Category Archives: Spirit Filled Network

How To Write A Letter to the Editor

How To Write A Letter to the Editor

Audrey Carroll
March 1, 2021

When you want to make your voice heard on an issue, writing a letter to the editor is a very effective advocacy practice. Letters to the editor work because they are widely read local content, Members of Congress pay attention to them, and LTE campaigns help create movements.

To learn how to write a letter to the editor, watch this training from NETWORK Press Secretary Lee Morrow and follow the tips below.

 

Writing Your LTE:

Start with your qualifications.

“As a multi-issue Catholic voter, I cannot stay silent while Congressman Jones vilifies our immigrant neighbors in his Feb. 10th op-ed “Illegal Immigrants Don’t Deserve Handouts.”

Tell them what you think!

“Dreamers and undocumented immigrants are essential workers who have helped keep this community running during the pandemic. They deserve access to COVIDD relief and citizenship.”

Bring it together with a legislative ask.

“I pray that Congressman Jones opens his heart and listens to his constituents. Undocumented people are our neighbors, community members, friends, and family. Catholic voters like me expect Congressman Jones to support the Dream Act.”

Find submission guidelines on your local paper’s website and send.

  • Found on the same page where you found length rules.
  • Submission will either be to an email address or online form.

Quick Tips:

  • You can write to multiple local papers.
  • It helps to tie your LTE into a recent story run by the paper.
  • Wait three weeks before repeating.

We Cannot Sit on the Sidelines

We Cannot Sit on the Sidelines

Colleen Ross
February 26, 2021

During Black History Month when we are called to honor the “accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor,” I’m inspired by recent events. Three Black leaders — Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock — made history in the past year and are shaping the future of our country and the Catholic Church.

When Pope Francis named Washington, D.C.’s Archbishop Wilton Gregory to become a Cardinal, he made history as the first African-American Cardinal in the Catholic Church. A few months later,  Senator Warnock defeated Kelly Loeffler to become the first Black Senator from Georgia, and on January 20 the country watched Vice President Harris become the first woman of color sworn in as Vice President. Cardinal Gregory, Vice President Harris, and Senator Warnock are well suited for these roles and our country will benefit from their knowledge and experience.

While we celebrate Black history makers past and present, we should also consider the many times racism prevented their predecessors from reaching the same positions. Vice President Harris said, “I’m honored to be considered a ‘first,’ but I always think about the people who came before and paved the way for me to get where I am today. From Rosa Parks to Shirley Chisholm to Congressman John Lewis, I stand on the shoulders of so many great men and women before me.”

How much have we lost, socially, economically, and theologically by allowing systems of exclusion and oppression to keep Black people from authority and positions of power?

As we celebrate these groundbreaking achievements, we cannot think the work is finished. We must do everything we can to dismantle systemic racism and ensure these “firsts” are not also lasts. Cardinal Gregory, speaking to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.’s Theology Tap last year said, “You cannot be a Catholic and sit on the sidelines.” No matter your religious tradition, as we celebrate and honor Black History Month, let us resolve not to sit on the sidelines, but instead actively work to end racism and move towards racial equity.

Racism and the Church: A Black History Month Community Conversation

Racism and the Church: A Black History Month Community Conversation

Audrey Carroll
February 25, 2021

On February 18, NETWORK hosted a community conversation in honor of Black History Month. At the event, NETWORK members discussed racism in the Church and our role in naming it and ending it. Board member Leslye Colvin shared her reflection on racism in the Catholic Church. Watch the conversation below, and read more reflections from Leslye on her blog Leslye’s Labyrinth: 

Black History Month – and Beyond – Watch List

Black History Month – and Beyond – Watch List

Audrey Carroll
February 11, 2021 

During Black History Month, we honor and celebrate the history and contributions of Black people in our country. Whether in politics, art, sports, or pop culture, Black people have continually overcome racism and bigotry to become national heroes and international icons. These films recognize the central role of Black Americans in U.S. history during Black history month and beyond:

American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free

This PBS documentary tells the stories of trailblazing Black female entertainers Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll, Nina Simone, Cicely Tyson, and Pam Grier. The film explores how the women overcame racism and sexism in their careers and has commentary from contemporary Black entertainers such as Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, and Alicia Keys. Available for free on PBS until February 16, 2021.

Becoming

Partly based on her memoir, Becoming is an intimate look at the life of former first last Michelle Obama. The documentary follows Obama on her book tour and features footage of her travels, talk-show appearances, and work during her eight years as First Lady. Streaming on Netflix.

Black Art: In the Absence of Light

Inspired by the 1976 exhibition “Two Centuries of Black American Art,” this documentary explores the erasure and exclusion of Black artists. Despite making some of the most captivating, conceptual American art, Black artists are rarely featured in major museums and exhibitions. The film includes interviews with artists and showcases their work and stories. Streaming on HBO Max.

Black Is King

This visual album by Beyoncé reimagines the morals from Disney’s The Lion King. The film tells the story of a young African prince who is exiled after his father’s death. The prince’s journey is an allegory for the African diaspora, reclaiming culture and heritage, and explores Black identity. Streaming on Disney+.

BlacKkKlansman

From director Spike Lee and producer Jordan Peele, Ron Stallworth, the first Black police officer in Colorado Springs, infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan group in with the help of his Jewish counterpart. Together, they attempt to take down the hate group from the inside-out. Based on a true story. Stream on Hulu or Amazon Prime Video.

Black Panther

Based on the Marvel comics, Black Panther tells the story of T’Challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, who is crowned king of Wakanda after his father’s death and is challenged to abandon the country’s isolationism and begin a revolution. Black Panther earned seven Oscar nominations and is the third highest-grossing film by a Black director. Streaming on Disney+.

I Am Not Your Negro

Filmmaker Raoul Peck looks at modern institutionalized racism through the lens of the James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript of a personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends — Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. Stream on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Kanopy.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, this film tells the story of the betrayal of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s by William O’Neal, an informant for the FBI. The long awaited Hampton biopic explores the themes of oppression and revolution with a stark relevancy to present day America. Based on a true story. Streaming on HBO Max.

Just Mercy

Young lawyer Bryan Stevenson moves to Alabama to represent people who have been wrongfully condemned. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, an innocent man on death row. Despite enduring racism in America’s justice system, Stevenson perseveres with the McMillian case and goes on to found the iconic Equal Justice Initiative. Based on a true story. Streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. The Equal Justice Initiative also has a discussion guide for the film available to download.

Soul

Disney and Pixar’s Soul follows the journey of Joe Gardner, a middle school jazz teacher whose soul becomes separated from his body on the day he lands the gig of a lifetime. Soul explores what it means to be human and find your “spark” in life.  This is the first Pixar film to feature a Black protagonist. Streaming now on Disney+.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Nobel-prize winning writer Toni Morrison reflects on her life and journey in publishing some of the most important books in history such as “Beloved” and “Song of Solomon.” The film features interviews with Angela Davis, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sanchez, and more. Streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song

This series reveals the 400+ year history of the Black church and discusses its role as the bedrock of African American survival, resilience, and freedom. The series includes interviews with faith leaders such as Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. William Barber II, Pastor Shirley Caesar, and more. Premieres February 16, 2021 on PBS.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

After sitting in the basement of a Swedish television studio for 30 years, some of the most iconic footage and material of the Black Power movement was recovered and compiled. The documentary contains some of the most candid interviews ever given by thought leaders such as Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, Kathleen Cleaver, and Bobby Seale. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The Hate U Give

Based on the Angie Thomas novel, The Hate U Give tells the story of teenager Starr Carter, who lives in a poor, Black neighborhood but attends a mostly-white, wealthy prep school. The worlds collide when Starr witnesses her best friend get fatally shot by a police officer. Available on Hulu and YouTube Movie.

The Tuskegee Airmen

In 1942, a group of Black college graduates were selected to train as pilots in the Army Air Corps in Tuskegee. Despite facing racism and prejudice from their peers and the general population, the Tuskegee Airmen would go on to become the first African-American pilots in the US military, flying missions in Europe. Based on a true story. Available on HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Whose Streets?

This documentary tells the story of the murder of Michael Brown and the Ferguson uprising. The film is composed of interviews with activists and community leaders who played key roles in the Ferguson protests and explore what needs to happen next in the movement for justice. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Kanopy.

Black Immigrants are People Too

Black Immigrants are People Too

Joan Neal
February 9, 2021

Black Lives Matter and that includes the lives of Black immigrants. In the United States, the narrative around immigration usually focuses on Latinx people coming across the southern border from Mexico and Central America, but Black immigrants from these countries, from the Caribbean, and from Africa comprise a significant and growing part of the story of our immigration story. Black History Month provides an important opportunity to learn about stories and struggles of Black immigrants.

There has long been a large population of Black immigrants in this country since the sixteenth-century slave trade began. This should not be surprising to Americans. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. Of the 10.7 million who survived the Middle Passage, 388,000 disembarked in North America. The rest ended up in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Over time, many of the descendants of those enslaved persons migrated to the United States seeking asylum, family reunification, work, or higher education. Today, about 50% of all Black immigrants come from the Caribbean region, around 4% from South America, and nearly 45% from the African continent, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa.

Moreover, Black people are a growing segment of the immigrant population in the U.S. According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, in 1980 there were 816,000 Black immigrants. By 2000, the number of Black immigrants in the country had risen 71% to 2.4 million. Six years later in 2016, that number had increased to 4.2 million, meaning nearly 10% of all Black people living in the U.S. were foreign born . Such rapid growth in the Black immigrant population is expected to continue, especially in large metropolitan areas. According to the Census Bureau, by 2060 16.5% of all Black people in the U.S. will be immigrants.

But these statistics are not the whole story. With few exceptions, the lived experience of Black immigrants very much mirrors the experience of U.S.-born Black people. Black immigrants encounter anti-Black discrimination and racial prejudice because of the color of their skin. Similar to U.S.-born Black people, they are often subject to the same risks of poverty, lack of access to quality health care or affordable housing, over-policing, and increasing incarceration.

More than other immigrant groups, undocumented Black foreign-born people find themselves caught in the prison to deportation pipeline. In fact, Black immigrants account for a disproportionate number of criminal-based deportations. Guilt or innocence aside, 76% of Black immigrants are deported on criminal grounds compared to 45% of all immigrants. Like the prevailing experience of U.S.-born Black people, there is no other explanation for these statistics than that it is because they are Black. When they arrive in the U.S., Black immigrants are no longer Ghanaian, South African, Jamaican, Haitian, or Nicaraguan. They are simply Black, and in this society, their lives do not matter.

Anti-Black racism has been present in this country since its founding. Despite the fact that Black people were forcibly brought here, when it came time to answer the question ‘who belongs in this nation’, the country’s overwhelming answer was only white people. History and our founding documents show that anyone who was not considered white was not meant to be a citizen. This was quickly incorporated into the immigration system where it persists even today. Despite the words that are etched on the Statue of Liberty –“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”, the United States continues to demonstrate it is unwelcoming to Black people, citizen or not.

Whatever it was about the murder of George Floyd last year that opened America’s eyes, indeed the eyes of the world, about the enduring persistence of systemic racism, the fact is that there is no going back from that realization. As a people, we must deal with it. The fundamental question before the United States, indeed before the world since anti-Black racism is global, is what is to be done about it?

This moment in our history invites us to finally address the issue of pervasive, instututionalized anti-Black racism. It calls us to transform our society, our laws, our systems, including the immigration system, to ensure that all lives matter equally. No exceptions. Time will tell if we are up to the challenge.

Sources:

Trans-Atlantic Database, https://archive.slavevoyages.org, David Eltis, David Richardson, ed.

U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, March 2016

US Immigrant Population Projected to Rise Even as Share Falls Among Hispanics and Asians, Anna Brown, Pew Research Center, 03/09/2015; “Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850-2000” and 2014 population projections, U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Yearbook and Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, 2000

Build Anew: A Justice Agenda for All of Us

Build Anew: A Justice Agenda for All of Us

Colleen Ross
February 3, 2021

Last week, during NETWORK’s January 2021 Legislative Webinar, Government Relations Associate Gina Kelley introduced NETWORK’s new policy agenda, the Build Anew Agenda.

The Build Anew Agenda is a response to NETWORK’s direct encounters with people and families as well as the direction of the country overall over the past several years. Year in and year out, we’ve seen how our society in the United States has been deliberately organized to benefit white people over people of color. This structural advantage occurs at all levels: the political, social, and individual.

The growing economic disparity and increasing individualism that results from maintaining our current racial hierarchy and economic inequality must end. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, we are all connected to one another and our health, wellbeing, and lives depend on one another.

The Build Anew Agenda is our pathway forward to realizing our vision of a just and inclusive society.

Four cornerstones, based on the principles of Catholic Social Justice are the foundation for building our country anew in 2021 and beyond.

Cornerstones to Build Our Country Anew
  • Dismantle Systemic Racism
  • Cultivate Inclusive Community
  • Root Our Economy in Solidarity
  • Transform Our Politics

In meeting and listening to people and families across the country – engaging in what Pope Francis calls “a culture of encounter” – we at NETWORK have come to know that we must find a way to realize our vision of a just and inclusive society where all can thrive. This includes especially those most often left out: women, people of color, people on the economic margins, and those at the intersections of these identities.

List of policy areas in a pie chart: Our economic security, Our healthcare, housing, and food policies, Our democracy, Our taxes, and Our immigration and justice systems

Despite our divisions, we proclaim the truth that all people in the United States, together, make up one single community. Pope Francis says, “Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems.”

I invite you to join in the work of supporting NETWORK’s Build Anew Agenda by advocating for federal policies that dismantle systemic racism, eliminate the wealth and income gap, improve the well-being of our communities, and allow all people to thrive. We must build anew across sectors, and across divides, to address injustice and disparities in our country

Chanukah, a Celebration of Light, Chutzpah, and Miracles

Chanukah, a Celebration of Light, Chutzpah, and Miracles

Meg Olson
December 16, 2020

December 10 marked the first night of Chanukah, the 8-day Festival of Lights when Jewish people celebrate and commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BC. Greek-Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes had abolished Judaism and desecrated the first Temple by renaming it for the Greek god Zeus. In response to this oppression, Judah and the Maccabees rose up and defeated the Syrian army, which restored not only the practice of Judaism, but also the Jewish people’s political autonomy and self-determination.

When the Maccabees entered the Temple to restore and purify it, their first task was to relight the ner tamid, the light that hangs in every synagogue to symbolize God’s omnipresence. However, they only had one jar of oil, which would only be enough for one day’s worth of light. Knowing that it would take eight days to obtain more oil, the Maccabees relit the ner tamid anyway, and it miraculously lasted for eight days.

Rabbi Susan Talve, the founding rabbi of Central Reformed Congregation in St. Louis, MO, has said that the real miracle of Chanukah isn’t that the one jar of oil lasted for eight days, but it was that the Jews had the chutzpah to light the ner temid at all, knowing that they didn’t have enough oil.

What I love about Rabbi Talve’s interpretation of the Chanukah story is that it emphasizes the miracle of people, rooted in faith, who took things into their own hands. Chutzpah is a wonderful Yiddish word that means “audacity.” When I think about the 2020 Election and NETWORK’s role in it, I think, “Wow, that took a lot of chutzpah!” Our staff and board had a lot of chutzpah to declare that Catholics can’t vote for Trump. It took quite a bit of chutzpah for us to hit the virtual highway with a month-long Nuns on the Bus tour. Our members and supporters had the chutzpah to share our Equally Sacred Scorecard with their bishops, pastors, and friends and to declare, “Yes, Catholics are multi-issue voters!” Beyond NETWORK’s own efforts, I’m grateful for the activists, poll workers, and election auditors’ chutzpah to ensure that our nation had a safe and fair election. Isn’t it a miracle that in a pandemic we had a record-turnout of voters? Isn’t it a miracle that we saved our democracy?

Now, as we wait for the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration, we must refocus our efforts on ensuring that Congress passes a COVID relief bill that truly provides care for those who need it most. So much of our nation is hurting and broken right now. Those who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to the pandemic are standing in line for hours for food donations and are on the brink of eviction. A COVID relief package must include cash assistance and paid sick days and medical leave if it is truly going to make a difference for individuals and families in crisis, especially for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant communities.

And so, in this time where we are mourning the deaths of nearly 300,000 Americans, working on the Georgia Senate Run-off, still seeing the Trump administration attempt to undo the Election, and figuring out how to celebrate the holidays safely with our loved ones, we must also have the chutzpah to tell our legislators, “No, the current bills are not enough. We need more!”

I know we can do it. To quote Peter Yarrow’s beautiful Chanukah song, “Light One Candle,”

We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!

We can be the miracle, the light in the darkness.

Cultivating Community on the 2020 Virtual Nuns on the Bus Tour

Cultivating Community on the Virtual Nuns on the Bus Tour

Meg Olson
December 4, 2020

Back in April, when it became clear that we were going to be in this pandemic for the long haul and weren’t going to have a cross-country Nuns on the Bus tour, I have to admit: I was filled with sadness and despair. How was NETWORK going to be able to make a difference in the most important election of my lifetime? How were we going to cultivate the community that we experience on the Bus? Soon though, thanks to my team’s creativity, our members’ and supporters’ willingness to embrace Zoom and other technology to meet with their Members of Congress and attend workshops, and our partners’ thoughtful virtual events that they hosted, we were able to muster up the enthusiasm and vision necessary to help create a month-long virtual Nuns on the Bus tour that held a total of 63 events in 16 states!

In some ways, the virtual nature of the Bus allowed us to do things that would have never happened on the road in real life. Our very large Bus would have never made it to the hollers of Southwest Virginia to visit the Health Wagon, where we met with Dr. Teresa Tyson and Dr. Paula Hill-Collins and learned about the innovation required for a mobile clinic to provide everything from dentures to cystoscopies to one of Central Appalachia’s most under-served communities. We would not have been able to host 5 Dialogues Across Geographic Divides in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, which brought people together from rural communities, small towns, suburbs, and cities across a state to discuss the challenges they face and begin to find common solutions. Finally, folks from Utah would have never attended a Town Hall for Spirit-Filled Voters in Erie, Pennsylvania!And we were still able to cultivate community. The sisters who “rode” the Bus with us met three times a week with Sister Simone for prayer and meditation. Nearly every night, Catholics and other people of faith gathered in Zoom break-out rooms and shared how their faith had led them to become multi-issue voters. At our Health Care Rally, seasoned advocates Elena Hung and Laura Packard welcomed Kristin Urqueza from newly-formed Marked by COVID, and were eager to connect with and support her. And to this day participants from our Wisconsin Dialogue Across Geographic Divides are continuing the conversation and supporting each other’s activism.

So yes, our Nuns on the Bus Virtual Tour was unusual, but it still managed to be the perfect vehicle of justice and joy to show the nation that “Who We Elect Matters.”

For more information, download the full NETWORK Election 2020 Report.

The Election Results Show Spirit-Filled Voters Chose Community Over Division

The Election Results Show Spirit-Filled Voters Chose Community Over Division

November 9, 2020
biden

President-elect Joe Biden helps kick off the 2014 Nuns on the Bus tour.

The 2020 election has been historic, with record high turnout and even higher stakes for the future of our country. While it demanded patience to count every vote, the results are now clear.

The people of the United States have chosen President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to lead our country and rejected President Trump’s politics of racism, hatred, and division.

This is a time for celebration, gratitude, and preparation for the challenges ahead.

Just before the election was officially called, when it was clear that President-elect Biden would secure the electoral votes needed, Sister Simone Campbell issued the following statement:

“Catholics are not single issue voters, and that’s why Vice President Biden is winning this election. Our community looked at the entirety of Donald Trump’s divisive and harmful record and chose to elect leaders who will govern with empathy and concern for the most marginalized. Catholics rejected racism, hatred, and division and embraced the politics championed by Pope Francis – a politics of love and inclusion.

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in American history. When President Trump leaves office in January, he will leave behind a battered country, a biased court system, and a bitter divide in many parts of our nation.  It is up to all of us to fix what Donald Trump has broken. Unlike his administration, we are confident that a President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will listen to the full breadth of equally sacred values that multi-issue Catholic voters hold dear.

“So do not turn away from the pain and sadness of what Donald Trump has wrought. Allow it to break your heart. When our hearts have been broken open, nothing can stop us. The faithful way forward is together. We congratulate Vice President Joseph Biden and Senator Kamala Harris on their imminent victory, and we look forward to working together to create a more perfect union, caring for those who were too often left out of the Trump administration’s care.”

There is still much work to be done to create a nation driven by justice, equity, and inclusion, and as a family, we can do it together.

Together, let us congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris on their victory, and look forward to creating a more perfect union, caring for those who were too often left out of the Trump administration’s care.

Faith Leaders’ Statement on Integrity, Safety and Fairness in the 2020 U.S. Election

Faith Leaders’ Statement on Integrity, Safety and Fairness in the 2020 U.S. Election

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
October 22, 2020

NETWORK’s Executive Director Sister Simone Campbell, SSS has signed onto the letter below calling for integrity in our election processes. The letter has been sent to all U.S. congressional offices.

Let me be weighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity! – Job 31:6

O you who believe! Fear God, and be with those
who are true (in word and deeds). – Quran 9:119

As people of faith and heads of Washington-based offices of religious denominations and national organizations, we call for integrity in the processes that shape our systems of governance and form the basis of our shared wellbeing. We believe that free, fair, safe and respected elections are a bedrock of democracy, and that active and informed citizen participation in the political and electoral process is essential not only to the proper functioning of government but also to the full exercise of our faith. Therefore, we are deeply troubled by any actions or statements that intimidate voters or deny safe and equal access to voting, or that sow doubt in electoral outcomes and raise a threat of violence. Such efforts to corrupt and undermine core electoral freedoms must be condemned in the strongest of terms across the political spectrum.

This nation can only live up to its democratic ideals when all are confident that they can vote freely and without undue hardship for the candidates of their choosing. This is particularly critical in light of the long history of racial disenfranchisement in the United States. Polling places must be equally accessible, safe, orderly, and free from intimidation. All votes must be counted in a fair and transparent manner. The decision of the majority must be upheld with a peaceful transition. These core democratic ideals should be fiercely protected by all of us, regardless of political persuasion or religious affiliation. An election “won” by undermining democratic processes is a loss for us all…

Click here to read the full letter.