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"the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." - MLK 

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Note: The ideas and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the authors' and should not be ascribed to the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes or its members. On August 5, 2021, we archived old blog posts. You can find the archive by clicking here.


 

The Link Between Human Trafficking And Forced Migration

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

Alliance to End Human Trafficking offers the third and final webinar in series. 

Asylum seekers in the U.S. are at risk of sex and labor human trafficking when not allowed to find legal work and provide for their families. Join Catholic Sisters and people of good will on Wednesday, April 17 from 11:30 - 12:30 pm CT for a one-hour webinar to encourage Congress to fix this vulnerability and also to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic red tape by passing H.R. 1325, the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.

Register today.

If you missed the first two webinars in their campaign on Forced Migration and the Threat of Human Trafficking you can find them here:

Immigration and human trafficking are clearly interconnected, especially in the United States. Polaris estimates 77% of persons trafficked in the United States each year are immigrants. (Polaris Analysis of 2021 Data from the National Human trafficking Hotline, page 8 of 29).

 

 

Remembering Victims of Slavery

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

March 25 is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. 

The racialized system of enslavement brutally dehumanized Africans and their descendants for centuries. Its legacy persists to this day. You are invited to take some time to view the short 2023 video messages from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the address by Professor Bryan Stevenson on reckoning with the legacy of slavery and creating a new era of liberation, justice and truth that our world desperately needs.  

On a trip to New York in February 2023, Justice Coordinator, Tracy Abler, visited the Ark of Return memorial on the United Nations Visitors Plaza. This was dedicated on March 25, 2015 and serves as a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which the UN has acknowledged as one of the most horrific tragedies of modern history. Tracy will be in New York again on March 25 and hopes to visit the memorial again in honor of the 9-year anniversary of its installation.

 

International Day of Zero Waste

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

The second annual ‘International Day of Zero Waste’ on March 30 highlights the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices.

The second annual International Day of Zero Waste on March 30 highlights the need to increase waste management globally and recognize the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices. We need to view waste as a resource, recovering materials as much as possible and reducing extraction of limited natural resources. Zero waste initiatives help achieve Goal 11 and Goal 12 of the UN’s Sustainable Development agenda. These goals address all forms of waste including food loss and waste, natural resource extraction and electronic waste.

Know Before You Go!

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

Voting in the 2024 Wisconsin Spring General Election is now underway! 

All Wisconsin voters can choose one of three ways to cast their ballot: 

  1. At your polling location on April 2nd,
  2. With an absentee ballot by mail,
  3. Or in person by absentee ballot at your clerk’s office or other officially designated area (aka “early vote”) which is available now.

To understand what is on your ballot, visit: myvote.wi.gov

Remember every election matters, and state and local races have a direct impact on your daily life. These races may include elections for City Council, Village President, Judges, School Board, Mayor, and County Supervisors and others. The more local the election, the more likely the people elected may live in your neighborhood. Your vote matters greatly in our state and local elections.

Also, you should know there are two statewide ballot questions that will make changes to our state’s constitution if they pass. Details below:

Question 1

The first question, which will appear as Question 1, reads as follows:

Question 1: “Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?”

The background for this proposed amendment is that in 2020, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, donated a total of $350 million to the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), an existing nonprofit based in Chicago that describes itself as “a team of civic technologists, trainers, researchers, election administration and data experts working to foster a more informed and engaged democracy, and helping to modernize U.S. elections.” Approximately $10 million of those funds were used by over 100 municipalities in 38 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties that applied for and received funding to cover the increased costs of administering elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds that were donated were given to support the following types of expenses:

  • Poll worker recruitment, hazard pay, and training
  • Polling place rental
  • Temporary staffing support
  • Drive-through voting
  • Equipment to process ballots and applications
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE) for poll workers
  • Nonpartisan voter education from cities and counties

A majority “yes” vote for Question 1 would create a constitutional amendment banning the use of funds donated from private sources for future elections. Generally speaking, conservative groups and those that promote “election integrity”—meaning the most restrictive reading of voting laws—favor a “yes” vote on Question 1. On the opposite side of the spectrum, groups that seek to maximize the opportunity and participation of all those who are eligible to vote in our elections favor a “no” vote on Question 1.

Read an excellent summary of Question 1 and the positions of various groups both supporting and opposing this constitutional amendment.

Question 2

The second question, which will appear on the April 2 ballot as Question 2, reads as follows:

Question 2: “Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?”

Wisconsin’s statutes already provide extensive and rigorous requirements for “election officials,” a category that is more typically referred to as “poll workers” and includes chief election inspectors, election inspectors, greeters, tabulators, election registration officials, and special voting deputies. For example, among other requirements, election officials must be approved by the municipality from a list of nominees submitted by the two major political parties; must be able to read and write English; must be qualified voters in the county in which the polling place where they will serve is located; cannot be candidates on the ballot; and cannot be immediately related to any candidate on the ballot.

A majority “yes” vote for Question 2 would restrict the performance of tasks “in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums” only to election officials. Yet because Wisconsin Statutes currently provide that “only election officials appointed under” the two statutory provisions governing the appointment of election officials “may conduct an election,” it is unclear how the addition of this provision to the Wisconsin Constitution would enhance Wisconsin’s election laws. The Legislature has identified no specific need for this constitutional amendment, nor has it pointed to any shortcoming of the present statutory restrictions on who may serve as an election official. Consequently, it appears that the inclusion of this question on the ballot is an attempt to enshrine in the Constitution provisions that exist now only in statutes, which would make them much more difficult to change should political control of the legislature and the legislative process shift from its current state.

As with Question 1, conservative and “election integrity” groups favor a “yes” vote on Question 2, whereas groups that seek to expand access to and participation in voting favor a “no” vote on Question 2. There is a concern among some pro-democracy groups that amending the Constitution to include the provision reflected in Question 2 might lead to efforts to stifle current practices that enhance voter participation.

Read further information regarding this constitutional amendment.

____________________

With this information, we hope you will better understand the constitutional amendment questions on the April 2 ballot and will be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not Wisconsinites should amend the state constitution and add these provisions.

DOWNLOAD NETWORK ADVOCATES’ “EQUALLY SACRED VOTING CHECKLIST”.

 

Posted in Democracy & Unity

World Water Day (3/22)

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

2024 ‘Water for Peace’ theme hopes to create a positive ripple effect.

Rooted in the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, World Water Day celebrates freshwater and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is all about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. This year’s theme is ‘Water for Peace’, which focuses on the critical role water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have limited or unequal access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, out of 153 countries that share rivers, lakes and aquifers with their neighbors, only 24 countries report having cooperation agreements for all their shared water.

Explore resources to learn more and promote engagement.

 

Eliminating Racial Discrimination

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination commemorated the tragic day in 1960 when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid. In 1979, the UN General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination should be organized annually in all States (3/21-3/27). Learn more.

Three years ago, UNESCO created this video. It still calls us to:” Read. Observe. Learn. Listen. Keep Quiet is not an option. Take Action!”

 

In this divided and wounded world, recognizing and addressing systemic racism and racial bias is essential if we are to witness and reveal the oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. The School Sisters of Notre Dame offer links to other dismantling racism resources.

Is Your Fish Dinner Exploiting People?

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

The March issue of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking’s anti-trafficking newsletter focuses on how child labor and human trafficking taint fish and fish products.

Being disconnected from where our food comes from can leave us unaware of how human trafficking and child forced labor are part of providing what is on our plate. This is especially true when it comes to the fish we eat. Read the stories in the March Issue of the Stop Trafficking Newsletter.

 

Mother Cabrini Inspires Even Centuries After Her Death

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

CSA Sisters and Associates celebrated Catholic Sisters Week and Women’s History Month all at once by seeing “Cabrini.”

The movie “Cabrini” chronicles the life and work of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant nun, who founded one of the largest charitable organizations in the world, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was also the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church on July 7, 1946.

Cabrini opened in 2,600 theaters nationwide on Friday, March 8, which was also International Women’s Day. Several CSA Sisters and Associates enjoyed dinner and a movie outing to watch the film together. Sister Diane Bauknecht shares her thoughts on the movie:

“The Cabrini movie is a powerful testimony to the life of a sickly woman who heard and followed a call to serve those in need. The film portrays the inner strength of St. Frances Cabrini who was dauntless in her commitment to improve the lives of children, many of whom were orphaned. Her inner strength superseded the frailty of her body when she persisted against both church and civil authorities who reluctantly/grudgingly gave their approval to her enormous projects.

The only weakness I perceived in the film is that it did not seem to show what sustained Mother Cabrini’s tenacious durability. Only once, at the end, did it show Mother Cabrini in prayer. I suspect that was an oversight because she surely must have found her strength in a Power beyond herself.”  

In a March 11 article by Samantha Smith in Black Catholic Messenger, she shares two themes that stood out most in the film. “The first is how Cabrini’s story feels as true to today’s world as it did in her time. While the cultures of today’s immigrants are different, there are continued efforts from American citizens and government leadership to cast them out of the country and ignore their human dignity. However, America was founded on the idea of immigration—that no matter where you come from, you can come here and live a happy and prosperous life.

"The second is how Church leadership has not always been on the right side of progress or the needs of its community. The archbishop in the film plays the 'safe' route—determined not to stir the pot or anger the mayor. And while Pope Leo XIII eventually supports Cabrini and her mission, he didn’t start out that way in the film. As lay Catholics, we can empathize with Cabrini’s challenges to the Church, to push it closer to its mission of helping those in need. Her story serves as motivation to continue that work now.”

You can read the full article here.

If you’ve seen the movie and would like to share your experience, please add a comment to this post!

 

Farmworkers Awareness Week

March 21, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

National Farmworker Awareness Week is March 25-31. It is a call to action for communities to help raise awareness of the millions of essential workers that plant, raise, grow, handle, harvest, pack and ship the food we consume. It emphasizes the important and essential contributions they make to the food supply chain. You are invited to take time to read this very inspiring article about the Fair Food Program and the difference it is making for farm workers. Additional resources for awareness building and engagement are available from the Equitable Food Initiative and on the National Farm Worker Ministry website.

Click here for prayer resources.

UNANIMA International News

March 07, 2024
By Tracy Abler, Justice Coordinator

In her introduction to UNANIMA International (UI)'s quarterly newsletter, Executive Director, Jean Quinn, DW shares this reflection: 

“March brings us a tapestry of cultural celebrations worldwide, from the colorful Holi in India and Nepal, to the green festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, and the empowering Women's Day. These celebrations help our global community to embrace unity, diversity, and renewal through these joyful events. International Women’s Day, which serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for women’s rights and achievements. Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias and discrimination.

UNANIMA International, with NGOs, Civil Society, the UN, and Member States can and must work together in the following key areas that need action:

Investing in women, a human rights issue

Ending Poverty and Homelessness for women and girls

Implementing gender-responsive financing

Shifting to a green economy and care society

As an organization, UNANIMA International-with 25 communities of women in over 100 countries working at the grassroots-are committed to making sure women and girls everywhere are not left behind. Throughout 2024, UI will continue to celebrate women of courage locally and internationally, who have taken the lead to sho9w the importance of the need to change and good practices.

We honor and celebrate all our UI Women at the grassroots, nationally, and internationally.

Sincerely,

Jean”

Read the newsletter online to learn the many ways UI is making a difference.

CSA is one of the 25 member congregations in UNANIMA International. Justice Coordinator, Tracy Abler, represents the congregation on the Board of Directors. The Board will be meeting in New York later this month and request your prayers for safe travels, guidance in planning, and health and energy to carry out the mission.

 

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