Your Seventh Day Agnostic editor is of the view that churches can play a much larger role in social change, as they did during the civil rights and Vietnam eras, in part because they are not just organizations, but congregations, voluntary families of common values. Here's an example:
Popular Resistance - A broad-based coalition of religious groups is taking action to play a leading role in reform of Cuyahoga County’s criminal justice system.
Greater Cleveland Congregations, a nonpartisan coalition representing more than 40 congregations and 20,000 people, will begin a series of meetings to develop and press its recommendations on police reform.
The call to action represents “an unprecedented opportunity for Greater Cleveland Congregations to have an influence on the direction of the criminal justice system in Cleveland for years to come,” organizers said.
“This is a way of making sure our voices are heard,” said co-chair Rabbi Joshua Caruso of the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple.
Formed 3-1/2 years ago to “build power for social justice,” GCC includes some of Northeast Ohio’s most prominent faith communities. It has worked for school reform, to expand Medicaid in Ohio and to reduce gun violence.
Nearly 1,000 people from the group gathered three years ago in a meeting to support criminal justice reform, working with the governor’s office and General Assembly.
A general assembly on Feb. 3, expected to draw well over 1,000, will present the GCC position on police reforms to U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach, Department of Justice officials and the city of Cleveland.
No comments:
Post a Comment