Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

Dear Justice-Seeker,

This issue of MFSAVoices is jam-packed with resources and information. So much so that it won't all fit in your email message so be sure to click view entire message at the bottom of this email to view the entire issue. Our newsletters are designed to be used all month long. So take a quick glance and take note of important dates to add to your calendar but also come back in the following weeks to work your way through the action items. 

Gmail users—move us to your primary inbox

• On your phone? Click the 3 dots at the top right corner, click "Move to" then "Primary"
• On your desktop? Back out of this email then drag and drop this email into the "Primary" tab near the top left of your screen

We continue to see the urgency of our work to make broad systemic change. Change that honors the dignity and worth of all people, puts people over money, and honors the earth and all her inhabitants. Since 1907, MFSA has been shining a light on injustice and organizing to change it. 

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership dues and your generosity in giving.

2022 Lenten Devotional - Ash Wednesday
By Asti N. White

Psalm 82 [NRSV]
A Plea for Justice. A Psalm of Asaph.

¹ God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
² “How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked?Selah
³ Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
    maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

⁵ They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
    they walk around in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

⁶ I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
⁷ nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
    and fall like any prince.”^[a]

⁸ Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
    for all the nations belong to you!

By internal design, our hearts, minds, body, and strength are all designed to be in relationship with one another, to share a connection of love and justice, and to not do the work alone. One of my favorite Psalms shows a God of Justice and illustrates the importance to share compassion for all of our neighbors. As the world continues to find the ease in divisiveness, the comfort to separate self from community, and the persistence in perpetuating systems of injustice, we are called to an important responsibility to remain faithful to the community. Though the current context of our world and to separate ourselves from our neighbor, we must live into our unique design. We have been created for community and for connection.

Psalm 82 exemplifies both implicit and explicit theological questions about the role and composition of justice. Questions arise from the text regarding justice and judgement which permeates the billowing questions of how judgement and justice are interpreted and comprehended by way of defining God as a judge. The text proceeds by God calling and challenging others to serve the marginalized. Psalm 82 provides an illumination of God’s presence of judgement, through showing the importance of justice, and discerning the prioritization of justice to the lowly.

Within the interaction of the divine council, God’s omniscient power infiltrates throughout Psalm 82 by addressing and identifying the nature and power of God/Elohim. Psalm 82 discloses the interconnectedness of God, the divine council, and the rest of humanity. This call to action manifests the breadth of humanity and the divine. Psalm 82 essentializes the necessity to love and care for one another, specifically advocating and serving the oppressed. The journey of Psalm 82 divulges the paths of God’s love by establishing a precedent for the higher-ranking to rescue the weak and needy.

A demand for intentional care to individuals who do not have knowledge or access shows God’s willingness to call out those in power and the need for God’s divine power in “rise up O God” (Ps. 82:8). The scripture continues to present the ultimate sovereignty and grace of God when both the ancient community and gods of the divine council provide insufficient care of humanity. The message and urgent demand for extending care in Psalm 82 reveals why this passage has been passed down for the church. As Israel journeyed through exile and political distress, this psalm reiterates the past and emphasizes the present importance for bringing judgment against individuals actively restricting justice.

Psalm 82 shows a practical and foundational ortho-praxis of care towards the marginalized. God as judge, demands a healthy and sustained life for those who are oppressed. The modern church and community engaging with this scripture can find strength within the clear and direct communication of justice. Additionally, the psalm calls the church to actionable love and grace, while living in a constant practice of uplifting justice for all. Witnessing God as judge, and the judgement carried out by God, can be a testament and important suggestion to the church for critical discernment towards justice.

The Psalm teaches discerning practices and actions of care, or the lack thereof, seen in both the ancient community and present-day communities. God’s judgement in Psalm 82 shows how to live, emboldened with actionable steps to justice and care, upholding those on the margins. The very presence of God and God’s teaching of care and judgement builds out a depth of relationship shared with one another and with God. Psalm 82 helps in providing a necessary challenge to those in power to dismantle and re-construct society that reflects justice and equity.

In this season of Lent, I pray that we can reflect on this convicting passage. “How long” will we “show partiality,” treat others differently, act holier than thou? Psalm 82 is supposed to make us humans feel uncomfortable. We are all called to a place of unrest, to live in the darkness with our neighbors whom we all have kicked to the lowly, who we have not given justice to, and whom we have not rescued when they have cried out. May we go forth this Lenten season, removing the focus from ourselves, and seeking justice. I ask you this, siblings in God, how long are we going to let this keep going? How long?

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership dues and your generosity in giving.

Racial Audit Team Reflection

A racial audit? What is a racial audit? Many things came to my mind the first time I heard about what a racial audit was in one of the MFSA board meetings. I wonder who, how, when, and how again. I have never heard of such thing. What does it mean? Are we having to change everything that we do? Do we have to reimagine our ways of working, or would we just have to question what is missing? How can we do better? Who are we missing? Who should we work better for?

After a few meetings with our consultants, I understood the strong, heavy, difficult, and complicated, but also rewarding job a racial audit would be. I understood that we actually really needed this in order to put things into perspective and affirm our mission of working towards justice.

Nevertheless, coming from a latinx perspective, race has always been a struggle. In my island of
Puerto Rico we battle with the idea of race. We are the descendants of Spanish, Taino, and African communities. Our race is mixed, but there are no “mixed” check boxes in any state form, there is only white, black, etc. We struggle to find our “box” and people just simply end up checking “white” as a colonized perspective has been brought upon us.

Talking about race as a Puerto Rican is hard. Sitting to discuss what we are mostly told not to talk about, because it makes someone uncomfortable, is harder. We struggle, understanding our identity, but it also feels beautiful to be related to so many cultures and ways of thinking.

I am glad to have found a safe place to talk about race, where we sometime laugh, but we also cry thinking about how we could do better or questioning what we have been doing so far for the past 100 years or so. We share, we commit, we search for solutions. Together this helps us understand our mission, what our people think of the work we do as MFSA, and what we can do better in the future to uphold our beliefs and calling towards justice seeking.

Therefore, there is hope. There is hope in a Board committed to change. There is hope in a group that meets every week to discuss the racial audit. There is hope in waiting for what will come out of this audit. Just as the disciples waited for Jesus after his crucifixion, we also hope for a better future for this organization that I love so much. For justice, for equity, for the Methodist church, for our world.

Praying for Peace in Ukraine

Upcoming Webinar: "Moving from Words to Action - How Church Activists Can Advocate Effectively"

How are denominational activists organizing their own constituencies for a just peace in the Holy Land. How do you get individuals, congregations, regional bodies and denominations educated and motivated to take a stand, pass resolutions, lobby politicians, find local partners, work in coalitions, recruit activists, engage in boycotts and divestments? We will compare and contrast different approaches. Our guests will include Joe Roos with MennoPIN (Mennonites), Noushin Framke with the IPMN (Presbterian) and John Thomas with UCCPIN (United Church of Christ.)

Stealing the Earth Part 4: "Centering & Othering: Elevating White Normativity , Suppressing Racial & Indigenous Identities"

Check out the recording and resources from part four in the five-part Stealing the Earth webinar series titled, "Centering & Othering: Elevating White Normativity , Suppressing Racial & Indigenous Identities." 

Save the date for Stealing the Earth: Part Five, “Undoing the Doctrine:” Developing a theology of repentance and repair on April 13, 2022 at 1:00 PM ET. 

Update on Afghanistan

Check out the recording and resources from a virtual discussion with David Wildman on the current situation and steps we can take to address the urgent crisis in Afghanistan. 

David Wildman serves as the main representative to the UN for Global Ministries, the United Methodist Church. He is also the area liaison for the Middle East and Afghanistan. 

Click the pencil icon above to replace this temporary copy. When you add the content for this text block, make sure it's personal, informational, emotional, and actionable. That's how to ignite change!

Save the Date: Major Wendy's Boycott Action on April 2, 2022

On April 2, 2022 farmworkers and their allies are gathering in Palm Beach, Florida to march at the home of Wendy's Board Chair Nelson Peltz and the secondary headquarters of Wendy's largest institutional shareholder, Trian Partners. 

For more than six years, farmworkers and consumers have been demanding that Wendy's join the Fair Food Program to help protect farmworkers against human rights abuses prevalent in agriculture, but Wendy's has refused to do so. 

If you cannot make it to the march, you can use April 2nd as an opportunity to deliver a store manager's letter to your local Wendy's. You can find the letter here. 

Join the Fair Food mailing list to learn more about how to mobilize your community to join Coalition of Immokalee Worker's 2022 major spring action and how you can support from afar.

Three Rivers Market becomes Tennessee's 1st Fair Food Sponsor 

Breaking the Silence:
An Intergenerational Call for Unity and Action

"April 4 is the date Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968 while he was in Memphis, Tennessee to support sanitation workers. Exactly one year before, on April 4, 1967, Dr. King gave one of his most consequential speeches titled, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”. This speech was the first time he publicly called for an end to the U.S. war in Vietnam and for unity and action to end the triple threats of militarism, racism, and extreme materialism.

Many organizations have come together to promote national and local readings of Dr. King’s “Breaking Silence” speech in communities across the country to study the lessons of this speech and to convene local coalitions working for justice. The list includes: SNCC Legacy Project, National Council of Elders, Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee, The Highlander Research and Education Center, National Black Justice Coalition, Zinn Education Project, Voices of a People’s History, Fellowship of Reconciliation, National Civil Rights Museum, and Cleveland Peace Action.

Please plan to join us online to watch our national webinar on April 4 at 7 PM EST, where well-known advocates will be joined by grassroots organizers who will read the speech. It promises to be an inspiring program. A moderated panel discussion will follow the readings offering perspectives about the relevance of Dr. King’s speech to peace and justice work today."

Now's the Time for Action

Here are a few ways you can seek justice and work for broad systemic change:

1. Call on Congress to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act which will help keep families together and ensure lasting protection for at-risk Afghans. 
2. Urge members of Congress to pass a FY 2022 federal funding package that increases funding for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs, including an expansion of rental assistance. 
3. Join a National Nonviolent Moral Direct Action Call-In in calling the offices of Senator Manchin, Senator Sinema, Senator McConnell, and Senator Schumer. 
4. Write your Representative to join Representative Susan Wild and urge the Administration to hold officials responsible for grave human rights violations in the Philippines accountable through targeted sanctions.
5. Sign up for Coalition of Immokalee Workers Fair Food mailing list to learn more about what you can do to advocate for farmworker rights. 
6. Contact your members of Congress and tell them to stop the use of Title 42 policy to deny Haitian migrants' rights to seek asylum, restore asylum protections, and stop all deportation flights and expulsions to Haiti.
7. Urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor HR 2590: Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act. 
8. Join the #WelcomeWithDignity movement by signing the pledge to reimagine the way our country and our communities treat people seeking safety.
9. Contact your Senators and Representatives to pass common sense legislation that saves the lives of farm workers like the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act.
10. In solidarity, join workers demanding $15/hr and tell McDonald’s to raise wages now.
11. Check out what military acquired by your local law enforcement, and sign the petition to demanding more police transparency.
12. Contact your elected officials and demand Congress cut funding for ICE and CBP and defund hate.
13. Tell your Member of Congress to support the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All (AAIA) Act, an act that can help bridge the digital divide that disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx, Indigenous, rural, or low-income people.
14. Write to the leadership of the township of Fairfield, CT to contact Sturm Ruger, the largest firearm manufacturer in the United States with headquarters in Fairfield, and demand the company suspend weapon and bullet sales to Israel.
15. Tell President Biden and Vice President Harris to hold Israel accountable to its obligations as an occupying power and insist that Israel provide COVID-19 vaccines equally and fairly to Palestinians living under its occupation.
16. Contact your elected officials to take an intersectional response to the incidents of AAPI hate and to center the needs of those most impacted, Asian American women and elders.
17. Check the State Voting Bills Tracker to find out if your state lawmakers have introduced one of the 253 bills aimed at suppressing voting rights, and contact your state lawmakers to demand they support voting rights.
18. Sign the petition and tell Congress to abolish the federal death penalty.
19. Has your country signed on to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?  Contact your elected officials to support the end of nuclear weapons in the world.
20. Check out the BDS Toolkit and learn what economic actions you can take to fight along the side of Palestinians and their struggle.
21. Manufacturing in an illegal Israeli settlement is a war crime.  Tell General Mills to stop making Pillsbury products on stolen Palestinian land by signing the petition, sending an email to the CEO, and #BoycottPillsbury.
22. Write a letter and join the grassroots organizing for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants.
23. Sign the petition and join Palestinian Cry for Hope: a Call to Decisive Action, a global movement set by Kairos Response that "rouses churches to action and awakens civil society to the reality of Palestinian suffering."
24. Take free online university courses on systemic racism.
25. Host a virtual Card Writing Party to write and mail letters to immigrants in detention via The Casa Mariposa Detention Visitation Program.
26. Call your legislators (202-224-3121) and advocate for permanent federal paid sick leave, expanded unemployment benefits, SNAP increases, and a moratorium on evictions, utility shut-offs, and payments. 

In Case You Missed It

1. Watch the fourth webinar in the Stealing the Earth series: "Centering & Othering: Elevating White Normativity , Suppressing Racial & Indigenous Identities." 
2. Watch our discussion with David Wildman on the current situation in Afghanistan: "Update on Afghanistan." 
3. Access the latest webinar and resources from MFSA and UMKR's webinar "Labels & Laws: Silencing the Voices of Injustice."
4. Watch the third webinar in the Stealing the Earth series: "Pervasive and Self Perpetuating: The continuous falsifying of narratives."