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December Update: Advocacy Connections

from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: December 2020

SPENDING DECISIONS | EVICTION CRISIS | CENSUS CHALLENGE | CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS

 

SPENDING DECISIONS:  It is decision-making crunch time for federal FY21 budget considerations before the 116th Congress adjourns for the holidays and furthermore concludes on Jan. 3, 2021. Congress approved $900 billion of relief late on Dec. 21, providing desperately needed aid for Americans after months of gridlock on Capitol Hill. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it into law.

Throughout the process, the ELCA advocacy network and staff persistently emphasized pressing need and priority concerns. With as many as 50 million Americans facing food insecurity this year, $13 billion from the second stimulus will go toward food-assistance programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

 

EVICTION CRISIS:  The stimulus package passed by Congress late Monday includes an extension of a national eviction ban through Jan. 31, temporarily avoiding what housing advocates warned would be a dangerous situation for the U.S. amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Economists and affordable housing advocate have warned of a looming eviction crisis that could affect millions of Americans without action. Enhanced Unemployment Insurance benefits and other measures will blunt some of the heavy economic impacts of the pandemic.

If no further action is taken, congregations, feeding ministries and shelters already facing overflow may expect to see assistance requests increased. According to the Census Bureau’s Weekly Pulse Survey, over 6 million renters and 5 million homeowners indicated they had very little confidence in the ability to make their next housing payment. In the same study, 1.5 million renters and nearly 300,000 homeowners indicated it would be very likely they would be evicted or foreclosed on in the next two months.

 

CENSUS CHALLENGE:  On Dec. 18, the Supreme Court dismissed one of the challenges to President Trump’s memorandum ordering the U.S. Census Bureau to discount undocumented immigrants from the final census, which is to be reported by the Census Bureau by Dec. 31, 2020. Failing to count every person who lives in each state would affect the process of apportionment which decides congressional seat allocation for states.

Three lower courts had ruled unanimously that the president’s action violates either the Constitution, the federal census statues, or both. Our communities are significantly shaped by census data, and Census 2020 will update these numbers for the first time in 10 years. The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census to encourage the most accurate count possible.

 

CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS:  The incoming Biden Administration indicates that it will make climate change an unprecedented high priority. Addressing climate change will be done in concert with addressing the economy, yoking as essential growing the economy simultaneously with addressing climate concerns.

The incoming administration plans to create a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change position to be filled by former Secretary of State John Kerry. This position will be elevated to cabinet level. In her 2018 Earth Day statement, Presiding Bishop Eaton said: “The present moment is a critical and urgent one, filled with both challenge and opportunity to act as individuals, citizens, leaders and communities of faith in solidarity with God’s good creation and in hope for our shared future.”

 


Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

 

Migrating women and their experience with gender-based violence

by Giovana Oaxaca, Program Director for Migration Policy

The allegations of medical neglect and invasive gynecological procedures in a privately-run detention center in Irwin County, Ocilla, Ga.—including coerced sterilization—quickly drew disbelief and condemnation worldwide this fall. Far from unique, these shocking allegations echo the historic and current reality of cruel and inhumane treatment towards migrant women. At every stage and step of their lives, migrants, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are at special risk of having their fundamental human rights violated.

 

GBV as a migration driver

What drives people to migrate will vary from person to person, but one of the most cited reasons is to escape from domestic abuse and violence. For countless women, girls, and LGTBQIA+ persons in the Northern Triangle of Central America–El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—sexual- and gender-based violence (GBV) is inescapable reality. Every day, over 100 cases of violence against women are filed in Guatemala. In 2018, a woman was killed in Honduras every 18 hours. El Salvador has the highest rate of femicide in Latin America and in an 8-month span of time in 2020 at the height of pandemic quarantine measures, reported 84 femicides. Globally, gender-based violence is widely recognized as a key human rights issue, as highlighted in the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Even these figures likely do not capture the full scope of the violence experienced by women. Social stigma, fear of retribution and lack of confidence in authorities often contribute to underreporting.

 

Shifts in U.S. Policy Toward Asylum Seekers

The United States has a policy of granting limited humanitarian protections to persons fleeing gender-based persecution and violence. Unfortunately, overtime, these protections have become harder to access. Under President Trump, the U.S. government has undermined protections for people fleeing domestic abuse and gang violence and turned away asylum seekers, trapping families, men, women and children in precarious conditions without any meaningful access to protection. People at risk of GBV thus contend with persecution at home, in transit, and even from U.S. authorities.

 

ELCA responds to human need

While working with migrating, returned and deported women, civil society organizations and faith-partners have expressed the need for services geared at empowering women socially, politically and economically. The ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) has placed a special emphasis on working with advocates in Central America who give witness to these perilous conditions and supported their advocacy efforts.

“Migrants, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers often suffer more when they are women, girls, or gender non-conforming people” notes the ELCA social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action.” “Women, girls, and people who identify as non-binary must not be deprived of their human or civil rights.” When the disturbing account of human rights violations against immigrant women in custody of the privately run Irwin County Detention Center surfaced, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton stated, “As the ELCA we strongly condemn gender-based violence and violations of human rights wherever they occur.”

 

Threats in U.S. detention

Abuse of women is widespread in immigration detention centers and constitutes a serious threat to the civil and personal liberties of migrants. The detained population has multiplied over the last 30 years under a U.S. government policy to apprehend and detain increasing numbers of immigrants. Alternatives such as community-based alternatives to detention, although humane, less costly and more effective, have not been pursued, overburdening an already strained system at the expense of the people detained.

The United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) guidance says that all immigration practices should implement special measures to protect women from sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation in detention. According to the UNHCR, other groups that are vulnerable to abuse, like children and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, should also be afforded special measures to guarantee their safety. The UNHCR mainly advocates that detention should be used as a measure of last resort and asylum seekers should be given every opportunity to seek protection. The U.S. government must do more to meet even this basic standard of care.

In fact, the U.S. federal government has become one of the most egregious perpetrators and accessories of GBV. Between 2010 and 2017, there was a staggering 1,224 complaints of sexual assault abuse in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention yet only 43 investigations. Based upon known patterns, these numbers likely reflect underreporting. We know people don’t come forward out of fear of retaliation and are not consistently supported by confidence in prosecution of perpetrators. Like most cases of GBV, these acts are committed in nearly total impunity.

 

What can we do?

Increased scrutiny at Irwin creates new incentives for advocacy

  • Supporting policies that aim to curb profiting from people’s suffering are one way to stamp out immigration practices in the U.S. that deprive women of their liberty and rights.
  • Restoring the asylum system so that victims have access to humanitarian protections goes without saying—though the underlying definition of gender-based asylum could stand to be improved.
  • Supporting survivors of violence at the onset through advocacy in their home countries, so that they do not feel obligated to flee, must also be an objective of any strategy to prevent and mitigate acts of GBV. The escalation of intimate partner violence, evidenced by the spike in femicides in El Salvador, signals the need to expand local programs for women in need of protection in their homes.
  • The Keeping Women and Girls Safe from the Start Act of 2020 (S. 4003) includes some important measures to expand the U.S. government’s ability to prevent gender-based violence and provide early interventions at the onset of humanitarian emergencies.

These are just a few examples of systemic and institutional changes that can be made, and they are very likely to take some time to come to be implemented. However, these lay the groundwork for a just and compassionate solution to the unacceptable reality of sexual- and gender-based violence.

November Update: Advocacy Connections

Partial content* expanded from Advocacy Connections: November 2020

ELECTION 2020 AND ELCAvotes  |  COVID-19 STIMULUS AND OTHER “LAME DUCK” SESSION ACTIVITY  |  OFFICIAL PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT WTIHDRAWAL  |  ATROCITY PREVENTION  |  PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION ON REFUGEES

 

ELECTION 2020 AND ELCAvotes:  In synods and congregations, through leaders and members, and with ELCA advocacy tools, faith-informed civic engagement has been lively in this unique 2020 election season. ELCA Advocacy staff continues monitoring post-election activity as states with narrow margins could see recounting efforts, protests or litigation over the coming days. Following election season, staff will prepare engagement plans with newly elected members of Congress and will finalize policy priorities for the 117th Congress in 2021.

In social media, blog posts and webinar participation, the ELCAvotes initiative with various collaborators has shared important, non-partisan sourced messages, including encouraging young adult voters, raising awareness of state deadlines for registering and early voting, promoting healthy polling practices, providing response tools for potential voter intimidation and lifting up counting every vote.

 

COVID-19 STIMULUS AND OTHER “LAME DUCK” SESSION ACTIVITY:  An additional COVID-19 relief package urgently must be decided by lawmakers before the holidays and adjournment as a bulwark against economic and health hardships for vulnerable and hungry people. Use our Action Alert to use your voice! All appropriations bills are also now being considered by the Senate.

The clock is ticking to see if appropriation decisions will be moved to the 117th Congress by continuing resolution. Another notable to-do item for the 116th Congress to be revisited before the end of the 2020 session is passing a budget by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown.

 

OFFICIAL PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT WTIHDRAWAL:  On Nov. 4, the U.S. officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. “By exiting the Agreement, the current administration has abdicated its responsibility to work with the rest of the world to tackle the climate crisis,” reads a statement from We Are Still In with which the ELCA participates.

We regret the U.S. decision but resolve to be accountable to God and continue our work as stewards of creation. The incoming Biden Administration has announced its intention to rejoin soon after the inauguration.

 

ATROCITY PREVENTION:  The ELCA continues to advocate within the U.S. government for strengthening of atrocity prevention programs. Use your voice to advocate for the Safe from the Start Act particularly, which expands the ability of the U.S. government to prevent gender-based violence at the onset of humanitarian emergencies.

Recently, advocacy staff participated in a consultation with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, where we provided feedback and key issue recommendations. Use Action Center tools to urge advancement of policy pieces like the Safe from the Start Act.

 

PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION ON REFUGEES:  President Trump signed a Presidential Determination on refugees on Oct. 27, authorizing a goal for FY21 of only 15,000 people. The new admissions goal is an 18% reduction from the FY20 goal of 18,000, an 80% cut from the historic norm and the lowest target in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

The formal identification followed a Sept. 30 announcement. The new goal was set after significant commentary from refugee advocates and resettlement agencies, including Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the ELCA, which implored the president to raise the ceiling and allow for greater numbers to be admitted and resettled in the U.S. An Action Alert from LIRS is available at votervoice.net/LIRS/campaigns/77949/respond to add your voice to those objecting to the figure and the impacted lives it represents. More at blogs.elca.org/advocacy/raising-the-refugee-ceiling/.

 


Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

 

From ELCAvotes to discipleship in a democracy

By the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, ELCA Advocacy Director

ELCA Lutherans have taken to heart “that energetic civic engagement is part of their baptismal vocation, both as individuals and through the church’s corporate witness” (ELCA social message on “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy,” pg. 14). Enthusiasm and responsibility for voting were relayed in the 2020 election, as in this social media post from Christopher Vergara of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod:

“Guess who voted in their first presidential election!?!? we were reminded throughout the whole experience – especially on this Día de los Muertos – of all those who have gone before, those who have fought for a long time and those who keep fighting, keep inspiring, keep kicking… We were going up the stairs to the voting area, when this older woman was barreling down the stairs. Her aide was chasing after her telling her to slow down. She said ‘I just voted, I feel so good my knees don’t even hurt!!!’”

Americans turned out to vote in record numbers last week, reaching the highest voting rate in 120 years. About 160 million people, 67% of eligible voters, participated despite long lines and extensive misinformation campaigns about when, where and how to vote. This extraordinary election took place under the health and safety challenges posed by a pandemic, calls for long overdue racial equity and the sometimes-disturbing discourse of a deeply polarized public.

 

GRATITUDES AND CONCERNS

There is much for which we can be grateful. Threats of targeted violence and extensive intimidation did not materialize. Americans stepped up to serve as election officials, poll workers, get-out-the-vote organizers and election monitors. We experienced exuberant and robust participation that exemplifies what the social message describes, that “U.S. Lutherans have learned that their neighbors are best served by a government in which supreme earthly power is held publicly by the people (a democracy) and they are governed by representatives chosen in fair elections in which each person is assured of their vote (a republic)” (pg. 9).

There are worries, too. President Donald Trump continues to assert, without providing evidence, allegations of widespread voter fraud. Although the Department of Homeland Security has called the 2020 election “the most secure in American history,” the president has not yet conceded, raising concerns for an orderly transfer of power with worrisome implications for national security and pandemic response. Election season continues in Georgia, with two runoff elections that will determine the composition of the Senate. As a nation, the post-election result is that we are still fractured by divisions that must be addressed.

 

RAMPING UP OUR WITNESS

It is time for Lutherans to claim as a vocation in daily life their identity as disciples in a democracy. ELCAvotes has been a well-received initiative providing resources and community for Lutherans to be involved during the run up to elections and in voting rights work. The 2020 election shows us why seasonal engagement is not enough. “The ELCA holds to the biblical idea that God calls God’s people to be active citizens and to ensure that everyone benefits from the good of government” (pg. 14). Elections are not the end but a beginning. On Nov. 4, Vergara posted:

“I was reminded repeatedly yesterday how precious democracy is, and that protecting and engaging in it is not something to just take on every 4 years or, worse yet, outsource to others, but a solemn responsibility we as citizens must undertake individually, collectively, and continuously.”

Serving God and neighbor through civic engagement means our witness in society ramps up after an election to ensure that the values expressed, promises made and communal discernment undertaken continue and bear fruit. We now have the opportunity to build on the energy emerging from this election and push for meaningful reforms in the next Congress. This includes making our democracy work better, addressing distortions in power and access based on our national history of racial and economic exclusion, and implementing reforms that will ensure all voices are heard and have equal access to power structures.

 

LAME DUCK SESSION OPPORTUNITIES

As election results are finalized, there are several notable to-do items in the “lame duck” session that need our advocacy. Congress will have to pass a budget by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown, and ELCA Advocacy is actively speaking to the appropriations bills now before the Senate. Our advocacy is needed in COVID-19 relief [use the Action Alert now to contribute your voice emphasizing urgent, just and compassionate response], for a robust package to serve as a bulwark against additional economic and health hardships for vulnerable and hungry populations. We are braced for a federal evictions moratorium that ends on December 30, and advocate for its renewal [use the Action Alert now for background and to spotlight the need for policy action]. God’s work continues through our hands and our voices.

 


If you haven’t already signed up, consider being part of the ELCA Advocacy Network through ELCA.org/advocacy/signup to receive Action Alerts at impactful moments and monthly advocacy updates.

 

Election fears and global church wisdom

“Fear not, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God.” Many of us rehearse these words from Isaiah not only for their instruction, but because we need to remind ourselves of God’s presence and peace to push against contrary voices setting off anxiety. Anxiety is aroused around this election. The agitation is rational: pandemic realities and opportunistic impulses in electoral mechanisms, white supremacy and Christian nationalism stepping out of shadows, election results potentially unclear or contested and threats of violence.

“The political polarization in this country is making the temperature ripe for possible election violence,” says Christine Mangale, ELCA Program Director with the Lutheran Office for World Community. “This is the time for ELCA members to draw lessons from the ecumenical movement, in particular the Lutheran churches worldwide that have been promoting peace and working to prevent conflict for more than six decades. As churches, we have always been inspired by the rich tradition of peace, love, reconciliation and justice.”

 

FACED BY ZIMBABWEANS

On July 30, 2018, Zimbabwe held its first free elections after the almost 30-year rule of Robert Mugabe, prime minister then president of that nation. Until election results were announced on August 3, 2018, protests flared, including the death of six people in violent clashes on August 1. The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, said then, “What is really required in the long-run, if we going to have a deep cohesion among Zimbabweans, is to address the deep-seated anger, frustration and dissatisfaction on our land, which get an opportunity to manifest in such violence whenever there is an opportunity.”

In a letter of solidarity, the Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, wrote of the hope for a country flourishing “with the contribution of each member of the society, regardless of political identity.”

 

SUPPLIES STOCKPILED BY THE CHURCH

The ELCA social message “Community Violence” conveys a practical appreciation of what many are feeling in 2020. “Violence breeds more violence. Incidents of violence stir up anger and a craving for vengeance. Fear festers an attitude of ‘we’re not going to take it anymore.’ Increasingly, our national mood has been described as one of ‘getting mad and getting even’” (pg. 2). But this response should not be indulged by Christians. The message continues: “The Holy Spirit works among us to wrench us from violence, hate, greed, and fear, and transforms us into people who are called to trust God and live in community with one another. In doing so, we need to confront the violent tendencies within ourselves and our society, and find ways to cultivate the practice of nonviolence” (pg. 2).

While evidence suggests toilet paper is again being stockpiled and security checks for gun purchases are on the rise, churches can position themselves to declare God’s peace, marked by relationships that are just, harmonious and free from violence. “The Church as a community for peace is also to be a deliberating presence in society. As a community of moral deliberation the Church is a setting of freedom and respect where believers with different perspectives may learn from one another in the unity of faith,” says the For Peace in God’s World social statement (pg. 5). “We also advocate an early peace that provides security from violence and aggression, seeks just order in place of tyranny or anarchy, checks unrestrained power, and defends and enhances the life of people who are poor and powerless” (pg. 7).

 

MOVING TOWARD HEALING

Whether violence mars this election or not, we are a nation in need of healing. One model for local congregation leadership in this healing is available in “With Malice Towards None,” a program of Braver Angels that increases capacity for working together to address our common challenges. After the election has been decided, the initiative suggests healing through organized online or in-person gatherings where “red and blue Americans consider how they want to regard their fellow citizens who voted differently and begin building the capacity of We the People to forge ‘a more perfect union’ moving into 2021.”

As the global ecumenical communion urges us, our Christian community can hold forth a light in anxious times and not be subsumed by fear. In Zimbabwe, Junge wrote of the church’s strong commitment “to walk with… all the people of Zimbabwe in prayers for peace and stability in the country in order for all to enjoy the fruits of their land.” Spurred by the God of peace, we can address the deep-seated anger, frustration and dissatisfaction in our land and tend to our divisions by coming together to encounter, listen and learn about one another across differences.

ELCAvotes: Engagement before/during/after election

It is both privilege and responsibility for Lutherans in the United States to approach Election 2020 as faith-informed voters. Aware of needs and priorities in our own lives and connected with our neighbors who are equally beloved children of God, “Lutherans care about government because it is a gift from God intended for the safety and flourishing of human life.”* We are civically engaged, mindful that “too often and in too many ways, this gift has been abused.”*

  • Do you have your plan in place for voting?
  • Can you encourage and inform others through your congregation and/or personal circles?
  • Have you reflected on election challenges – for vote casting and after Election Day – in our unique 2020 context?

With mere days remaining in advance of Election Day 2020, here is a review of material associated with the ELCAvotes initiative.

 

VOTING BASICS

Rules vary state-by-state, which makes obtaining facts and planning ahead very important when challenges of polling in 2020 tweak familiar voting avenues.

If you’re looking for a place to start, the national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition can direct you to state-specific information from 866ourvote.org as well as the nonprofit, nonpartisan technology platform vote.gov. This includes:

  • Registration information
  • Vote-by-mail information
  • Deadlines
  • Polling locations

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Cherry-pick from archived ELCAvotes social media posts or use new items posted every Wednesday to share important messages in your and/or your congregation’s circles. On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ELCAadvocacy, find messages for sharing including:

  • Identify your polling location
  • Thinking of voting early? Deadlines matter.
  • Want to check if you are registered?
  • What is your state’s early-voting and vote-by-mail options?

Use #ELCAvotes in YOUR posts  to help us all see & share!

 

VIDEOS
  • A brand-new short video from the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, raises “Civic Engagement in 2020” themes. View on YouTube, and pass along from Twitter and Facebook.
  • Though the video is not new, “The Right to Vote” with Bishop Eaton also contains an important message. Find it on ELCA.org/votes and YouTube.

 

BLOG THEMES

While the ELCA Advocacy blog spotlights varied examples of Lutheran action, several posts carry ELCAvotes themes.

  • Voting dialogue with persons with disabilities (10/16/20)
  • Sifting through misinformation (10/5/20)
  • Churches as polling places (9/17/20)
  • Voting in 2020 takes personal and public planning (8/21/20)
  • Voter suppression damage requires challenge (6/24/20)

Review from blogs.elca.org/advocacy/ where you can also sign up to have ELCA Advocacy blog posts sent directly via email.

 

WORSHIP, BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER

Lutherans take time for study, prayer and worship in all things.

Check for local vigils near you. Plans for a national prayer vigil through the Washington Interfaith Staff Community in which ELCA advocacy staff participate will be shared when finalized.

 

ADDITIONAL ELCA RESOURCES

Check out ELCA.org/votes and ELCA.org/resources/advocacy under the “Civic Engagement” tab for more information, including:

  • Fact & activity sheet on race and voting
  • Money in politics
  • Voter guidelines for people facing homelessness
  • ELCA Civic Engagement Guide with “Get Out the Vote” tip sheet and more.

 

FROM OUR PARTNERS
  • Sacred Season of Voting resources to educate yourself and motivate others to go out and vote are offered by Faithful Democracy, with which the ELCA is in partnership through the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
  • Help staff your local polling place if you feel safe doing so. Our country is facing a shortage of poll workers because of the pandemic, and Power the Polls can direct you to sign up.
  • Tools for strengthening community resilience during the election cycle and addressing possible election-related violence in communities is available from Faith in Public Life. See “Building a Resilience Network.”

 

TRUST AND CALM

In the unique environment of Election 2020, our faith-informed voices have much to contribute to inform, take action and proclaim that fear will not rule the day – before, during and after Election Day. In a media pool tainted with misinformation, cultivating multiple info sources and “knowing where to go to find accurate information or a different perspective about a topic is extremely helpful,” says a tip in the Misinformation blog post. Churches can play a role as trusted messengers in our communities.

  • Is voter intimidation illegal? Are guns permitted at polling places? Does the First Amendment protect intimidating speech? These are a sample of questions answered by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center. Review the responses in their “Fact Sheet: Protecting Against Voter Intimidation.”
  • Resources for addressing voter intimidation, including state-by-state guidance on explaining the laws barring unauthorized private militia groups near a polling place or voter registration drive, have been compiled by the same source from the page: “Addressing the Rise of Unlawful Private Paramilitaries.”
  • The national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition runs the hotline 1-866-OURVOTE (1-866-687-8683) in English and additional languages (use link or see graphic). Call it with questions, including if you encounter problems when seeking to cast your ballot. Legal help is provided by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

 

With the increase in mail-in ballots and polling place challenges, it is highly unlikely that a winner in the presidential contest will be known on November 4. As our nation awaits results, we can be centered in the blessing:

“Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold on to what is good; return no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak, and help the suffering; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (from “Worship Resources for a National Election”)

 


* From the ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy.”

October Update: Advocacy Connections

from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2020

COVID-19 STIMULUSREFUGEE ADMISSIONS GOAL | TPS UNCERTAINTY | ELECTION 2020 IS HERE! | WELCOME NEW LEADERS

 

COVID-19 STIMULUS: At $2.2 trillion, the revised “HEROES Act” which passed the House on Oct. 1 is not expected to go further as bipartisan talks have broken down. Through the Circle of Protection, the ELCA successfully advocated for an extension of the Pandemic-EBT program through September 2021, a significant new tool for preventing childhood hunger. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton joined a letter to Congress and the Administration urging swift approval of a COVID relief package that prioritizes those most at risk of hunger at home and abroad.

President Trump pressed negotiators in Congress to finalize a deal as soon as possible with greater spending limits, but there is little opportunity for the Senate to take action for needed relief before Election Day. As benefits to businesses and families in the greatest need continue to run out, it is critical for advocates to contact their lawmakers to pass a compromise deal that prioritizes relief that addresses the growing hunger crisis in the U.S. and globally as soon as possible.

 

REFUGEE ADMISSIONS GOAL: On the evening of Sept. 30, the Administration announced its new annual refugee admissions goal: a ceiling of 15,000 refugees, which is the lowest target in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. A letter signed by 243 bishops and other rostered ministers called for resettlement of 95,000 refugees, the historic norm, delivered through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

Through the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, the ELCA presiding bishop also issued a comment decrying the Administration’s historic low goal. An action alert through LIRS is available for individual expression of concern. The goal was announced publicly in a manner unlike formal presidential determinations which have undergone a traditional consultation and signing process in the past.

The administration has consistently lowered the refugee admission ceiling over the years despite growing need globally. Presently, only 10,892 refugees have been resettled this fiscal year. COVID-19 severely disrupted refugee resettlement. By late July, it was clear that the U.S. was not on pace to meet the already low 18,000 target.

 

TPS UNCERTAINTY: A preliminary injunction blocking the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan has been lifted by a Sept. 14 decision in Ramos v. Wolf. The toll on families is extreme as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and TPS recipients live in a perpetual state of limbo and fear of being returned to countries mired in social and political crises.

The Ramos decision also opens the way for the termination of TPS for people from Honduras and Nepal that are being challenged in a separate case. Urge the Senate to take up and pass the “American Dream and Promise” Act (H.R.6), one of few legislative vehicles to support TPS, DACA, and DED recipients by establishing a pathway to citizenship, with the Action Alert “Press for American Dream and Promise Act.”

 

ELECTION 2020 IS HERE! Factual, nonpartisan information from reliable sources is valuable as the 2020 election cycle advances to Nov. 3. Share ELCAvotes posts from @ELCAadvocacy on social media in your circles (new posts on Wednesdays plus archived posts available). The ELCAvotes initiative stems from 2013 Churchwide Assembly action and is led by ELCA Advocacy, Racial Justice Ministries, and Young Adult Ministry.

Both in the Civic Engagement series and with ELCAvotes, find resources and blog entries including Bible studies, “Sifting through Misinformation,” “Money and Politics,” and much more.

 

WELCOME NEW LEADERS: Despite the challenges of getting started from one’s home base and device connection, new additions have been welcomed to advocacy staff. Giovana Oaxaca will bring leadership through the position of Policy Director for Migration; and three Hunger Advocacy Fellows have begun service. These enthusiastic and gifted young adults are Taina Diaz-Reyes, Larry Herrold and Kyle Minden.

Diaz-Reyes is now part of the D.C.-based ELCA advocacy staff, Herrold is part of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania staff, and Minden is part of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin. We’re excited to be working together!

 


Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

 

Voting dialogue with persons with disabilities

By guest blogger Carol A. Johnson, ELCA Coordinator, Disability Ministries, Grants and Schools

We are close to the national day designated to vote in the United States of America for our nation’s president and other congressional representatives in our state and our nation. Persons with disabilities take great pride in going to vote, but some do experience obstacles at the voting polls or even in registering and/or voting by mail.

Twenty five percent of American citizens are known to be living with a disability; another 25% of citizens are over the age of 60 and may benefit from talking with someone about when and how they plan to vote. While some may vote by mail, some may prefer to be out at the polls with other citizens – which is their right even if COVID-19 complicates this year’s national day of voting. As adults, they should be able to decide for themselves when and how they will vote.

Please consider being in dialogue with persons with disabilities about their desire to vote, about their opinions about those running for office, and consider asking what might make that day or even that week or month meaningful for them. Perhaps someone might like to go to polls when you do so that you might become more familiar with their experience. You may be surprised at the joy and independence felt despite any struggles.

We are a nation of many people who are more alike than different. Inviting someone and listening, rather than acting charitably, may be the best way for you to help someone living with a disability serve their country as a voter. Members with disabilities are your equals, your siblings in Christ, your neighbors – and are often impacted as much as yourself, if not more, by persons elected to serve as leaders of our country.

For more information and to get connected, visit ELCA.org/votes. Learn more about ELCA Disability Ministries from ELCA.org/our-work/congregations-and-synods/disability-ministry.

Sifting through misinformation

In weeks approaching the election, we are awash in messaging. Not only are we seeing politician-approved ads, but likely also items in categories* including propaganda, lies, conspiracies, rumors, hoaxes, hyperpartisan content, falsehoods and manipulated media. Such misinformation undermines healthy democratic processes and discourages civic engagement. “The political health of our nation still suffers from the stain of antidemocratic exclusion. Efforts to restrict access to voting should be condemned and resisted,” warns the ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy.” Much misinformation feeds this problem. Guidance to advance our public life in the social message reads, “There is a sharp distinction between public service and private gain, a distinction measured by the straightforward question ‘Whose good is being served?’”

 

What’s the problem?

Material from The Episcopal Church* cautions: “Audiences that mostly consume mainstream media see far more false insider stories and conspiracy theories than they might realize. While mainstream media itself remains highly reliable, online algorithms that favor content with high engagement instead of content with high veracity make it easier to transmit misinformation to these audiences through widely-used platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.”

When Hunger Network in Ohio, part of our Lutheran state public policy office network, reflected on online engagement, they wrote: “Social media offers everyone a chance to help shape the news and the content that each other sees. This is both a blessing and a curse…” They continued, “False news hurts our ability for civil discourse and wrestling with difficult issues to find solutions.”

Consuming a blip of information may take just a moment, but taking extra moments to clarify that information’s source and intent can help keep us from fanning destructive tendencies that divide us. “It seems that we want to cut ourselves off from each other,” said Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton in her video address “We are in this together” (9/25/20). “Not only do we disagree, but we say the other is wrong, or they say we are wrong, or we accuse each other somehow of mounting a platform – like we want to divorce each other. But this is not possible. In baptism, the Spirit has forged us together in a bond that is unbreakable by any human sin or even by our anxiety or our desire to get away from the other side.”

 

What can we do about it?

Check out the wide ranging exploration of a spectrum of misinformation, malinformation and disinformation, created and spread by “jokers, scammers, interest-driven entities, conspiracy theorists, ‘insiders’, celebrities, or your friends and family,” available from The Episcopal Church.

Misinformation, Disinformation, Fake News: Why Do We Care?

We won’t catch all that is streaming past us, but we can help stop contribution to the problem.

Among remedying tips in the piece is: “Consuming high-quality, diverse media improves our understanding of the world and equips us to identify and critically evaluate misinformation. Even if you don’t follow every trusted source closely, knowing where to go to find accurate information or a different perspective about a topic is extremely helpful.” Then there are the three questions to run through before you “re-share that tweet, or tell a friend about that surprising headline you saw.” Where’s it from? What’s missing? How do you feel? [See graphic for additional description.]

The feeling when we share should be the affirmation of contribution to constructive discussion. “We are one body in Christ,” proclaimed Presiding Bishop Eaton. “This is the witness we in the ELCA need to give to the world and to understand and live ourselves.”

 


*”Misinformation, Disinformation, Fake News: Why Do We Care,” post from Office of Government Relations of The Episcopal Church (May 21, 2020 update), content shared by permission

International COVID-19 Relief – Why We Should Commit

By the Rev. Kaari Reierson, contractor with ELCA advocacy

The impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. citizens are simply unfathomable. Over 200,000 people have died. Unemployment is the highest it has been in the last 70 years. Tens of thousands of businesses have closed.

As difficult as COVID-19 and its many effects have been for those in the U.S., the effects have been multiplied in other parts of the world. As of this writing, the death rate in the United States is eleventh globally. The world’s economy is predicted to be pushed to a recession greater than any since World War II, putting millions more people into poverty.

As the U.S. Congress debates how to assist its citizens, Lutherans are reminded that whatever is happening on U.S. soil is happening elsewhere in the world, in many cases amplified. Unemployment is confronting people with no savings – and no social safety net. Illness is afflicting people with minimal health care. Food scarcity is threatening people with no resources.

In response to a desperate world in 1939, Lutherans in the United States founded Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to assist Europeans displaced by World War II. Lutherans continue to participate regularly in international efforts to serve the neighbor and guard human dignity, through presence at the United Nations (U.N.), post-war relief in Europe, and engagement in development work and disaster response among many ways. ELCA social teaching recognizes that the U.S. plays a vital leadership role in world affairs and also has an obligation to share its resources with less wealthy nations.

Will our nation respond to the suffering imposed by COVID-19 outside of U.S. soil, or will we only take care of “our own?” Will the U.S. participate fully in international organizations working to quell the pandemic as our Lutheran history and social teaching would urge us to do?

To turn the tide of a virus as contagious as COVID-19 requires a coordinated effort by the international community. The pandemic respects no national boundaries. If the U.S. refuses to engage with and help resource multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization and U.N., it is not only failing to fulfill its moral obligation, it is endangering its own future. “U.S. support through bilateral foreign assistance programs is also vital to heavily impacted low-income countries,” says Patricia Kisare, ELCA Program Director for International Public Policy. “As members of Congress work on the next COVID-19 stimulus package, they must include funding for international response to address the tremendous needs caused by this pandemic.”

Illustrated by the history of Lutherans in the U.S., expanded in our Lutheran teachings, and sourced in the words and life of Jesus, caring for others is God’s work. “For the Christian, empathy is one way in which love and compassion (Matthew 25:31-46) may be embodied in the world of civil authority, through God’s left-hand work,” reads the ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States.”

You are invited to use “Take Action on the Next Coronavirus Supplemental Bill” in the ELCA Action Center to ask Congress to incorporate international relief measures as it moves our nation’s pandemic response into law.