Category Archives: Front Page

Ralph McCloud

Honoring Black History Month: Advocating for Workers’ Rights

Honoring Black History Month

Advocating for Workers’ Rights

Black History Month is a time to honor the resilience, leadership, and contributions of Black activists, labor leaders, and faith-driven advocates who have fought for justice and human dignity. From the Civil Rights Movement to today’s ongoing struggles for economic and racial justice, Black leaders have shown us the power of collective action in the fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, and policies that uplift communities.

At NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, we recognize that this legacy calls us to action. As people of faith, we are called to uphold the dignity of work and ensure that every person—regardless of race, background, or economic status—has access to the protections and resources they need to thrive.

This Black History Month, our Government Relations Fellow, Ralph McCloud, reflects on how our faith compels us to advocate for worker protections and human needs programs. Too often, workers—especially Black and Brown workers—face systemic barriers to fair wages, paid leave, and safe workplaces. As Catholics committed to social justice, we must continue to push for policies that protect workers, dismantle economic inequities, and promote the common good.

Watch the video below to hear Ralph’s powerful reflection, and join us in taking action. Justice is not just a historical movement—it is a present and urgent call. ✊☀️

Want to dive deeper into the systemic inequalities that keep racial and economic justice out of reach for so many? Sign up for our Racial Wealth and Income Gap workshops to learn how we can take action together! Sign up here.

Immigration Policy in the 2nd Trump Presidency

President Trump’s first days in office were filled with a flurry of executive orders targeted not only the safety of our immigrant siblings, but the time-honored U.S. asylum and legal immigration process. Content, which is available at the links below, is accurate as of January 22, 2025.

NETWORK has categorized the Executive orders into four categories:

  1. The entering of refugees and people seeking asylum
  2. Birthright citizenship
  3. Rescinding earlier executive orders
  4. Enforcement, detention, and deportation  (This is the executive order category that most concerns NETWORK).

Below are summaries of the Enforcement, detention, and deportation executive orders. You can see more complete analysis on our sister site, networkadvocates.org.

EO action NETWORK analysis Known legal challenge
Expands expedited removal Expands Homeland Security (DHS) application of expedited removal, or the government’s power to quickly “remove” someone from the U.S. without due process. Previously, ICE and CBP were authorized to arrest and remove people within 100 miles of the border, within 14 days of their arrival. This EO allows for the deportation of any noncitizen found anywhere in the United States who cannot prove to the satisfaction of a U.S. ICE agent that they have been in the country for more than two years, unless they can prove credible fear of persecution. Expedited removal is being enforced immediately, but there are no reports of arrests as of Jan. 23. ACLU filed suit. No hearing set.
Freezes funding for NGOs Paused federal funding to organizations that support immigrants in “any way.” The Administration directed an immediate review and audit of all contracts with such organizations and will terminate any contract if found guilty of “fraud.” This would impact faith-based organizations like Catholic Charities and Annunciation House. Effective immediately, many organization’s funds have been suspended. However, we have yet to hear of organizations being asked to provide documentation or dates for audit.
Criminalizes aid Organizations and individuals who support or shelter immigrants may be held criminally liable for supporting “invasion.” Not in effect immediately.
Increases funds for U.S. detention centers No impact immediately.
Designates cartels as terrorist groups This could impact churches and faith leaders who work with immigrants across the border and who cross the border to work with immigrants in Mexico. This is effective immediately but there is no impact as of Jan. 24.
Allows ICE and CBP officers into sensitive and sacred locations The Trump administration rescinded the Sensitive Locations Memo, which for many years protected churches, hospitals, and schools from invasion by ICE and CBP officers seeking to arrest undocumented people. This is effective immediately. We have not heard reports of any arrests or raids except for instances of ICE “visiting” churches–not for prayerful purposes, and making no arrests. NETWORK has Know Your Rights guidance for Immigrants to help you know what to do if ICE or CBP approach. Filed. No hearing set
Allows ICE and CPB in judicial areas The Judicial Locations memo was rescinded, ending the policy of keeping public spaces inside or outside courtrooms free of ICE and CBP. Now, all judicial areas, except judicial chambers, are subject to ICE or CBP activity. Effective immediately. No impact reports yet.
Ends sanctuary cities The federal government will now condition state and city funding on their cooperation with ICE and CBP. This is effective immediately, but the impact will be felt later when funding cycles come up or if there is a natural disaster. No litigation yet.

You can see  more at our sister site, Network Advocates

Everyone in the U.S. has Constitutional rights, including including immigrants, with or without a document status. It is important that all of understand your rights if you are approached by law enforcement. NETWORK has created Know Your Rights one-pagers for this purpose. Click to download:

Know Your Rights for Immigrants – Bilingual One-pager
Know Your Rights for Immigrants – One Pager English
Conozca Sus Derechos – Half page Espanol
Know Your Rights for Immigrants – Half-pager English

Where Do We Go Now?

 

Where Do We Go Now?

From Sadness and Fear to Community and Hope

Joan F. Neal
January 30, 2025

Joan F. Neal is NETWORK’s Interim Executive Director.

It has always been true in our country — and reflected in our experience at NETWORK — that our greatest strength is in our communities, especially our grassroots friends, neighbors, and families. We were inspired and overwhelmed with gratitude at every stop of the Nuns on the Bus & Friends “Vote Our Future” tour last fall, with the good people and the good work we encountered along the way.

In the wake of the outcome of the recent federal election, we now know these neighborhoods, parishes, local service agencies, and mutual aid networks will be even more important in the years ahead. The incoming administration’s agenda will likely prove disastrous for many of the places we visited. They have promised to slash funding for communities who rely on federal housing, food, and health care programs. The president-elect promised mass deportations of our neighbors, violent repression of our Constitutional freedom to protest, retribution against political opponents, and so much more. This agenda threatens to destroy rather than support our communities.

For many people this is the cause of great fear, grief, disappointment, and even anger. Sadly, Catholics played a consequential role in the outcome of the Presidential election. Exit polls reported that, despite Catholic teaching and Gospel values, 61% of white Catholics voted for Donald Trump and 58% of all Catholics voted for him, an increase in Catholic support compared to 2020, when 50% of Catholics voted for him. This support carried him to victory. On the other hand, according to a National Catholic Reporter poll in seven battleground states, nearly 7 out of 10 Hispanic Catholics and more than 80% of Black Catholics supported Kamala Harris.

Beneath these numbers lie deep-seated beliefs and attitudes. In the PRRI American Values survey, 61% of white Catholics canvassed agreed that “immigrants should be kept in armed camps,” a view that directly contradicts the Catholic teaching about welcoming our immigrant neighbors. This is a systematic failure of catechesis when so many purported followers of Jesus are unable to look beyond a small handful of wedge issues to see how their views and their vote are disconnected from the common good and our shared humanity.

We justice-seekers have some choices to make. We can surrender, or we can speak out and resist every attempt to curtail our freedoms, deepen our country’s corrosive wealth gap, push people to the margins of our society or out of our country altogether, and demonize anyone who disagrees.

We can use our vote, our voice, our values, and our agency to defend our inclusive community, our way of governing ourselves, our principles, our respect for truth and the integrity of our faith, the dignity of all people, and the sacredness of creation. We can be the change we want to see in our neighborhoods, our country, and our communities of faith. But it will take affirmative and consistent resistance to do it.

At NETWORK, we will be joining our coalition partners — faith-based and secular — to stop bad federal legislation and to support positive policies wherever possible. We will mobilize our grassroots members and supporters to lobby their Congressional Representatives and Senators to pass legislation that promotes the common good. We will call out nefarious tactics and promote opportunities for good legislation to pass. We will hold our elected officials accountable at every opportunity.

What we need is to gather our collective courage and move forward, in community, toward the future we all want. As people of faith, we must reactivate our call to civic discipleship — to join in partnership with our brothers and sisters and continue with fervor our quest to protect, preserve, and promote our democracy and the freedoms that only democracy affords its people. Now is a time for unity and affirmative resistance.

But this sort of work requires hope. And there, Pope Francis has provided us with the perfect opportunity. He has announced a worldwide Jubilee Year of Hope, beginning December 24, 2024, and ending January 6, 2026. “[B]y looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision…the forthcoming Jubilee…can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire.”

We must use hope as our strategy to overcome the sorrow of today and carry us into the light of tomorrow. As Catholics and people of faith, we know God has not abandoned us. Even in the face of the abyss, all things are possible. So join us as we go forward in hope and faith toward the Beloved Community and a new day in our country and in the church.

This story was published in the Quarter 1 2025 issue of Connection.

Take Action After the January 2025 First 100 Days Strategy and Action Webinar

The First 100 Days

Strategy & action for the 2nd Trump Administration and the 119th Congress

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Join with Advocates! Visit your Representative’s local (district) office.

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Make a visit to the district office of your Member of Congress with NETWORK materials.

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How to Visit Your Representatives Local Office

During the House January Recess (Jan. 27-31), NETWORK advocates across the country are visiting their Representatives’ in-district offices to share information about NETWORK and our 2025 Legislative Priorities. You don’t have to be a policy expert to participate. This is a quick, relationship-building activity that is focused on values. We hope you will join us!  

Making the most of your visit to your Representative’s in-district office
Whether your Representative is brand-new to Congress or has been serving your district for 20 years, it’s important for you to build a relationship with the staff in their in-district offices and tell them about NETWORK and our policy priorities. In-district staff are members of your community, and getting to know them and demonstrating that you care about your district is your first step to building or strengthening your relationship with your Member of Congress.  

While this visit is not a formal lobby visit, it is an effective way to introduce yourself and NETWORK to the in-district staff—and increase your chances of getting a meeting with your Representative the next time they’re home.  Here are some tips for having a successful visit:  

  • Confirm the office’s location and hours. Depending on the size of your district, your Representative may have one or several offices, and their addresses and phone numbers will be listed on their official house.gov website. Call ahead to confirm the location and find out what days and times you can visit. If you’re going in a group, make sure that everyone knows what time you’re visiting the office.  

Important Note: While we are hoping for the visits to take place during January Recess, we also recognize that newly elected officials may not have all their in- district offices set up yet. If your local office isn’t open yet, please maintain communication and visit as soon as you’re able. It’s crucial for new Members of Congress to meet you and learn about NETWORK!  

  • Connect with other local advocates: There is power in numbers! If other NETWORK advocates from your district sign-up to participate, we will do our best to get you all connected. We also encourage you to think about who in your personal network you could invite to join you in your advocacy! 
  • Prepare your materials. In addition to the About NETWORK handout and NETWORK’s 2025 Legislative Priorities, you will also want to include a brief cover letter and make it clear that these materials are for the Representative and the District Director. In your letter, be sure to name that you’re a constituent and what town/neighborhood you live in, and include affiliations such as your parish or community, ministry or workplace, or where you volunteer. 
  • Prepare for your conversation. While this will most likely not be a long meeting, it’s important to think about what you will say. You will of course want to introduce yourself, NETWORK, and our 2025 Legislative Agenda; and if you’re going with a group, make sure that everyone briefly introduces themselves, and you can divide up what you are going to say. Remember: as this is a relationship-building meeting, it’s important to keep the tone friendly and respectful. This is not a time to debate policy. Also, please stick to the policies outlined on NETWORK’s 2025 Legislative Priorities; our Government Relations team has done the analysis, and we know that these are the first issues that the House is going to tackle through the budget reconciliation process. We also want to make sure that the staff understand who NETWORK is and what we work on.  

This is also a time to gather important information about the office and your Representative.  Here are some things you should learn during your visit:  

  • The names and emails of the District Director and Scheduler. This is key for scheduling future lobby visits! 
  • How you sign up for your Representative’s newsletter 
  • If your Representative is having any public events for constituents, such as town halls, virtual or in-person, in the next few months 
  • Be flexible during your visit. As this is not a formally scheduled lobby visit, you will most likely not know who you are going to meet when you go to the office. Since the House is on recess, you may actually get a few minutes to chat with your Representative. However, it’s more likely that you’ll speak with a District Director or someone in constituent services. Remember that not everyone in an in-district office deals with policy, so you may have to adjust how much you speak about NETWORK’s 2025 Legislative Agenda. Regardless of who you meet with, this is still an important first step to building a relationship with your Representative. 
  • Finishing touch and follow-up. If they’re available, be sure to get business cards for the District Director and Scheduler. Also, sign up for the Representative’s newsletter. And—just like you would for a lobby visit—a day or two after your visit, email the District Director and attach the About NETWORK and the 2025 Legislative Priorities documents to the email. If you met with them, of course thank them for their time. If you didn’t, simply let them know that you dropped by the office and that you’re looking forward to meeting with them in the future.   
  • Follow-up with NETWORK. As you know, we here at NETWORK love to see you in action. Please send us photos of you visiting the office, and, if it’s appropriate, include the person that you met with—especially if you do get a few moments with your Representative! About a week after January Recess, we will be sending out a report-back form so that we can collect information. Please take time to fill out the form!  
2025 Legislative Priorities - District Office Leave-Behind
About NETWORK - District Office Leave-Behind

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What’s the Real Reason for High Grocery Prices?

What’s the Real Reason for High Grocery Prices? 

Food prices are unaffordable! What’s going on, and what can we do?

Check out our food prices one-pager here!

Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP
August 30, 2024

Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP, is NETWORK’s Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator.

No matter how old we are, where we live, or what’s in our wallets, every one of us has a right to be free from hunger. It’s a matter of our dignity. Grounded in the teaching and tradition of Catholic Social Justice, NETWORK believes that all of us—especially our children and elderly—have an essential right to good, basic nutrition.

As we all have noticed, grocery prices have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic. But even after the crisis of the pandemic has subsided, and even as inflation has dropped off in recent months, grocery prices remain high. With food prices up roughly 20% in the last two years, too many of us are struggling to feed ourselves and our families.

Why are our grocery prices so high?

We hear all sorts of explanations for food inflation, but none of them explain why big food corporations keep raising their prices.

So, what is actually behind the continuing rise in food prices? The simple fact is that a few big agribusiness executives are lining their pockets at our expense. Economists estimate that, by mid-2022, 53% of the increase in food prices was the direct result of corporate profiteering. Workers’ wage increases accounted for less than 8%.

While we’re struggling to feed our families…

      • Big corporations made $2.5 trillion in profits in 2021 alone, their most profitable year since 1950—and corporate food executives still raised prices.
        • Tyson Foods made profits of $11 billion, up 48% from 2021.
        • Cargill, a huge commodities corporation, posted $5 billion in 2021 profits.
        • General Mills posted profit increases of 97% in early 2022, as it increased its prices by 53%.
        • PepsiCo raised prices for drinks and snacks by 17%, while its profits grew by 20%.
        • Coca-Cola’s corporate profits grew by 14%.
      • At the same time, food industry CEO salaries became even more bloated, averaging $22 million in 2022—almost 1,000 times the average food worker’s earnings.
      • All this time, a few mega-corporations controlled the food industry, all but eliminating real competition, and driving out smaller businesses.
        • Cargill and three other firms control 70% of the world’s food market.
        • Just four supermarket chains control 65% of the nation’s food retailers.

But you won’t hear big food executives and the politicians they buy mention these realities. Some Republican lawmakers like to blame inflation on the Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies — even though those policies help us afford our groceries. They blame the tax, unemployment, and rental assistance lifelines that got struggling families through the pandemic, and they blame new programs that build well-paying jobs, safely fix our roads and bridges, and give us clean air and energy. They blame these programs to distract us — because they would rather keep corporate profits high than fund the things that actually help us feed our families. They know it, and we know it!

What can we do?

The president alone cannot control inflation. President Biden has no authority to unilaterally issue orders to lower food prices, and a few lawmakers in Congress have blocked meaningful Congressional action.

Advocates at NETWORK’s “Care Not Cuts” rally in Long Island last year. From left to right: Fr Frank Pizzarelli, Sr. Tesa Fitzgerald, Angel Reyes, Serena Martin-Liguori, Monique Fitzgerald

But we can demand better! Together, we will ensure that Congress supports affordable, nutritious food for us and our communities.

As a multi-issue voter, you can ask your elected officials and the candidates on your ballot:

1. Will they ensure that freedom from hunger is an essential right for all of us by fully funding food assistance programs, including:

  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including its Thrifty Food Plan that protects SNAP benefits from rising food inflation? 
  • School lunches, elderly meals, soup kitchens, and food banks? 
  • The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which offers basic nutrition for pregnant people, new parents, and babies?

2. Will they stop rewarding the executives of mega-corporations and their wealthy shareholders at the expense of ordinary workers and their families by:

  • Reversing excessive Trump administration’s 2017 tax bill benefits for big corporations?
  • Imposing needed measures to curb excessive CEO and executive compensation packages for profiteering companies?
  • Making the tax system fair for workers and their families, with stronger tax credits for children, childcare, and earned income?

3. Will they push the Federal Trade Commission to put the brakes on the monopolization in big agribusiness and protect small farmers and sellers?

Vote Our Future logoAnd then, of course, VOTE! Head to NETWORK’s Be a Voter page to check your voter registration status, find your voting information, make a voting plan, and tell your family and friends to vote, too!

Together, we will make Freedom from Hunger a reality for all of us, no exceptions! We will ensure that our nation’s food industry isn’t about feeding corporate profits, but about feeding our communities.

See NETWORK’s Food Prices One-Pager Here:
YALL Food Prices One-Pager FINAL
Sources

Head to these links to learn more about the real reasons for rising food costs:

https://www.stlouisfed.org/open-vault/2023/january/complex-supply-chains-bottlenecks-and-inflation

https://time.com/6139127/u-s-food-prices-monopoly/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-is-cooling-the-gop-wants-you-to-remember-its-up-179-since-biden-took-office-152408852.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/us/politics/republicans-inflation-federal-reserve-powell.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/06/politics/inflation-gop-fact-check/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2022/05/10/how-windfall-profits-have-supercharged-food-inflation/

 

 

Presidential Debate Bingo!

2024 Presidential Debate Bingo!

Use NETWORK’s BINGO card to follow along the Presidential Debate on September 10

September 5, 2024

Who doesn’t like a good game of bingo while watching a debate?!

Presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will have their first debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 10 at 9:00 PM EDT on ABC. You can also watch the debate on Disney+ and Hulu.

Join NETWORK, our partners, and advocates across the country in watching the debate and playing BINGO along the way! While most bingo cards contain numbered squares, NETWORK’s nonpartisan bingo card features policies and actions that will bring us toward a future where everyone thrives, no exceptions. As you watch the debate, mark off any squares on your bingo card that you hear a candidate mention!  

Download and print out the 2024 Presidential Debate Bingo Card.

The 2024 election poses a critical choice to our country: will we choose a future where everyone thrives? You can use the bingo card to help you track what the candidates have to say on the issues, and discern how your vote will protect and expand a flourishing, multiracial, multi-faith democracy for all.

Don’t forget to let us know on social media if you score a BINGO! Post a photo of your bingo card and tag us at @network_lobby on Instagram or @NETWORKLobby on Facebook, and use hashtags like #MultiIssueVoter or #VoteOurFuture.

Download and print out the 2024 Presidential Debate Bingo Card.

Learn more about the issues and freedoms at stake this election with NETWORK’s Equally Sacred Checklist.

After you watch the debate… 

Vote Our Future logoMake a plan to VOTE! Head to NETWORK’s Be a Voter page to check your voter registration status, find your voting information, make a voting plan, and tell your family and friends to vote, too!

 

 

Welcome, Y.A.L.L.

Welcome, Y.A.L.L.

Young Advocates Leadership Lab Promotes Political Engagement on College Campuses

Jane Sutter
September 5, 2024

Baylee Fingerhut, a sophomore at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, is one of ten students in NETWORK’s new Young Advocates Leadership Lab (Y.A.L.L.) Y.A.L.L. serves as a training space for faithful young adults to build the skills needed to be advocates for justice in the world today. Photo: Min. Christian Watkins.

When Baylee Fingerhut, a sophomore at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, read about a new program seeking college students to become advocates for social justice, she was intrigued.

“I thought how amazing it would be to be a part of that, not just something that would help me grow my professional skills and help me network but to be part of something so impactful, like this inaugural group of youth leaders who want to go out and advocate and make a change,” she says.

Fingerhut is part of the first cohort of ten students in NETWORK’s Young Advocates Leadership Lab. Y.A.L.L. is a leadership and advocacy skills development program for college students, serving as a training space for faithful young adults to build the skills needed to be advocates for justice.

Building Up Y.A.L.L.

 

Over the years, NETWORK has offered training for college students, but Y.A.L.L. offers a new, deeper level of engagement with young justice seekers. It’s a natural outgrowth of NETWORK’s vision to mobilize a diverse national movement of justice-seekers.

For Fingerhut, a public policy major, the opportunity to participate in Y.A.L.L. has given her the opportunity to both advocate for others and “do the grassroots, boots-on-the-ground work” such as registering fellow students to vote and having conversations with students about why their vote matters, she says.

Choosing the ten students for the inaugural class of Y.A.L.L. was a competitive process as 60 students applied, according to Chelsea Puckett, NETWORK’s Grassroots Mobilization Outreach and Education Specialist, who acts as the convenor and staff liaison for the program.

Recruitment involved outreach to Catholic Sisters, advocates, and colleges where NETWORK had a relationship, as well as utilizing online tools for making professional connections with college students.

“We wanted to build a cohort of people to adhere to NETWORK’s mission of working for justice and equity for all people,” Puckett says.

Diversity of all kinds was an important factor. Not all the students are Catholic, but as part of the interview process, students were asked how their values, faith, or morals drive their advocacy work.

“We wanted to be inclusive of all different belief systems and backgrounds,” Puckett says.

Y.A.L.L. runs in two 13-week phases. The first phase took place from March into May, followed by a summer hiatus. The second phase will run from August into November. Each student commits to five hours per week and receives a competitive stipend.

Engaging With College Students

Katie Crump, left, and Anna Kopsick of the University of Dayton pose with the 2024 Equally Sacred Checklist, the central resource of NETWORK’s voter education campaign. Crump, class of 2025, is a member of NETWORK’s Y.A.L.L. cohort.

With Y.A.L.L.’s focus in 2024 being voter education and mobilization, in the spring, students hosted voter registration drives on their campuses, staffing tables in prominent campus locations, such as outside a student center or inside a cafeteria. They used the opportunity to introduce the 2024 Equally Sacred Checklist, NETWORK’s multi-issue voter education resource, to their peers.

At Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., Y.A.L.L. leader Kaila Crouch and Puckett helped students check online to see if they were registered to vote.

“It’s something you don’t really think about until, unfortunately, it might be too late,” Crouch says. She notes that students who registered to vote at the Y.A.L.L. table seemed relieved and made comments such as, “Wow. I’m happy this is checked off on my list of things to do.”

Crouch, who will return to campus in the fall to study for an MBA, and Puckett also visited a leadership and development class of senior students to discuss multi-issue voting.

Y.A.L.L. participant Imani McClammy, majoring in political science at Barry University in Miami, Fla., enjoyed teaching fellow students about multi-issue voting, quoting a line she learned from Puckett: “We’re multi-issue voters because we live multi-issue lives.” She told students how true that is. “I care about housing, I care about education, I care about minimum wage. These are all things that impact our lives.”

Imani McClammy, class of 2026, Barry University, Miami

Participating in the Y.A.L.L. program has been revelatory, several participants say. Theresa Lindberg, a freshman majoring in English literature and Spanish at Mt. Mary University in Milwaukee, Wis., says she discovered in talking with students that “some people just are not going to be interested in voting.”

McClammy says she believes the biggest challenge on her campus is explaining to students why voting matters. When she hears students say, “I don’t like politics,” she tries to explain: “Your life is full of political issues, even if you don’t think so.” McClammy researches laws or potential legislation to use as examples of what affects students’ lives, and she encourages them to find out what legislation the candidates support.

Puckett says the on-campus experience has been revealing. “Students are busy people,” she notes. “To hear what issues matter to them based on what they’re studying or their lived experiences was really insightful as we continue this work with young people.”

Breaking Through the Noise

Chelsea Puckett of NETWORK assists a student during an on-campus voter registration event at the University of Mount Mary in Milwaukee. Y.A.L.L. events on campuses will focus on voter awareness and engagement.

A key part of the Y.A.L.L. initiative is the weekly virtual trainings offered to the participants and conducted mostly by NETWORK staff. For the spring effort, students participated in a variety of workshops, including how to conduct a voter registration drive, multi-issue voting, breaking through the election noise, deep canvassing and door knocking, and appropriate use of social media.

One key training was on how to have difficult conversations with fellow students who have different viewpoints. The Y.A.L.L. participants did roleplay to practice, Puckett says.

Lindberg says those exercises were valuable “because we live in such a polarized country.” McClammy agreed. “Doing that workshop helped me more in having those difficult conversations and always finding a way to tie it back to Y.A.L.L.’s mission—being multi-issue voters.”

Y.A.L.L. participants also spent time in the spring laying the groundwork for campus initiatives in the fall. This included forming partnerships with appropriate student groups, campus ministries, and political science professors. The core mission for the fall will be get-out-the-vote efforts, so students are planning voter registration drives at orientation events for freshmen and transfer students. They’ll also knock on doors in student housing and off-campus apartments.

Ishara Baez, a student in the class of 2025 at the University of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx, NY, is among the ten students participating in NETWORK’s Y.A.L.L. program.

Y.A.L.L. students will inquire if students have a plan to vote and if they have a way to get to the polls. For those hesitant to get involved in the democratic process, students will use their conversational skills to try to convince them to do so.

Puckett notes that NETWORK’s involvement on campuses has been met with a warm welcome. “We plan for these to be sustainable relationships over many, many years,” she says. A new cohort will be selected for 2025, Puckett says.

Fingerhut, at St. Joseph’s University, says she already had some background in Catholic social justice, having learned about it in classes, but she had never seen a tie-in with politics. Participating in Y.A.L.L. has been “transformative to see it come to life on a stage such as a federal election.”

Learn more about NETWORK’s Young Advocates Leadership Lab (Y.A.L.L.) here. 

 

Jane Sutter is a freelance journalist based in Rochester, N.Y., and is part of the NETWORK Advocates team in New York State.

This story was published in the Quarter 3 2024 issue of Connection.

 

The Many Over the Money

The Many Over the Money

NETWORK’s Non-Partisan Voter Education Series Shows the Power of People Uniting

Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP
August 15, 2024

Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP, center, visits St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Chicago for a NETWORK election year training on April 14. Also pictured, left to right, are Vic and Mary Doucette from NETWORK’s Chicago team, Ken Brucks, and Sr. Eilis McCulloh, HM. Sr. Emily is NETWORK’s Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator.

From Indiana to California, from New Jersey to Texas, NETWORK Advocates across the nation want to build a world where everyone thrives, no exceptions. And they’re showing up. My colleagues and I have been privileged to work with wonderful advocates — NETWORK mainstays and new faces alike — who have attended online and in-person trainings to build skills and explore a variety of ways they can talk about the issues that matter to them and help their neighbors participate in our democracy this election.

We know we’re facing some big obstacles: a few ultrawealthy people are pouring big money into organizations trying to divide us over issues like immigration and rights for people in the LGBTQ+ community. They know that when we’re working against each other, we can’t see the ways they’re working to get big tax breaks for themselves and their ultra-wealthy friends — leaving the rest of us with few resources and struggling communities.

This election year, we’re coming together from across the country and across our many differences of race, age, and gender to build the skills we need to unite our nation around our shared values.

In April and May, the NETWORK team hosted two rounds of a four-week online training series. We talked about the many issues that matter to us when we consider candidates. We explored ways to talk about our issues that can help others see them as important — both in interpersonal conversations and in the ways that we contribute to the public narratives in our nation. Lastly, we explored other ways to get involved — everything from serving as poll workers to hosting ballot research parties.

We’ve also been hosting in-person trainings. These three-hour interactive workshops cover some of the content from the online trainings and give participants opportunities to practice and strengthen their skills even further.

Attendees have been thrilled by the skill-building opportunities and energized by the hope of being in community. Alice from California said, “Your sessions give direct, usable, doable actions for anyone who wants it. When we apply the information, results happen.” Sr. Mary Jo from Wisconsin said, “I wanted more hope in regards to this election. You provided it. Thank you.”

Vote Our Future logo

The Vote Our Future logo of NETWORK’s 2024 voter education campaign

Participants practiced talking about our visions for a future in which everyone thrives and learned about the policies that are helping us get there — recent victories like the largest investment in climate change prevention in U.S. history through the Inflation Reduction Act and the largest cut in child poverty in over 50 years through the American Rescue Plan.

They learned skills like deep listening and storytelling that help reshape people’s perspectives in one-on-one conversations and transformative narrative-building through the Race Class Narrative framework. Finally, they explored ways to get going on the ground, and many have signed up to be poll workers, committed to hosting voter registration drives, and much more.

As NETWORK has always done, we approach this election year with hope and welcome. From Nuns on the Bus to the 2022 Pope Francis Voter Tour to everyday conversations with policymakers in Congress, NETWORK staff and NETWORK advocates are transforming our politics by boldly declaring that all people deserve to have what they need to thrive. And we can get there when we go together — when we overcome the attempts to divide us by race, gender, and creed — and declare that all people are made in the image and likeness of God, who came that we “may have life and have it more abundantly.”

Like Alice and Sr. Mary Jo, we know that hope is an active virtue, and when we take action together, the many can defeat the money.

This is how we show up for each other, creating a world where nobody goes hungry, where people have access to safe and reliable shelter, good-paying jobs, and the ability to contribute to their communities. Together, we will vote our future so that everyone thrives — no exceptions!

This story was published in the Quarter 3 2024 issue of Connection.

 

Want to join in the action? Are you in the Louisville, KY area?  Register today for “Informed, Engaged, and Committed: NETWORK’s 2024 Election Year Training,” happening Saturday, Aug. 24, 8:30 am – 12 pm EDT, at Epiphany Catholic Church in Louisville. See you there!

 

Embracing the Great ‘Y’ALL’

Embracing the Great ‘Y’ALL’

Justice Demands a Future—and a Politics—That Includes Everyone

Mary J. Novak
August 8, 2024

Mary J. Novak is NETWORK’s Executive Director.

James Joyce famously described the Catholic Church as “Here comes everybody!” It’s a joyfully loud and messy image for a universal people of faith making their way through history toward the kin-dom of God. At World Youth Day in Portugal last year, Pope Francis echoed this sentiment when he described the church as being for “¡todos todos todos!” — “everyone, everyone, everyone!”

At NETWORK, we embrace this inclusive vision, not only for the church but for all of society. In our voter education efforts, for instance, we call on people to “Vote our Future” to embrace a vision of a future for everyone, where all people — no matter their race, country of origin, or socioeconomic background — have what they need to flourish and participate in our society.

While the beauty of Catholic Social Teaching provides a helpful light as we navigate toward a more just and equitable tomorrow, unfortunately, not all faith leaders devote their witness to promoting these values. The message many people receive in the pews is that they need to defend themselves against cultural “threats,” usually posed by greater acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in our society.

Sadly, some politicians stand to gain from people of faith, believing they have to defend an exclusionary worldview, whether against the LGBTQ+ community or immigrants and other marginalized people, in order to be faithful. It amounts to a brazen bet that people will do the wrong thing if it benefits them.

But not all faith leaders allow themselves to be cynically co-opted. Pope Francis, for instance, made a powerful statement about the role of faith in a complex, changing world when, on December 18 of last year, he approved a blessing for same-sex couples. While many noted that this did not change Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality, the point is that the pope modeled how to engage in affirmative acceptance and inclusion, rooted in human dignity, rather than treating human beings as threats.

This is especially urgent in the U.S., where the dominant position of the church has been to rebuff every legal protection for LGBTQ+ people as a threat to religious freedom. So much action on behalf of solidarity and the common good could be unleashed in the world if people of faith no longer feared for their identity or saw themselves as culturally under siege.

A group that understands this on a very deep level is young adults. While many have given up on the church because they see its teachings as endorsing intolerance, others have stayed and connected the dots of care for creation, care for immigrants, care for the whole human family, and the witness of faith. And so NETWORK, seeking to support and grow this energy, has engaged a cohort of college students this year to participate in our new Young Advocates Leadership Lab — or Y.A.L.L.

Like “Here comes everybody” and “¡todos todos todos!” Y.A.L.L. promotes an inclusive vision of faith at work in the public square. Y.A.L.L. leaders will engage in peer civic education on their campuses through activities such as voter registration drives and deep canvassing. These young leaders will also collaborate on NETWORK’s social media outreach to young Catholics. In an election year that has already proven so volatile, these young leaders are rays of hope for the future of U.S. democracy — and for the role of faith in preserving it.

Whether we worship in San Francisco, Detroit, or the Rio Grande Valley, Catholics have everything to lose if we silence our moral witness and buy into appeals to fear and scapegoating at the expense of solidarity and democracy.  The foundation of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, pluralistic democratic society should be an appreciation for how all people are interconnected, with our well-being and fates intertwined. In this challenging moment in history, people of faith have an opportunity to draw on these values and build our society anew.

This story was published in the Quarter 3 2024 issue of Connection.
Allen v. Milligan is a Surprise Win for Voting Rights

Supreme Court Term Impacts Our Freedoms – PART 1

Supreme Court Term Impacts Our Freedoms - PART 1

JoAnn Goedert, Ignatian Volunteer Corp Member
Government Relations Special Contributor
August 2, 2023

Welcome to Part 1 of our two-part series! We’re diving into how the 2023-2024 Supreme Court term affects our freedoms, as they’re framed in NETWORK Advocates nonpartisan Equally Sacred Checklist. This part focuses on key decisions impacting democracy and government accountability. Don’t forget to check out Part 2 for more insights.

The 118th Congress is often—and appropriately– referred to as the “do-nothing Congress.” Earlier initiatives that advanced NETWORK’s Equally Sacred freedoms through Biden Administration-led legislation came to an abrupt halt in the current Congress by the GOP House of Representatives majority.

This deadlock in our Congress’s progress toward the realization of NETWORK’s vision is cause enough for concern.  But even more troubling is the fact that—despite the stalemate in the branch of government that is charged with making new laws– law is being made in insidious ways, as the conservative majority of the Supreme Court has stepped in to advance an ideological agenda at a stunning pace.

Over the last two years, the Court has undermined our Equally Sacred freedoms over and again, sometimes with the potential for long-term harm to our democracy and to the common good.  As we think about those precious freedoms, here are some key Court actions and their potential impact on the national well-being.

FREEDOM TO PARTICIPATE IN A VIBRANT DEMOCRACY

Without a court system that protects our basic democratic institutions, all of our other Equally Sacred freedoms are at risk.  For this reason, recent Court decisions promise to disrupt the basic workings of those institutions and aggrandize power to itself and its ideological compatriots.

Presidential Immunity: The most prominent of those decisions is, of course, Trump v. U.S., the Court’s declaration that a President is largely immune from prosecution for actions during their presidency that may be deemed “official.”  This decision will almost surely shield the prior President from legal accountability for many of his most troubling around the 2020 election.  But it also raises grave concerns over the conduct of future presidents who may no longer fear liability for stark abuses of power and actual crimes while in office.

Conspiracy to Obstruct Government Proceedings: In Fischer v. U.S., the Court held that a federal statute criminalizing conduct that obstructs or impedes an official proceeding applies only to cases where the defendant tampered with physical evidence related to the proceeding.  This decision raises doubt as to some of the crimes under which many January 6 insurrection participants were charged, potentially including some of the charges against Trump in his January 6 trial.

Agency Authority: In a severe blow to our nation’s constitutional institutions, the Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo swept away 40 years of precedent to diminish the authority of federal agency civil servants to interpret and enforce laws, giving power instead to federal judges and, ultimately, themselves.  The Court used a narrow fishing industry dispute to discard, across the federal government, the long-standing “Chevron” doctrine that provided civil servants with expertise in complex health, safety, environmental, and other matters deference to make “reasonable” interpretations of general statutes—and instead allowed federal judges to usurp that authority, despite having no specialized knowledge and no accountability other than the Supreme Court itself.

To compound its efforts to weaken federal agencies, the Court issued two additional decisions, SEC v. Jarkesy and Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, that promise to increase the courts’ power over agency authority. NETWORK now envisions widespread litigation in which individual judges issue ill-advised and inconsistent decisions that will disrupt badly needed environmental protections, efforts to reduce health care costs, safeguards for workers, food and housing assistance programs, and other federal rules that have long advanced the public good.

Voting Rights: This year, the Court also struck a blow to the constitutional protection of voting rights from racial discrimination.  In Alexander v. South Carolina Conference of the NAACP, the Court held that a South Carolina gerrymander scheme that marginalized Black voters was constitutionally acceptable under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.  The dismal rationale for their decision was based on their earlier holding that flagrant gerrymandering is constitutional if those in power argue that it was done for “partisan political” reasons.  In Alexander, the Court went further to allow it, even when the redistricting damaged Black voting rights.

This decision contrasts with an Alabama case last year, Merrill v. Milligan, in which the Court created some voting rights optimism when it overturned a similar gerrymander scheme under the Voting Rights Act.  This year the Court also overturned an appeals court decision upholding the Arkansas legislature’s redistricting plan that plaintiffs challenged as impermissible dilution of the Black vote in two Congressional districts (Simpson v. Thurston).  In Robinson v. Ardoin, the Court also blocked a lower court order in Louisiana to allow the implementation of a new redistricting plan that added a Black majority district in the 2024 election.  While both of these decisions are temporary, pending further proceedings, it is positive that the Voting Rights Act has at least survived challenges even in the current Court.

Spread of Social Media Disinformation:   Two cases before the Court this term, Moody v. Netchoice and Netchoice v. Paxton, challenged Texas and Florida laws that limit the ability of social media platforms to regulate political and journalistic content posted on their sites as violations of First Amendment freedom of speech. While the Court returned both cases to the lower courts for further proceedings, they barred their enforcement for now and, most likely, through the 2024 elections. Accordingly, social media platforms remain able in both states to remove political disinformation as needed to support an informed electorate.

 

That’s it for Part 1 of our series on the Supreme Court’s 2023-2024 term. Click here to read Part 2, in which we cover decisions affecting economic security, public safety, immigration, and environmental health. Be sure to read both parts for the full picture.

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