My husband, Paul, and I recently returned from a trip to Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt. There were 21 of us related somehow to St. Luke’s Lutheran in Park Ridge, Illinois, traveling “On Holy Ground” together. We had the time and the leadership to (1) encounter people and groups representing many perspectives/views/sides of the issues; (2) visit important Lutheran places and people at Augusta Victoria Hospital and Resurrection Lutheran in Jerusalem, St. Andrews in Cairo, and Christmas Lutheran in Bethlehem and others; (3) experience the holy places and churches; and (4) do some fun, touristy stuff like visit Petra and take a bob in the dead sea.
Our group had regular meetings to prepare for the trip and we’ve had our first meeting to debrief and prepare for post trip. We talked about how we answer the question, “How was your trip?” We came up with words like engaging…enraging…enlightening…and others less alliterative. We admitted that we couldn’t yet really answer “How was the trip?” for ourselves, much less for others. Most of us just answer “It was great!” and promise ourselves to work on a better answer for the next time.
I invite you to visit our photo journal at http://imageevent.com/edisonswift/onholyground — e-mail me for the password. And, if you or your congregation is planning a trip to the Holy Land, I heartily encourage you embrace a “Peace Not Walls” itinerary and to visit Lutheran “holy ground” places like those I mention above. I happen to know that, as I type, someone is attending New Global Mission Personnel Training who will be charged with helping travelers to the Holy Land accomplish these very things. Until we have direct contact information, please call 800/638-3522, ext. 2654 or 2117.
By the way, our trip was great, blessings on top of blessings. Sue-s

Brett Nelson (ELCA Communication Services) created two short videos that are a “must see” for yourself and a “must show” in your congregation. Please spread the word about “After the Flood” (ELCA Disaster Response) and “Bowling for Jesus” (LYO/ELCA World Hunger Appeal).

Find “After the Flood,” at www.elca.org/disaster Currently, After the Floods is an elca.org homepage feature (click on the basketball image).

Find “Bowling for Jesus” at http://tinyurl.com/5rv6xd

Blessings!
Sue

Food for Life: Recipes and Stories on the Right to Food

I am a firm believer that when you make a commitment to fight any injustice in the world, you are (maybe unbeknownst to you) making inroads into understanding and fighting against other injustices. To me, most all injustices are inextricably intertwined and work together to hold people down or at the margins. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

When we are working to end poverty and hunger in the world, it is important to remain mindful that poverty, the distribution of wealth, and hunger are chained, not only to one another, but to other, equally important injustices, like sexism, ageism, and racism.

This last weekend, June 27-29, through gracious funding from women’s ministries at the National Council of Churches- USA, I had the opportunity to attend the International Conference on Racism and Globalization at the Lutheran Center here in Chicago, Illinois. The event was organized by Agricultural Missions, Inc. (AMI) and Federation of Southern/ Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund (FSC/LAF). People from across the United States and around the world, brothers and sisters from Alabama to California, Uganda to El Salvador to Sri Lanka, gathered to share stories and network.

The goals of the conference were two fold:
To raise awareness of the interconnectedness of racism and globalization in the current context and affirm our commitment to seek to end racism within our organizations, our communities and ourselves.
To develop international networks that will assist organizations, individuals, and communities in using their power to confront and defeat any aspects of globalization that are driven by racism and negatively impacts their lives.

The weekend was full of panel dialogues on topics such as trade policy and financial institutions, human migration, food, land, water, and the environment, employment and labor, culture and spirituality, and education. We also met in small groups for in-depth discussion and cultural sharing. The culmination of the event was a declaration from the group, which I will link to when it becomes available to me.

In the mean time, here are my highlights.

Mikka’s Top 3 Learnings

1. XenoPHOBIA vs. xenoPHILIA. According to Miriam Webster’s online dictionary, xenoPHOBIA is “fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.” In a speech given by Luis Rivera- Pagán, he expressed the terrible things that we, people, do to one another when we see each other as strangers. Instead, Rivera-Pagán argued for a heightened sense of xenoPHILIA, which comprises hospitality, love, and care for the stranger. Pagán is quoted here,

“In times of increasing economic and political globalization, xenophilia should be our duty and vocation, as a faith affirmation not only of our common humanity, but also of the ethical priority in the eyes of God of those living in the shadows and margins of our societies.”

2. Globalization has many definitions and many different manifestations in the world. Globalization is a huge term, which encompasses economic realities, but has a very real human impact. Globalization, as we currently know it, has been furthered through technological advancements and the ease of capital transfers around the world. However, do humans, human capital, have the same abilities and rights?

3. The church has a strong presence to offer. There were two main themes that I took away from the event in relation to the church.

First, there was a sentiment that the church, religion, and the Bible have all, at times, been “co-opted” to falsely explain acts of violence, racism, and other injustices.

However, more promisingly, people at the event recognized that faith-based organizations are essential partners. Faith-based organizations are on the front-lines, working and serving with people against injustice. Faith communities have the ability to organize and effectively advocate for things like debt cancellation and fairer practices at events like the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Rounds.

I am always amazed at the good work being done by our sisters and brothers in the global community. I am constantly humbled and challenged as I learn more about the world that we are a part of. For more information, please email me or comment on this blog. I’ve written 715 words here, and I would be happy to continue the conversation, because, for me, continuing conversations are where the real learning happens.

For the first time the other day I heard this phrase “Green is the New Black”. At first I thought this statement was in reference to the actual color green, but no, this statement refers to the fashion industry becoming more environmentally “green”. So as a proclaimed fashionista, I had to check this out! How could I miss such a trend?
At first chance, I googled the statement “Green is the New Black” and the amount of websites choices I had was phenomenal! There were t-shirts with this phrase printed on them, information detailing that the quote dates back to Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter (via 2006), a book literally called “Green is the New Black: How to Change the World with Style”, and much more. As I was reading the list, I thought, could my clothing and my pension for fashion be ruining the world?
My answer to both questions was yes.
Ugh.
The truth hurts. But I surely can’t be that much of an earth destroyer! Come to find out, I am and I am not. So, where could I make changes?
I found this article on Ivillage.com, called: “How to Use Your Purchasing Power to Help the Earth”. The article is excerpted from the 2008 book “Big Green Purse” written by Diane MacEachern. In the article, MacEachern provides seven ways individuals through their shopping and spending habits can contribute to making the world better, they are:

1. Spend less. When we use less it reduces the impact of manufacturing needs to produce products, prevents pollution, and curtails global warming. More importantly, there is more money in your pocket to either save or pursue activities to enrich your life!

2. Read the labels. Because the US government does not regulate a company’s use of words like “green”, “natural”, or “biodegradable”. Read the label of the product, and it will be a give away to the truth. You can also check out the website www.climatecounts.org to check if the company’s “green” statements are true.

3. Support sustainability. Look for brands that use the words “SMART Certified” because these companies have “Adopted comprehensive standards guaranteeing that their products protected the public’s health and the environment throughout their entire commercial ‘life cycle’”.

4. Look for third party verification. When a company says they are producing “green” products ensure that are and look for these third party labels to support their claims: Green Seal, The LEED Green Building Rating System, Energy Star, VeriFlora, Fair Trade Certified, and USDA Organic.

5. Choose fewer ingredients. The fewer the ingredients in a product usually translates to the less chemical are within the product.

6. Pick less packaging. Get this, 1 out of every 11 dollars we spend at a store pays for packaging! Whoa! In order to get more bang for your buck, you should consider: buying in bulk, purchasing “refills”, recycle packing as much as possible, bring your own bag, choose concentrated items (i.e. laundry detergents- I promise, they work the same!), and avoid Styrofoam.

7. Buy local. I didn’t need to author to tell me this! I swear by buying local. Not only does it ensure your community’s economic viability, but it has environmental and health benefits. Also, local food growers are usually more stringent about following US environmental and health laws and regulations.

I was glad to find out I was doing “pretty well” on MacEachern’s list, but there are some areas I can definitely improve on, especially numbers 2, 3, 4, and 6.
I guess for me, this leads me to ask the question, when are people around the world going to have the “green” epiphany? And though MacEachern’s article offers people a feel good approach to creating a more sustainable environment (through their pocket); what does it take to make people catch on? I know for me, if it wasn’t through my Public Health program or my environmentally conscious friends I would not have successfully accomplished numbers 1, 5, and 7. And now spending the summer working on anti-hunger and anti-poverty initiatives, I know it is my responsibility to help sustain the world and work on making numbers 2, 3, 4, and 6 a part of life. Even if it means that I might not be able to be the fashionista I want to be (I am okay with that!).
But perhaps this is the best part of going “green”: the fashion and beauty industries can stimulate people not just to be aware of what being “green” is, but they can provide ways for people to use their buying power to apply green living to their lifestyles. Although I think the industries are far from adopting all of the “green” principles, recognition is the first step. And for an industry where one thing is “in” one day and “out” the next, I just hope “green”, like black, will always be in style. Well, because, it has to be.

I was looking at pictures of flooded Iowa today and was awestruck by the destructive power of too much water. I’ve blogged about how important water is to life. But it’s amazing how you can have too much of a good thing. So much land completely under water, killing the crops and destroying livelihoods. Between floods, tornadoes, and wildfires, it’s been a rough month or two in the United States.

How many people’s lives have been altered by nature in the past couple of months? And how many of them have the means to recover? Some are insured, have savings, and other support structures. Reconstructing their fractured lives will be difficult and emotional, to be sure, but largely a matter of time. But those living at or near poverty before disaster struck are facing a whole different reality. Disasters destroy homes, leaving some with nowhere to live. Disasters close businesses, sometimes permanently, causing loss of employment and income. Disasters interrupt health care treatment, making it difficult (or impossible) to tackle the work of recovering. Disaster interrupt education. For those who were struggling to stay in school in the first place, it can be difficult to go back. In the short term, disaster can destroy local food supplies and roadways, making short term hunger very real for everyone. But longer term, especially in rural areas, those who relied on gardens for even some of their food face new and unwelcome challenges.

The list of ways that natural disasters exacerbate the conditions for hunger and poverty go on; I’ve mentioned just a few. Knowing how many disasters the United States has had already this year, I wonder what the longer-term effect will be. How many who were living on the edge of poverty will now be solidly in it? The U.S. Census Bureau provides annual data about poverty in this country. It will be interesting to see how 2008 compares to 2007.

As promised, I am going to write a brief bit about two exciting new resources coming your way!

Two weekends ago, members of the ELCA World Hunger staff and a few knowledgeable and spirited hunger leaders from around the country met at Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center in picturesque, upstate New York for a creative retreat. The retreat was held to brainstorm content for two new ELCA World Hunger resources—the name, which I’m sure will be catchy, is yet to be determined. I had the opportunity to attend as a participant and as the (ever-faithful and diligent) note taker!

Here’s a picture of the group!

The two resources are meant to provide an adaptable, practical, easy-to-use, intergenerational, answer to the question:

“I’ve been asked to present for [insert your amount of time here] about world hunger to [insert your audience here]. What can or should I do?”

As concerned advocates for poverty ministries and world hunger, many of us are asked to present for an allotted amount of time to many differing audiences, be it the church youth group or at an adult forum during coffee hour. These two resources will be designed to help you organize that time! The resources will be unveiled at the upcoming ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in Lakewood, Colorado, July 31-August 3, 2008.

Now that I’ve sold you on the purpose, you might be asking, “What topics are these resources going to address?” These first two, which will most likely be part of a series, will address two important topics:

What is ELCA World Hunger?
What is the connection between climate change and world hunger?

The first is fairly self-explanatory. It will help you to articulate key facts about world hunger and the work that ELCA World Hunger is doing with a “take away” to truly inspire your audience. The second resource will begin to address some of the important connections between climate change and world hunger.

To begin familiarizing yourself on connections between climate change, hunger, and poverty, please see the links below.

“Summary for Policy Makers,” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Work Group II.
http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/

“Adaptation 101: How climate change hurts poor communities– and how we can help,” by Oxfam America.
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/publications/briefing_papers/adaptation-101/Adaptation-101.pdf

Happy learning!

Every morning I wake up, eat breakfast, and treasure my time reading the New York Times, especially the health section. My time spent with the Health section is important to me; not only does it keep me current and advance my Public Health studies, it also serves as a time to play my favorite game “Connect the Dots”.

My version of “Connect the Dots” begins with finding a news story, proceeds with me connecting how this story relates to other sectors of society, and ends with me figuring out how the story can impact the future.

One of the stories that caught my eye this week and thus ensued a wonderful game of Connect the Dots, was a story capturing the introduction of a new social index: the Access to Medicine Index.

What is the Access to Medicine Index?

The Access to Medicine Index is a social index that intends to “engage (the pharmaceutical) industry through transparency” and assesses how the top pharmaceutical companies are providing their life saving medications to individuals in the developing world. According to the Access to Medicine Index website, “one out of three people lacks access to essential, affordable drugs or vaccines. Improving access to medicines could save 10 million lives each year. The Access to Medicine Index highlights efforts by drug companies to help close the gap and encourage them- and all other stakeholders- to do more”(Access to Medicine Index).

Though the New York Times calls this ranking “unusual”, I think this Index is rather exciting because it holds much potential.

How the Index is calculated is based on how a pharmaceutical company spends its’ money in these eight areas: Management, Influence, Research and Development, Patenting, Capacity, Pricing, Drug Donations, and Philanthropy. Though there are no benchmarks or industry standards, other than the established rankings set by the individual pharma companies, this is the first step in assessing how this industry provides access to their medications to the world.

An Index like this has the capability to encourage the public to hold these companies accountable in providing access to their drugs to the poor and wealthy alike. Furthermore, this Index provides another method for stakeholders to enforce corporate accountability standards through these companies being socially responsible.

In terms of the future, if the Index would go one dot further and report on how drug accessibility has reduced diseases of poverty, improved health, and has seen a decline in hunger and poverty, then this Index could serve as social indicator of human advancement. Drawing this link is all too important, because though drug accessibility is important, we must know how these drug treatments are contributing to the overall health of the world. Capitalizing on this juncture could redefine what it means to be socially responsible through corporate endeavors.

In this game of Connect the Dots I can see endless links and a great future for this Index. What this Index has accomplished thus far is a feat on its own, but in the way industries must change and grow in order to compete, this Index will need to do so as well. As long as the Access to Medicine Index becomes respected amongst the industry, public, and stakeholders and develops benchmarks, this Index will be regarded as a premier social tool ensuring social responsibility, corporate accountability and the future of nations unborn.

REFERENCES

McNeil, Donald. “Index Ranks Pharmaceutical Groups According to Third World Outreach”. The New York Times. June 17, 2008. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/17glob.html?ex=1214452800&en=28e3bc9ff22d4a21&ei=5070&emc=eta1.

The Access to Medicine Index. http://atmindex.org/

Two nights ago, CNN aired coverage of former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s endorsement speech of Sen. Barack Obama in Detroit, Michigan. Given Gore’s involvement in climate change work, he spent some time building the case that, indeed, “we need to change our policies on climate change.” He focused on what future generations might say when they look back and review our actions. Mr. Gore is quoted,

“I want [future generations] to look back on this historic year and ask: how did Americans in 2008 find the moral courage to rise and successfully solve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve? How did they find the strength to change?”

I think it is interesting to consider a simple change from “Americans” to “Lutherans” or “Christians” or maybe even “Peoples of Faith.” In ELCA World Hunger and the ELCA Washington Office, we accept the scientific data that the Earth’s temperature is rising. We realize that people living in poverty, who may also be located in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, are already seeing substantial impacts from global warming. We recognize that there are concrete connections between hunger, poverty, and climate change.

In a time such as this, I think we, as citizens, are fortunate because we have two, mainstream party presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, who both recognize and care about climate change. The candidates have different approaches to working against the problem, but both are thinking about it!

Similarly, I think we, as ELCA Lutherans, are blessed to have a church that is actively engaged in the discussion about climate change. We are blessed to have a prophetically concerned voice in Bishop Mark S. Hanson, who, in his April 2007 Earth Day statement said, “The poor and hungry of the earth are most vulnerable to rising sea levels, the spread of infectious disease, extending areas of drought, and other impacts of rising temperatures, many of which are already occurring.”

Perhaps, when the 7th or the 1000th generation looks back to our time, they will see intentional care for God’s creation and all of God’s children. Change will not be easy or quick, but it certainly seems to be dawning on the horizon. It is an exciting time to be alive and engaged in God’s good work and in God’s world!

Stay tuned for next week when I “reveal” exciting information about a new ELCA World Hunger resource, relating to climate change and hunger, for all of you hunger leaders and peace and justice workers out there!

For more information:

The ELCA Washington Office Advocacy Page on Environment
http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Issues/Environment-and-Energy.aspx

Sen. John McCain’s Climate Change Site
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/da151a1c-733a-4dc1-9cd3-f9ca5caba1de.htm

Sen. Barack Obama’s Energy and Environment Site
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/

Today marks my first week as a resident of Chicago and as an intern at the ELCA offices with the ELCA World Hunger Program, and I am beginning to settle in. A year ago, I never would have thought that I would be ready to embark out on my own to live in the “big city,” and, yet, here I am. Thus far, Chicago has the “city” feel (complete with roughly 3 million of my closest neighbors), but maintains a little of the “Midwest nice.” Since I grew up in northern Minnesota close to the head of the Mississippi River, in a town of approximately 12,000 people, a little familiarity goes a long way. I have my very own “cube” here at the ELCA offices on “Intern Alley,” had my first (eventful) trip to the mailroom, and am wading through the plethora of materials and services that ELCA World Hunger has to offer.

I was attracted to this internship, because ELCA World Hunger names itself as “a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses multiple strategies—relief, development, education, and advocacy—to address the root causes of hunger and poverty.” As a political science major with a peace studies minor, and as a person of color who is interested in the ways in which oppressive “systems” like patriarchy, hierarchy, and racism hold some people down, confronting root causes is an approach that I can get behind. Also, and perhaps more importantly, I truly believe that we, as people of faith, have something unique to offer to the work being done to create, provoke, and dream of radical change in our world.

As a note before I begin my reflection, I want to express that I am not attempting to make my experience seem “excruciatingly difficult,” because it is far from that. In fact, I am blessed with the resources, support network, and privilege to allow opportunities. However, I am becoming more aware of how blessed I am to have those resources, and how someone without the same access would lead a very different life.

I am, currently, a full-time college student and all that that implies. Tuition at my ELCA affiliated private, liberal arts college is a lot. Let’s say $30,000+ USD. I work three on-campus jobs, two that pay $6.15 USD an hour with a total of 10 hours per week, and one that pays for my on-campus room. Given those factors in combination with other expenses, I embarked on my summer internship and moved to Chicago with approximately $100-$200 USD in my pocket. Normally during the school year, $100-200 a month is adequate. However, start up, moving, transportation, and food costs have shocked me and are higher than costs in Minnesota. Just to give you an idea, here is a cost breakdown of start up costs for my move and the internship.

Gas to get to Chicago: $200+
UHaul trailer to move: $347
Rent for an apartment in Logan Square: $950 a month, plus utilities
Phone/Cable/Internet: $120 a month
Electric/ Gas: $100 a month
Chicago “L” train pass to commute: $75 a month
First “stock the shelves” groceries: $300
First “hey, we need toilet paper, cleaning supplies, shower curtain” Target run: $200
TOTAL: $2,292

The ELCA is paying me $10 an hour for 40 hours a week. I am making a very good wage—that is certainly not my complaint. However, I am realizing that there are major costs associated with starting a new job and the “in between time” between the move and the first pay check! Now, when I come across the facts in my ELCA World Hunger introductory materials that,

1 out of every 8 households in the United States has reduced the quality of its diet to utilize money elsewhere., and
37 million people (about one in eight) live in poverty even though most of them are working.

I have a new lens through which to view it.

Fortunately, I am blessed with a boyfriend, friends, and family who have provided for me during my interim, “in between time.” However, without that support system, my education, and my “privilege,” I would not have been able to spend this summer serving at the ELCA and gaining valuable life experience. It seems to me that the “American Dream” is quickly, if it has not already, becoming a myth.

What can I do to help, to advocate, to create and provoke change in society? Hopefully, I will uncover answers and inklings during this sure-to-be fruitful summer with ELCA World Hunger!
Peace, Mikka McCracken