| | | | Black History Names to Note: Atlanta Area Pastors & Churches | | | Pilgrimage Reaches Day 4 of 150-mile Journey for Peace in Gaza | | NCC and other Pilgrimage for Peace participants gather for food and fellowship at the Islamic Center of Delaware during day 3 of their 8-day journey from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. Below: Day 1. February 14, Ash Wednesday (Philadelphia to Chester, PA). Photos by Joe Piette | | | | | Pilgrimage for Peace reached the middle of its 8-day journey from Philadelphia, PA to Washington, DC. As pilgrimage participants, NCC and the rapidly growing number of partners and supporters continue to advocate for the release of all hostages, unhindered increase in humanitarian aid, and the spread of peace across Gaza and beyond.
Please check the Pilgrimage for Peace social media outlets for daily updates on the journey. More than 300 people signed on to join this historic initiative; more continue to join throughout the journey.
Follow this important movement and share with your network of faith leaders, activists, and artists!
For more information about the Pilgrimage for Peace, visit pilgrimageforpeace.org or contact info@pilgrimageforpeace.org. | | Join NCC for Upcoming Pilgrimage for Peace Events | | | | | | | | Every Step Matters: Register for Pilgrimage for Peace | | | Join Faith for Black Lives, National Council of Churches USA, Rabbis for Ceasefire, Hindus for Human Rights, The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, Kairos Center, Freedom Church of the Poor, Until Freedom, and many others on a Pilgrimage for Peace to demand a Ceasefire in Gaza. From February 14 to February 21, faith leaders, activists, and artists will journey on a pilgrimage from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA to the White House to urge President Biden to call for an end to the war in Palestine. Moved by our conscience, we stand united to address the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, where the death toll has reached over 24,000, the deadliest conflict in the 21st century. As we continue to mourn the loss of innocent Israeli lives on October 7, we firmly believe that responding to violence with more violence is not the solution. We urge President Biden and Congress to halt weapons funding to Israel and, instead, channel efforts toward increasing humanitarian aid to Palestine. It is our collective responsibility to advocate for a peaceful resolution and uphold the principles of justice and compassion.
We will either sow seeds of nonviolence today or reap nonexistence tomorrow. For more information, visit pilgrimageforpeace.org and contact info@pilgrimageforpeace.org.
Pilgrimage for Peace Route February 14, 2024 - Philadelphia, PA to Chester, PA February 15, 2024 - Chester, PA to Wilmington, DE February 16, 2024 - Wilmington, DE to Newark, DE February 17, 2024 - Newark, DE to Perryville, MD February 18, 2024 - Havre de Grace, MD to Joppa, MD February 19, 2024 - Joppa, MD to Baltimore, MD February 20, 2024 - Baltimore, MD to Laurel, MD February 21, 2024 - Laurel, MD to Washington, DC | | | | Quakers, Catholics, Evangelicals, and Many Other Christians Agree | | By Jim Wallis
I and many other faith leaders have been calling on Congress to renew the Child Tax Credit for the sake of our children, our Scriptures, and our souls.
The Child Tax Credit is the single most important policy to reduce child poverty in America. Period.
As a part of the American Rescue Plan, to help us recover from the COVID pandemic, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (known among policy wonks as the CTC) reduced child poverty in our country by 46%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
With such demonstrated success, it was absolutely inexcusable for Congress to allow the CTC to expire last year, pushing millions of children back into poverty.
I and many other faith leaders at the Circle of Protection have been advocating vigorously for Congress to renew the CTC for the sake of our children, for the sake of our Scriptures, and for the sake of our faith.
The good news is that the House passed a bi-partisan way bill that will soon be up for a crucial vote in the Senate. The bill isn’t perfect — the tax credit will not reach the poorest families, as it should. But it will certainly help many people.
I have written many pieces on the morality of the Child Tax Credit and how its success shows that poverty is not inevitable, but a result of policy choices made by politicians. (Kathleen Bonnette from our Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown has also written and commented on the CTC.)
Today I want to lift up this piece in the Christian Post by Galen Carey, the Vice-President of Governmental Relations for the National Association of Evangelicals. It is perhaps the best case I have read for why conservative evangelicals and conservative Members of Congress should support a renewed and expanded Child Tax Credit. It explains why this new CTC bill is pro-family, pro-life, and pro-Scriptures and goes beyond party lines.
As Galen writes: “The child tax credit tells expectant parents that they are not alone and that they do not have to shoulder the burden of raising a child on their own. It creates no new federal bureaucracy. It allows parents, who know best what their children need, to decide how best to support their children, free of government interference. It lightens the tax burden on those who are already contributing so much.” To read the full story, click here. | | | | | | Mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' State House Assembly in Annapolis | | | | | Saturday, March 2, Annapolis, Maryland March at 11 a.m., Assembly at 12 p.m.
Sign up to be part of a powerful presence with the Maryland Poor People's Campaign as Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' State House Assemblies are held in 38 state capitals in a Day of Nationally-Coordinated, Simultaneous direct action all across the country!
Join thousands of people across the nation to bring the demands of 140 million poor and low-wealth people directly to lawmakers! Everybody in, nobody out!
We call on all who believe in and demand: living wages, healthcare, voting rights & stopping voter suppression, equal rights for all, worker/labor rights, environmental justice, access to housing, fully-funded public education, abolishing poverty…
… and all who believe IN THE UNITY OF LOVE, not the division of hate! | | | |
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