| Voting Rights, MLK Day, and EITC
NCC Newsletter January 14, 2022 |
| | | As we approach the celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, we are in the midst of a huge struggle to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Considering that much of Dr. King’s work revolved around the push for voting rights, maybe there’s something fitting to the convergence of these events.
This legislation is crucial because of a number of things:
*legislation has been passed in many states that limits the right to vote;
*the Supreme Court ruled some years ago that crucial section of the Voting Rights Act are unconstitutional and this has led to abuses across the country;
*the defeated former president of the United States led a violent insurrection aimed at overturning the results of a fair and free election and he and his supporters continue to claim the election was stolen.
Unfortunately, protection of voting rights is being held up in significant part because of the nonconstitutional filibuster rule in the US Senate that requires 60 votes for legislation to pass. I’m all for making sure the rights of those in the minority not be trampled on, but I also oppose how this rule has been used for decades to stop the advancement of civil rights. There are ways these needs can be reconciled, but this is an urgent matter because our right to vote is at stake.
The manipulation of elections is devastating. Many years ago, I was elected to student government while I was in college. One spring when elections were held certain anomalies in the results were quickly noted by several of us and we exposed an effort by a group of students to steal the election. They did so because they opposed the social justice orientation of our administration, but I tell you from experience it is genuinely shocking to learn that there are those so consumed by anger and ego they are willing to do whatever they can to manipulate an election and violate the sanctity of the vote.
The congregations and denominations that constitute the National Council of Churches have been part of the long struggle for voting rights and racial justice and what the Rev. Adam Taylor describes as the “kingdom building project.”
Right now, a huge amount of work is underway. Faiths United to Save Democracy is bringing together clergy and attorneys in voting rights education and protection, Black church leaders are on a hunger strike in support of voting rights legislation, and NCC member denominations are speaking up. We are facing an emergency.
The demographic changes underway in the United States is frightening to many White people. They fear they will lose their power and privilege and they are doing everything they can to stop these changes, including raising up an insurrection.
But, as Rev. William Barber said, our support of voting rights is not an insurrection, it’s resurrection!
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| | | A Call for Action on Voting Rights this MLK Day |
| The NCC and our interfaith partners are calling for all people of faith to voice their support for voting rights legislation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 17, 2022. Dr. King’s family, along with faith leaders, civil rights leaders, and voting rights advocates across the country, have called on us to demand passage of voting rights legislation and access to the ballot box stating, "no celebration without legislation." Together, we will demand our elected officials in the Senate join the House and pass the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
In Washington, DC, the Faith in Public Life Peace Walk will gather on Potomac Ave. SE, between First St. SE and South Capitol SE (behind Nationals Stadium) and walk onto Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge at 10 am ET. Additional details about this event and the January 15th rally in Arizonia can be found on the Deliver for Voting Rights site.
If you don’t have MLK Day events happening in your community, please take action on Monday to promote voting rights. You can use NCC’s Action Network to contact your Senators next week: https://actionnetwork.org/groups/national-council-of-churches
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| | | Reparations and Voting Rights on Wednesday |
| | Join our Reparatory Justice partners for the upcoming webinar, "The Interconnection of Reparations and Voting Rights," to explore the difference between racial equity and equality, reflect on the theology of this justice work, and learn the important connection between voting rights and reparations. Register in order to attend the live webinar at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. The recording will be available for viewing on YouTube and Facebook later in the evening. Link for registration: https://bit.ly/reparjust2
The schedule includes: - Welcome by Rev. Aundreia Alexander, Esq., NCC Associate General Secretary, Action and Advocacy for Justice and Peace;
- Introduction by Rev. Antonia M. Ruth, Program Coordinator, The Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation, and Remediation;
- Reparations 101 on Equity v. Equality and Overview of HR40 by Christian Brooks, Representative for Domestic Issues, PC (USA) Office of Public Witness;
- Theological Reflection by Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould;
- Voting Rights Panel including Christian Brooks and Israel Harris, Legislative Assistant at Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who will give an overview of the voting rights legislation, and Rev. Mark Thompson, who will discuss how reparations connects to voting rights; and
- A call to action by Mary Novak, Executive Director of Network.
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| | | | Advocating with the Poor People's Campaign |
| | This morning, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, NCC Treasurer and General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Jim Winkler, NCC President and General Secretary spoke at the Poor People’s Campaign news conference about the Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls.
"Disciples of Christ across the country are participating in and actively leading in all the state campaigns to bring about a society where all will have enough to flourish because there is enough in this country," explained Rev. Hord Owens. "This movement is not about an event or rally, or even about a march. This is, as we would say as Disciples, a movement for wholeness and it's about changing the moral narrative for this country so that we are all committed to action that will eradicate poverty, racism, voter suppression, and any other injustice that diminishes our humanity."
"As president of the National Council of Churches, I am here today to say I am excited about and supportive of the plans for a Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls on June 18, 2022," stated Mr. Winkler, "I will be there and I will work with leaders of our 37 member denominations comprised of 100,000 local congregations and 30 million church members to make sure we are there in force.
We will be there because we face a constellation of crises that must be addressed by people of faith. Those include a growing gap between people of wealth and those of low wealth, a pandemic that is being ignored at the risk of death by too many people, a militarized nation that must turn to the ways of peace, the intensifying reality of climate change, the death dealing impact of systemic racism, and the attempts to take away the right to vote from the American people."
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| | | COVID-19 Pandemic Response: |
| Continue to Encourage Vaccination
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| Faith leaders and members of our churches can talk to friends and family about getting COVID-19 vaccinated. This is one of the best ways to help the people you care about get the information they need to make a plan to get vaccinated. Studies show that people are 40% more likely to get vaccinated if they know a friend or family member who was vaccinated, too. That’s why everyone can be messengers to increase trust in the vaccines.
Continue to tell your story and share posts on social media to protect our communities from COVID-19. |
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In addition, NCC's Fact Sheet: "A Christian Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy" can be downloaded here. |
| | | | International Affairs Symposium |
| | Registration is now open for the 8th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs, entitled "Uniting Moral Influence and Governance to Eradicate the Systemic Injustices of Racism, Colonialism and Slavery" to be held virtually 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
The symposium is organized by faith-based organizations in partnership with the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development including the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, Islamic Relief, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Soka Gakkai International, United Religions Initiative, and UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA.
This symposium will serve as a platform to provide critical analysis and in-depth discussion of key issues that affect faith-based engagement and partnerships with the UN and other stakeholders.
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| | Share Resources About EITC |
| The American Rescue Plan (ARP) expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for newly eligible populations consisting of childless adults between the ages 19-24 and over the age of 65. This expansion goes into effect in 2022 and will benefit 17 million+ adult workers without children who were previously taxed into, or deeper into, poverty. The maximum EITC nearly triples to roughly $1,500 and the income limit to qualify has increased to about $21,000 ($27,000 for couples married filing jointly).
A new EITC outreach toolkit, "EITC and CTC Outreach Resources 2022 – Get It Back" is available at https://www.taxoutreach.org/
The EITC Outreach Toolkit contains messaging and earned media materials, social media toolkit, call and text scripts and newsletter copy, and flyer and mailer. Below are some ways the faith community can use the toolkit to spread the word:
- Share the entire toolkit with partner organizations and encourage them to engage outreach efforts.
- Post on social media: the toolkit includes Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts with images.
- Send a newsletter to networks of employees or clients to inform them of their potential EITC eligibility.
- Print and distribute flyers to community members.
The toolkit can be used in any way that fits a congregation's outreach efforts. The faith community's involvement is especially critical in order to reach the working adults in the expanded EITC. |
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