News Archives » Social Justice
VIVAT International Newsletter Available January 6th, 2014
Contents include:
- World Food Day
- 2014 Year of Family Farming
- Land Grabbing and Mining
- Executives at the Vatican
- Voices in Brazil
- Right to Water
- Typhoon Haiyan
- Rights of Dalits
- VIVAT Workshop West Africa
- Longing for Peace
National Migration Week: January 5-11, 2014 January 4th, 2014
Here are the Days of Action associated with National Migration Week:
- January 7: Send electronic Post Card to the House of Representatives.
- January 8: Call In Day to support reform.
- January 9: Social Media Day for immigration reform.
See below for links to help with your actions.
Materials for National Migration Week:
USCCB News Release on National Migration Week 2014 | En Español
Advocacy activities you are urged to do during the week:
- Tuesday, Jan. 7 – Send a JFI e-postcard for the national electronic advocacy day.
- Wednesday, Jan. 8 – Participate in the JFI National Call-In Day to Congress.
- Use the toll free number, 1-855-589-5698, to call your Representative and ask them to “Support a path to citizenship and oppose the SAFE Act.”
- Thursday, Jan. 9 – Post on Facebook, Tweet, and re-Tweet your support for immigrants during the JFI National Social Media Day.
National Migration Week information sheet (PDF) This includes other other advocacy activities you can do:
Find out more at the USCCB/MRS´National Migration Week homepage.
Predatory Hedge Funds and Argentina Face Supreme Court Showdown December 17th, 2013
Majority Debt Holders Seek to End Standoff between Argentina and Holdouts
Argentina is expected to appeal to the US Supreme Court by mid-February in response to a US 2nd Circuit Court ruling ordering the country to pay $1.33 billion to predatory hedge funds. The precedent the case sets will hurt poor countries in financial distress and could allow a small group of hedge funds to target assets that benefit vulnerable populations. At the same time, debt holders who restructured their debt with Argentina have hired lawyers to help negotiate the dispute between holdout hedge funds and Argentina. Nearly 93% of debt holders restructured their debt with Argentina after the 2001 default. The majority of bondholders are concerned that their settlements could be disrupted if hedge funds win the final ruling.
“We agree with the concerns of the restructured bondholders,” said Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network, a faith-based antipoverty organization. “We join the IMF, World Bank and White House in denouncing this extreme hedge fund behavior that takes advantage of the world’s poorest people.”
Click here to read more »
Stop Trafficking! – December Issue December 16th, 2013
Read the latest issue of Stop Trafficking!, the Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter to promote Awareness, Advocacy and Action. This issue includes the latest report from Polaris Project, information on webcam child sex tourism, serious concerns about the UN report on human trafficking, and raises awareness around boys being trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Older issues and handouts on specific subjects are also available here…
Stop Trafficking! is made possible through the supportive sponsorship of national and international congregations of women religious and their partners.
Solidarity with the Fast for Families Seeking Immigration Reform December 14th, 2013
![1504144_10200817076938892_573122049_n[1]](http://omiusajpic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1504144_10200817076938892_573122049_n1.jpg)
On November 12th, activists and faith leaders in San Antonio, Texas, offered support to the fasters on the Mall in Washington, D.C. calling for the US Congress to take action on immigration reform. As the D.C. fast came to an end, members of the San Antonio community participated in two activities designed to keep consciousness of the effects of the fast alive.
In the morning, a press conference was held at the Cesar E. Chavez Education and Legacy Foundation to announce the beginning of the passing of the “cruzita” (cross), much like Cesar Chavez did during his famous hunger strike. The Foundation passed a cross to its members asking them to fast for at least a day, to let people know why they are fasting, and then to past the cross on to someone else.
In the evening, as people gathered for prayer and Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in the inner city, the Foundation came to the church to announce the passing of the cruzita and to ask organizations and individuals, “Who will join this fast?” Community volunteers made small crosses and offered them to people as they entered the church. All 20 crosses that were made were accepted and more could have been distributed. San Antonio will continue to raise its voice for justice and dignity for immigrants.
(With gratitude to Patti Radle, a member of the Oblate JPIC Committee who helped to organize this fast for families, and Fr Bob Wright OMI, who also participated in the event.)
Bob Wright and Patti Radle are on the left.
