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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.  

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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.

Tribute to Bishop Melvin Talbert
by Rev. Andy Oliver​​​​​​​

"Bishop Melvin Talbert died on August 3rd at the age of 89. One of seven children born to sharecropper parents in rural Louisiana, he was ordained a pastor in 1963 into a segregated Methodist church. He was elected and served as bishop of The United Methodist Church from 1980 until the year 2000. 

Bishop Talbert always understood his ministry was larger than the institutional church—justice was for all people around the globe. He fought apartheid in South Africa, called for peace in the Middle East, accompanied President Clinton to Ireland, and made multiple trips to the White House. Throughout his life, Bishop Talbert remained on the frontlines of issues that mattered."

MFSA's Co-President, Rev. Andy Oliver, wrote a tribute to the late Bishop Melvin Talbert. Bishop Talbert was an inspiration to many. May we continue to follow his example in his memory. 

Storytelling as Resistance: Palestinian Identity and Resilience in Literature for Young People

Talking about Palestine with our friends and family can be difficult for many of us. In this webinar, we will hear from a diverse panel of professionals - Christian, Muslim, and Jewish - who through their teaching and writing about Palestine for young people, convey a challenging subject in engaging and educational ways that overcome the all-too-common erasure of the Palestinian people and their story. Topics will include the importance of representation and truth-telling and how children can learn about difficult subjects in age-appropriate ways. Booklists, curriculums, and other resources will be shared that can help us learn how best to convey the Palestinian story to children. Our discussion and resources should provide valuable insights and learning for Palestine-related conversations and communications with adults as well.

Reconciling Ministries Network Convocation 2023

John Wesley encouraged Methodists toward perfection in the lifelong pursuit of love. Love looks like affirmation in the face of persecution, like kinship in the face of isolation, and like courage in the face of despair. It is in that spirit that we’re gathering on October 13-15 at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. Pre-Convocation workshops will be offered on October 12th, and post-Convo workshops will be offered on October 16th.

This year, RMN kicks off the celebration of 40 years as a movement and a people purposed for justice. They invite you to join us in Charlotte to reflect on our history and boldly claim the future of the Church for all God’s children. There’s work to do, and there’s joy to share. 

Racial Audit Implementation Team Announced

In 2017, MFSA committed to becoming an intentionally anti-racist organization. We worked to recruit people of color (POC) to serve on our Board of Directors and staff. At the end of 2019 we continued on our journey towards becoming a more anti-racist organization by forming a Racial Audit Team and partnering with Crossroads Antiracism and Training, a non-profit that focuses on dismantling systemic racism and building anti-racist multicultural diversity within institutions and communities, to conduct a full organizational racial audit. This Racial audit was completed/adopted in Jan 2023 and presented publicly in Feb 2023. In June 2023 the MFSA Board of Directors created the MFSA Racial Audit Implementation Team to implement the recommendations of the Racial Audit. Our goal is to be better structured to perpetuate justice and equity throughout MFSA, our church, and our world.

2023 Harvest of Justice: Farm Workers & Racism: The Struggle for Justice, Respect, & Fair Pay

National Farm Worker Ministries' annual educational program, Harvest of Justice, provides resources including videos, printables, social media content, and more so that you can help your faith group and community learn about issues affecting farm workers. Harvest of Justice is an opportunity to raise consciousness, commitment & contributions. The Harvest of Justice Season falls every year between Labor Day and World Food Day on Oct. 16. 

The 2023 Harvest of Justice is Farm Workers & Racism: The Struggle for Justice, Respect, & Fair Pay. From slavery to sharecropping to exclusions in labor laws, our food system is rooted in racism. Today, our nation’s farm workers continue to face challenges and risks connected to this legacy. 

This educational program features interviews with farm workers and organizers addressing the many ways racism impacts the daily lives of farm workers. The goal of the program is to raise consciousness and encourage NFWM supporters to take action alongside workers. Please share this meaningful program with your community and greater networks.

Stay tuned for our social media toolkit to be utilized between Labor Day and World Food Day on Oct. 16.  

Follow the complete 6-week program or chose what works best for your community:

Support Your Public Library By Joining United for Libraries

Are you looking for ways to better support your local public library? You can always run for your library's board or become a trustee. You can also work alongside your local librarians to advocate for the freedom to read. Check out United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association that is a resource hub for library trustees, friends, foundations, and their advocates.

MFSA Organizational Racial Audit Report

You have been hearing updates for the last three years on MFSA's work conducting an Organizational Racial Audit. We are pleased to announce that we have completed the Organizational Racial Audit and want to share it with you-individuals, churches, and other organizations. 

Read the Executive Summary, Full Audit Report, and watch the Justice-Seeking Movement wide presentation of the MFSA Organizational Racial Audit Report on the new Racial Audit Report page on our website.  

Now's the Time for Action

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

1. Residents in Jackson, Mississippi, do not have access to clean water. Sign the Jackson Community Bill of Rights to demand that government officials are held accountable for the misinformation that led to this water crisis and supply residents with the resources they need now for access to clean water. 
2. One way to address the racial wage gap in America is by canceling student debt. Contact the Biden Administration to urge presidential action on canceling student loan debt. 
3. The U.S. Supreme ruled in favor of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), rejecting all the constitutional challenges, ensuring protections for Native families. The work is far from over. States still continue to remove Native children from their families and tribes at alarmingly high rates. Contact your state legislature to ensure that each state passes an ICWA law.  
4. The Florida Department of Education claims that the AP African-American Studies course taught in Florida high schools is against the law. Take action by holding the Florida Department of Education accountable and ensuring that they cannot modify or censure any of the curriculum. 
5. Sign this petition from the NAACP that demands that Congress pass swift police reform, ensuring protection for Black Americans.
6. Send a message to your members of Congress urging them to support the Abortion Justice Act to ensure we have more control of our bodies, lives, and futures.
7. Urge your Governor to maintain expanded Medicaid coverage during the Medicaid unwinding period for all community members, especially families with children and the elderly, who were added to the Medicaid rolls due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
8. Every young person has a First Amendment right to read and learn about the history and viewpoints of all communities – including their own identity – in and outside of the classroom. Sign this petition from the ACLU and receive a toolkit on how you can fight censorship efforts in your community.
9. Read the American Library Association's report on censorship and ban efforts from 2022 and learn how you can advocate for your local library. 
10. Take action for common sense gun reform today. Sign Everytown's petition to disarm hate and demand Congress and state legislatures pass Disarm Hate laws that keep guns out of the hands of those convicted of hate crimes.

In Case You Missed It

1. Access the latest recording and resources from MFSA and UMKR's webinar, "Knowing the Nakba: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine to Create the State of Israel"
2. Visit the Racial Audit Report page on our website. 
3. Access all five sessions in the Stealing the Earth webinar series, and explore the Dismantling the Doctrine resource list.