Advocacy

Christ modeled for us how to love your neighbor through social action, and his ministry touched the lives of outcasts as well as those in positions of power. His words and actions often challenged the systems of his day, even attracting the attention of religious and political authorities who sought to arrest him for speaking out.

How Unfair Policies Impact Communities of Color 
Did you know that people of color are twice as likely to experience hunger or live below the poverty line? Often this is a result of the Wealth Income Gap, which has been created after generations of policies unfairly impacting communities of color. To learn more about racial inequality at a structural level and how it connects with social justice issues like ending hunger and poverty, we encourage you to view the materials put together by Bread for the World, a national, nonpartisan Christian organization.

These tools help us to understand how past and present day policies have unfairly created a racial wealth, income and hunger gap so that we can better understand why applying a racial equity lens is important when working to end poverty and find fair and effective solutions. 

How Can You Help?
There are many ways that policies rooted in structural racism impact our brothers and sisters in black communities. We invite you to join with them to learn more about these issues and contact your local, state, and national representatives to advocate for policies and legislation that is fair and equitable for all.

Issues include:

• Housing discrimination that limits where people of color can live and steers them to rental markets rather than home ownership.
• Laws and policies that deny people of color access to quality education, employment and adequate health care.
• Food deserts, or areas that are devoid of quality, affordable fresh food.
• Mass incarceration and criminal justice systems that disproportionately target people of color
• Environmental racism, including the dumping of hazardous waste, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of access to clean water that results in a range of serious health problems in communities of color.

Some helpful notes about contacting your representative:

When calling or writing to officials, it is best to limit your asks to one issue per letter. Keep it short and concise.

In your opening, identify yourself as a constituent and explain what issue you are contacting them about. If your correspondence relates to specific legislation, include that in your opening. 

Share your concerns and what is motivating you to be concerned and why it matters to your community. If possible, include a personal story, which can often have a lot of impact.

Keep in mind that it is your legislator’s job is to represent you. You should be polite, but do not hesitate to take a firm position. Remember that often your elected official may know no more about a given issue than you do.

FIND YOUR OFFICIALS: https://myreps.datamade.us

Book Of Order (W-4.0304: Justice and Peace)
God sends the Church to work for justice in the world: exercising its power for the common good; dealing honestly in personal and public spheres; seeking dignity and freedom for all people; welcoming strangers in the land; promoting justice and fairness in the law; overcoming disparities between rich and poor; bearing witness against systems of violence and oppression; and redressing wrongs against individuals, groups and peoples.