Tag Archives: white supremacy

Advent Calls for Renewal

This Advent Calls for Renewal

Joan F. Neal
December 8, 2023

Advent 2023, Week Two Reflection: Disavow and Dismantle White Supremacy

Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 10.

IS 40:1-5, 9-11
PS 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
2 PT 3:8-14
MK 1:1-8

The readings on the Second Sunday of Advent remind us that the purpose of Advent is to show us that we can start again, that new beginnings are possible. The Gospel and the first reading this Sunday feature the words of Isaiah, fulfilled in John the Baptist, a voice in the wilderness proclaiming Jesus’ entry into human history. Here, God is doing something entirely new. Human history is starting over again, and we get a second chance to hear the Word of God and follow it.

Read NETWORK’s Advent 2023 reflections here!

In the U.S., we could use this restart to our history. White supremacy and Christian nationalism were built into our systems and structures by people with a vision of America as a place for only a certain kind of privileged, white Christian. This white supremacy has endured for centuries and is contrary to the Gospel. Jesus showed up to transform the structures and habits that cut us off from God — to bring liberty to captive people and let the oppressed go free. Sadly, these structures still show up in how we treat one another: economic inequality, lack of access to affordable healthcare, and violence and oppression against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people, etc.

In recent years, NETWORK has sought to tell this story and spread it far and wide. In doing so, we have centered two justice-seekers — Fr. Bryan Massingale and Dr. Robert P. Jones — whose voices cry out in the desert of white supremacy as it manifests itself in U.S. Christianity. In October, we hosted the third of our White Supremacy and American Christianity dialogues with them, this time focusing on how “a consistent ethic of hate threatens our democracy.”

Read NETWORK’s Advent 2023 reflections here!

We know and recognize the truth and that truth can set us all free. It requires facing our history, repenting and repairing the wrongs. NETWORK’s conversations with Fr. Massingale and Dr. Jones offer a sobering perspective into the founding sins of the U.S. But where we start doesn’t always have to be where we end. This week’s second reading reminds us that as we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, we must conduct ourselves in holiness because, “God does not delay his promise,” and “is patient …, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

This Advent, let us all heed the call of the prophetic voices of our day and set about educating, organizing, and lobbying to disavow and dismantle white supremacy and Christian nationalism–in our communities and our churches.

Call to Action:

To assist with the ongoing work of dismantling white supremacy, NETWORK created a Reflection and Discussion Guide that you can download. It is a companion to the latest White Supremacy and American Christianity online conversation. We hope that it equips you, advocates and supporters, in personal reflection and your own conversations. We encourage you to consider hosting screenings and discussion groups to help educate your community about white Christian nationalism — an ongoing threat to a multi-racial, multi-cultural democracy where all people can thrive.

Where in your community does the path still need to be made ready for the way of the Lord?

Advent 2023 Week 3 Calls Us to Bring Rejoicing

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This Advent Calls us to Bring Rejoicing

Jarrett Smith
December 12, 2023

Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent, December 17.

Is 61:1-2A, 10-11
Lk 1:46-48, 19-50, 53-54
1 Thes 5:16-24
Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

The readings on the Third Sunday of Advent are meant to be a time of rejoicing and gladness amidst solemn anticipation. This spirit could readily apply to expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The prophet Isaiah speaks of God bringing glad tidings to people in poverty, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty, and giving freedom to imprisoned people. A “year of favor” is one way to describe the year that Congress passed the expanded CTC and lifted a record number of children out of poverty. Across the U.S. millions of families were able to flourish where they had previously been held back or held down by lack of basic resources. This was a resounding victory for justice-seekers who envision a world in which all people have what they need.

Read NETWORK’s Advent 2023 reflections here!

When Congress allowed the expanded CTC to expire at the end of 2021, child poverty rose from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022. This hit Black, Brown, and Indigenous families especially hard, and this staggering setback was about one thing: the choices of Congress.

It is reckless policy, and morally repugnant, to extend tax breaks to corporations without also enacting robust expansion of the CTC. Congress must pass a Child Tax Credit that allows the 19 million who do not qualify for the entire credit to get the entire credit phased in faster. And it must apply to all children in the household.

For people of faith, especially Christians, it should be especially clear that a policy that helps so many children out of poverty should receive enthusiastic support and not be allowed to expire. In the Gospel this Sunday, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as “one among you who you do not recognize.” Similar to the judgment account in Matthew 25, we so often fail in our policy choices to recognize Jesus in those who are marginalized and harmed.

As we look to the Third Sunday of Advent, the church also celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. This feast celebrates the love that Our Lady has for all of her children. What better way to translate that love into concrete action in the world than for Congress to pass a CTC that supports the most vulnerable?

Call to Action:

Send a message to your Members of Congress. Tell them to pass a fully refundable, monthly Child Tax Credit so all of us have what we need to take care of ourselves, and our families.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Week 2: Jobs and the Economy

NETWORK Communications Team
Sept 22, 2023

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 is September 15 through October 15. National organizers choose a theme each year for the celebration. For 2023 it is “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America.” Please join NETWORK as we reflect on, celebrate, and acknowledge the significant strides of Hispanics in the economic, political, and social growth of the U.S. We will spotlight Latina and Latino justice-seekers in our faith-filled community to recognize the positive impact they’ve had on our work and our country!

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023: October 5 is Latina Equal Pay Day

While NETWORK celebrates the gains made by Hispanic workers in the U.S., we must address that one group, Latinas–a fast growing, powerful force in all spaces in our economy, are the lowest paid workers in the U.S. They make $.52 for ever $1.00 that a white man makes. We lament that Latinas need to work until they are 90 years old to earn the same amount of money that white men make by 60 years of age!

Latina Equal Pay Day was moved from December (when the data shows how long into the year Latinas must work to equal a white man’s pay) to October 5. Monica Ramirez, CEO of Justice for Migrant Women and a Latina Equal Pay Day organizer explains why.

“We are intentionally lifting up equal pay for Latinas as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Traditionally, the Latina pay gap is observed on the day that aligns with the data, symbolizing the day that Latinas would ‘catch up’ to what white men made the year before. However, the reality is that Latinas are not catching up.”

Week 3: Climate, spotlight on Christian Soenen
Week 4: Education, spotlight on Laura Muñoz Lopez

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Justice-Seeker Profile: Ness Perry

This week, with the Hispanic Heritage Month spotlight on jobs and the economy, we proudly feature Ness Perry, Advocacy Specialist at the Latino Economic Development Center in Washington D.C., and a former NETWORK Communications Associate.

If we can spotlight you, someone you know or love, or social justice work being carried out in your Hispanic church or community during Hispanic Heritage Month 2023, please let us know at [email protected].

Network Communications: Briefly introduce yourself and your connection to NETWORK

Ness Perry: My name is Ness Perry, I am 26 years old, and I have resided in Washington, D.C. for six years. From 2019 through 2020, I worked as a NETWORK Communications Associate.

What issues do you work on, and why are they important for the Latina and Latino community?

For the last year, I have worked for the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), in D.C. I work on issues related to affordable housing preservation, closing gaps in homeownership, small business advocacy, and transit-oriented development to prevent displacement. LEDC’s mission is to serve as a catalyst that drives the economic and social advancement of low-to-moderate-income Latinos and other underserved communities by equipping them with the skills and tools to achieve financial independence, acquire personal and business assets, create generational wealth, and become leaders in their communities.

While LEDC was initially designed to serve the Latino community, LEDC has expanded to attend to the needs of all underserved communities equitably. We firmly believe in treating every individual who walks through our doors with fairness, respect, and dignity, without any form of discrimination.

How do your faith or your personal values influence your work?

While I do not identify with any faith, I have found that finding common ground within the structure of a moral framework can be an incredibly useful tool in advocacy. While working for NETWORK, I found that elected officials were often more open to connecting with us because they had a values-based approach to leadership that acknowledged Catholic Social Teaching.

Similarly, my personal values are inextricable from the work I do. I attempted to work for a for-profit organization, and I felt lost because I knew that my moral compass did not align with the goals of the company. I learned quickly that the work I do must be community oriented because of my lack of motivation to work for the sake of a paycheck and not in service of others.

What are you most mindful about during this Hispanic Heritage Month?

Belonging is the topic I am most mindful about this Hispanic Heritage Month. As an Afro-Chicana, I think I always have a difficult time orienting myself in my community, often feeling invalidated or culturally never enough for either group. In making sure my Black community knows that I am not just Black or just Chicana, I uplift other Latinx subgroups within the African diaspora across the Americas and beyond. If someone is struggling with this, I believe a great place to start could be researching their ancestry can help many Latinx people. This first step could help them find their sense of belonging and build a stronger identity.

I have also found that seeking communal spaces for the Latinx community is vital. The ability to celebrate our culture amid gentrification in and around our neighborhoods and communities, is something that should never be undervalued. Our community has unfortunately been in survival mode for generations due to systemic issues that have barred us from living life beyond our trauma. The work that I do envisions a future where Latinx people and other underserved communities are thriving, not just surviving.

Thank you, Ness!

Read more about the Latina Equal Pay Day at the National Women’s Law Center.
Watch Monica Ramirez, CEO of Justice for Migrant Women and a Latina Equal Pay Day organizer discusses the movement working to close the pay gap for Latin women on YouTube.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Week 3: The Climate

NETWORK Communications Team
Sept 29, 2023

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023: Pope Francis Updates Wisdom on Climate Justice

During this week of reflection on the climate, Pope Francis released a document on October 4, Laudate Deum, a follow-up to his 2015 letter, Laudato Si’. The update reflects the realities of 2023. The young Latino activist featured below, Christian Soenen, is a project manager at Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. Please join him and his colleagues–online, or in person–to learn more at their program on Thursday, October 12, Caring for the Environment and Each Other: Pope Francis’ Follow-up to Laudato Si’.

Week 2: Jobs and the Economy, spotlight on Ness Perry
Week 4: Education, spotlight on Laura Muñoz Lopez

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Justice-Seeker Profile: Christian Soenen

This week, with Hispanic Heritage Month focused on the climate, we proudly feature Christian Soenen, the projects manager at Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life in Washington D.C.

Network Communications: Briefly introduce yourself and your connection to NETWORK

Christian Soenen: I’m Christian Soenen. I currently work to promote and advance the Church’s social message and mission as the projects manager at Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. I first worked with NETWORK on reports documenting and advocating against uninvestigated abuses of migrants by Border Patrol agents and other U.S. authorities when I was a volunteer with the Kino Border Initiative, and I was one of NETWORK’s 2022 Social Poet Award recipients.

What issues do you work on, and why are they important for the Latina and Latino community?

My work at the Initiative broadly covers the principles of Catholic social teaching – among them the preferential option for the poor, care for the environment, solidarity, and human life and dignity. These teachings are an essential resource to the Latino community because of our community’s historical and present experiences of marginalization, both as a legacy of Latin America’s colonial history and because of present racial and economic exclusion in the United States. Climate crises, poverty and inequality, migration, and other issues are central to Catholic social thought, central to Pope Francis’s papacy, and central to the life and future of a people shaped by this historical and social context.

How do your faith or your personal values influence your work?

Taped to the wall above my desk is a printout of the “Magnificat,” the words Mary spoke to her cousin Elizabeth when she learned she was pregnant with the son of God. It’s the Gospel of Luke’s first introduction of Jesus, and it reminds us that the Lord “casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things and sends the rich away empty.” This is the part of my faith that teaches me where our priorities should always lie, and it informs so many of the core tenets of the Church’s social teaching that help us to evaluate our present society and work towards a better one.

What are you most mindful about during this Hispanic Heritage Month?

The Spanish word “lucha” – struggle – is one that comes to mind when I reflect on the many cultural gifts that come from Latino heritage. When I worked on the border, “lucha” was one of the most common words I heard from people migrating, and it always communicated love, selflessness, and incalculable willpower. We’re a people who’ve been built up by struggle and who have built incredible things by that same struggle, and that’s something to keep at the forefront of our minds as we work on behalf of our community.

Thank you, Christian!

Read NETWORK Executive Director’s reflection on climate justice as essential grounding for all forms of justice.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby is putting together a Latinx Catholic Outreach Team, a subset of CCL’s
Catholic Action Team. Learn more in English, or in Spanish.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Week 4: Education

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Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Week 4: Education

NETWORK Communications Team
Oct 6, 2023

Week 2: Jobs and the Economy, spotlight on Ness Perry
Week 3: Climate, spotlight on Christian Soenen

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Week 4

How much do you know about the U.S. Latino experience? Latina and Latino contributions to art, culture, science, sports are vast, and diverse. NETWORK envisions a multi-faith, multiracial democracy where all races, genders, sexual identities, physical and mental abilities, and ages have equitable opportunities to thrive–and to be represented. Educating ourselves about each other’s histories, milestones, achievements, and challenges is one way to ensure we realize an inclusive democracy.

Here’s something that you may not have known: Hispanic Heritage Month’s timeframe of the middle of September to the middle of October was chosen to honor the Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) that celebrate Independence Days within these dates. There is so much more to learn! A good place to start is at the new National Museum of the American Latino, a Smithsonian Museum effort highlighting the U.S. Latino experience. Visit online to learn through bilingual education resources, virtual exhibits, and stories of Latin achievement. In Washington, D.C., you can participate in tours and events.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Justice-Seeker Profile: Laura Muñoz Lopez

This week we proudly feature Laura Muñoz Lopez, who works in Member Services for the House Democratic Caucus in Washington D.C. She is also a former NETWORK Government Relations Associate.

Network Communications: Briefly introduce yourself and your connection to NETWORK

Laura Muñoz Lopez : My name is Laura Muñoz Lopez and I was a Government Relations Associate at NETWORK from 2016 – 2017!

What issues do you work on, and why are they important for the Latina and Latino community?

I have mostly worked on judiciary-related issues while in DC such as immigration, civil and voting rights, gun violence prevention, and intellectual property. Currently, I do Member Services for the House Democratic Caucus under the leadership of Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and work very closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus amongst other ideological caucuses on Capitol Hill. Working for the highest-ranking Latino in the House of Representatives is extremely important to me and my community because it shows how critical representation is, especially in the halls of Congress. Being Latina myself and doing this work is a reminder that we are representing our communities, our culture, our experiences, and our priorities for the future. I feel very privileged to be in this role and do the work I do.

How do your faith or your personal values influence your work?

The values instilled in me by my parents, who immigrated to the US almost thirty years ago, push me every day to work hard, be humble, and to give back to my community. If it wasn’t for my parents and the example they set for me and my siblings, I am not sure I would be where I am today!

What are you most mindful about during this Hispanic Heritage Month?

The thing I am the most mindful of this Hispanic Heritage Month is to take time to reflect on all of the work I – and my community – have accomplished and to celebrate it! Too often we work, and work, and work and don’t take a moment to appreciate the struggle and pat ourselves on the back. This month I am celebrating!

Thank you, Laura!

Lent Week 2: We Must Repent From Christian Nationalism

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We Must Repent From Christian Nationalism

Meg Olson
March 1, 2023

Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent:

Gn 12:1-4a
Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 2, 22
2 Tm 1:8b-10
Mt: 17:1-9

God says to Abram in the First Reading this Sunday, “I will make of you a great nation.” Way too many people take those words to heart and twist them. For Christian nationalists, a great nation means a place that is made for and ruled by white Christians. As we saw in Charlottesville, on January 6, 2021, and elsewhere, this rule is meant to be a violent one. As Robert P. Jones’s research reveals, “White Americans who agree that ‘God intended America to be a promised land for European Christians’ are four times as likely as those who disagree with that statement to believe that ‘true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.’” And violence can be much more subtle than tiki torches, angry mobs overtaking the Capitol building, or vandalism at synagogues. Erasing Black history, banning books in school libraries, and denying gender-affirming care for transgender youth are all forms of violence. We must remain vigilant to these forms of violence, and, as God is described in the Psalm, “love justice and right.”

In the Gospel account of the Transfiguration, the disciples get a vision of who Jesus truly is and what awaits in the Kin-dom of God. But even then, they don’t fully comprehend, and they think and speak in worldly terms: “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here.” However, Jesus doesn’t need three tents, or even one. Humanity does—and it must hold all of us. As the recent Synod document instructs, “Enlarge the space of your tent.”

When Jesus tells the disciples to “Rise and do not be afraid,” he is speaking to all of us. We must trust in God and God’s creation and be neighbor and friend to all. However, we often don’t trust that God is there for us and will provide what we need. Even if we don’t resort to newsworthy violence, we twist the world into a frame in which we protect ourselves by dominating others. At NETWORK, we believe that transforming this dominative ethic by dismantling systemic racism is the beginning of building this country anew. But to do that, we must first educate ourselves on the pernicious reality of white supremacy, especially as it is found in our churches. We must enlarge the space of our tent and not be afraid to let God’s kin-dom in.

Take Action

Attend NETWORK’s Webinar: What to Expect from the 118th Congress

Join the webinar to see how the 118th Congress may impact NETWORK’s mission to build an inclusive, multiracial, and multi-faith democracy with better federal policy.

NETWORK’s Government Relations team will give their opinions on expectations for the 118th Congress. They will also share their hopes for NETWORK’s Build Anew policy priorities under the new Republican House Leadership.