Internally Displaced Peoples" to survivors of Katrina."
"Originally produced in 2000 and wheatpasted all over Memphis, TN, these posters connect the demands of the past with the realities of the present. It's a rough day when our demands are exactly the same now as they were 40 years ago."
"Each year, millions of Monarch butterflies migrate from North America to Mexico and back. Because of the extreme distance and the fragile nature of butterflies, they stop en route to lay eggs, and baby Monarchs from those eggs instinctively know to continue the route. I made this print both to honor and encourage women who flew from Mexico, or whose parents flew from there."
"Two fiery activists, organizers, movement founders, and writers who began, throughout the gritty reality of post-industrializing Detroit, envisioning and creating a better world."
Kate Bigam works at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. This post first appeared on the RACblog.
Imagine this: You're the only Jewish student at your suburban Ohio high school of 2,000. The synagogue your family attends holds Shabbat services only twice a month, because there aren't enough Jews in the area to generate weekly interest. You became a bat mitzvah like other young Jews do, but your ceremony was held at the local country club because your tiny temple didn't have the capacity - or the air conditioning! - to accommodate your large August service.
I don't have to imagine it, because growing up, that was my life. Don't get me wrong: I have always been and felt Jewish. My mother instilled in me Jewish values from a very young age, even when we were celebrating Christmas with my gentile father, and I've always felt connected to my Jewish identity. My mom fed this connection by assuring me that even if I didn't have the strong ties to the community that others had - the youth group experience, the summer camping adventures - that I had "a Jewish soul."
At age 20, following the death of a close friend, I began attending a university near my hometown, living with my mother and attending my childhood synagogue. As I renewed my spiritual relationship with my rabbi during this emotionally tumultuous time, my rabbi encouraged me to get away from Ohio for a bit and do something new - including connecting with my Judaism.
Interesting article about the National Association of Evangelicals getting on board for immigration reform, hosting immigraiton reform vigils yesterday. They represent 45,000 congregations and some 30 million evangelicals. They are calling "to protect the borders, admit legal immigrants, bring the undocumented 'out of the shadows,' and reunite families."
Am I a cynical jerk to assume that this is a calculated decision that's something like:
growing population of deportable people and their families
+
shrinking white population
x
religious imperative to convert everyone
= support of immigration reform
And if that's true, does it matter what the driving push is if it gets what we need for immigrants?
I shortened this statement which was released today by INCITE.
From INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence:
How can we intentionally support the long term sustainability and self determination of the Haitian people? When crises of this magnitude occur, we all understandably want to act quickly, but we must also figure out how to act thoughtfully in our efforts to develop a comprehensive, sustainable, and accountable transnational radical feminist response….
…We urge INCITE! members/chapters/affiliates and the broader social justice community to:
Heard about a protest that is coming up during the 2nd Annual Carbon Trading Summit. I don't know much about the nuance of the conversation, but protest promoters bring up the compelling argument that carbon trading is an effort to privatize the atmosphere, as corporations buy and sell the rights to pollute it.
Corporations are claiming the atmosphere as a private commodity and buying and selling "rights" to pollute it. Manipulation of these "rights" - in combination with so-called "offsets" (projects that claim to reduce emissions on their behalf, but most often do not) - will allow the industry to stonewall real pollution reductions for another 15 to 20 years, with devastating consequences for all life on earth. Carbon markets in the European Union have proven extremely volatile, prone to manipulation and gaming, and they do not help reduce emissions.
They've got a week of events planned that look really interesting.
Saturday, Jan 9, 10am-5pm: Nonviolent direct action workshop and strategy session
Sunday, Jan 10, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Panel discussion "Selling the Sky: Carbon Trading and the Failure of Copenhagen"
Monday, Jan 11, 7 pm - 9:00 pm: Presentation: "From COP 15 to Climate Justice Movement"
Tuesday, Jan 12, noon: Press Event: Featuring renowned climate scientist DR. JAMES HANSEN, and FATHER PAUL MAYER, of the Climate Crisis Coalition
Wednesday, Jan 13, 12 noon: Rally and protest action outside of the 2nd Annual Carbon Trading Summit
For more details about these events and the issues- CLICK HERE!
The United States Social Forum (USSF) is a gathering bringing together activists, organizers, people of color, working people, poor people, and indigenous people from across the US. The goal of the gathering is to build unity around common goals of social justice, to build ties between organizations present at the event, and to help build a broader social justice movement.
"This is a large scale and unique opportunity to learn from each other's experiences, shed light on social injustices, and build on community efforts to create real change," says William Copeland, a USSF staff organizer and member of the East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC).
An estimated 15,000 people attended USSF in 2007 for workshops, panels, plenaries, marches, parties and relationship building. This year the USSF is being hosted in Detroit from June 22-26th, 2010.
Detroit was choosen as the host city because of it's rich social justice history and because it could definitely benefit from the energy of thousands of people coming to town. Also, the spotlight has been shining on Detroit, as its decay has become symbolic with the worst fears for the future of the US and can be a symbol of amazing changes. (Watch this awesome Youtube about an amazing urban garden project in Detroit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH6sI7BqXLo&feature=player_embedded). Check out http://www.ussf2010.org/ for more info about USSF.
