31 Mar

Seidman: Answering to the common folk

Posted by in Affordable Housing, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement, SURE

March 31, 2019. The Palm Beach Post.

SURE’s annual Nehemiah Action Assembly is a cross between church social and trip to the principal’s office. The buzz of affable neighborliness within the packed crowd gathered at the Municipal Auditorium last week floated atop an undercurrent of steely resolve.

Each year the members of Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity (SURE) — a group of 19 area churches working collaboratively to build a more “God-like” community — congregate for this come-to-Jesus meeting, named for the Biblical figure instrumental in the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. following the Babylonian exile.

Read More “Seidman: Answering to the common folk”
19 Jan

Restorative justice events planned to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted by in Criminal Justice Reform, Justice Matters, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement

January 19, 2019. Lawrence Journal-World.

Ben MacConnell understands the dangers of attaching opinions on a modern issue to someone who can’t speak for himself, but he believes Martin Luther King Jr. would be a strong proponent of criminal justice reform.

“Given the billions of dollars we’re spending on jails and prisons, and the fact that more people of color are incarcerated than there were slaves at the height of slavery, he would be looking at this and, I think, want to spend a lot of time focused on it,” MacConnell said.

Read More “Restorative justice events planned to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.”
04 Jan

Friday Editorial: ICARE remains a powerful voice

Posted by in Criminal Justice Reform, ICARE, Public Education Improvement

January 4, 2019. The Florida Times-Union.

The scene for an ICARE meeting is impressive.

There is a sea of people in the church pews, but they aren’t all from one congregation or faith: there are Christians, Jews, Unitarians, Baha’is and more, making up a wonderful human quilt of Jaclsonville.

And the meeting they’re attending in this church won’t take hours: it’s a highly structured one with just a few minutes reserved for every speaker.

It’s appropriate, because ICARE has always been about turning words into real, tangible action.

Read More “Friday Editorial: ICARE remains a powerful voice”
12 Nov

City officials to give updates on addiction, public safety at CLOUT meeting

Posted by in Affordable Housing, CLOUT, Criminal Justice Reform, Drugs, Mental Health Care, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement

November 12, 2018. Insider Louisville.

Several city officials are slated to provide updates Monday on a wide range of topics — from school safety to how the police treat individuals with mental illness — that have been raised by one of Louisville’s most prominent interfaith social justice organizations.

On Monday night, members of CLOUT, or Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together, will hear “progress reports” from several local politicians about targeted “issue campaigns” undertaken by the group, according to a news release.

Read More “City officials to give updates on addiction, public safety at CLOUT meeting”
01 May

Justice Knox: Churches press officials on affordable housing, school suspensions

Posted by in Affordable Housing, Justice Knox, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement

May 1, 2018. Knox News

In pressing public officials to take action on social problems in Knox County, Justice Knox doesn’t shy away from tension — it embraces it.

“Collectively, we raise our voice and call for our public officials to hear their constituents,” Justice Knox Co-president Rev. Meredith Loftis told the hundreds of people who packed into Central United Methodist Church on Monday evening.

“This will cause tension, but let’s be clear, it is tension borne of hearts that care.”

Read More “Justice Knox: Churches press officials on affordable housing, school suspensions”