News Archives » Social Justice
Nuns on the Bus for Immigration May 31st, 2013
The Nuns on the Bus have kicked off a 40-city tour to promote immigration reform. Nuns on the Bus is a project by NETWORK, a catholic social justice lobby group.
The nuns are visiting cities across America to advocate for humane immigration policies that protect family unity, workers’ rights and provide a pathway to citizenship for those already in the U.S.
Visit the website for the Nuns on the Bus to know when they might visit your city. Follow the nuns on twitter and facebook to support the advocacy for comprehensive immigration reform!
Support Just and Compassionate Immigration Reform May 9th, 2013
Call on Congress to Pass Just and Compassionate Immigration Reform!
Send the electronic postcard below to your U.S. Senators and Representatives and ask for passage of immigration reform legislation in the 113th Congress.
Simply click on the postcard below or this “Take Action” link to send the postcard.
Go to www.justiceforimmigrants.org for more information.
After you have sent the postcard to your Washington, DC lawmakers, forward this message to your email contacts throughout the country and urge them to send the e-card to their U.S. Senators and Representatives. Thank you!
JPIC Staff Visits Bangladesh May 3rd, 2013
Christina Herman, JPIC Office Associate Director, visited Bangladesh in late March/early April. Her daughter, Emma, accompanied her, taking thousands of photos and copious notes. Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI graciously hosted a ten day trip around the Sylhet region of NE Bangladesh, which provided a fascinating look at the lives of the indigenous Khasi people and the issues confronting their villages. The Oblate mission in Bangladesh started in the Sylhet region, and there are a number of parishes among the indigenous peoples of the area.
Frequent national strikes (or hartals) called by a political opposition determined to undermine the government made the trip challenging, but the group covered a lot of ground.
Sharif Jamil, Buriganga RiverKeeper
In Dhaka, Christina teamed up with the Bangladesh WaterKeeper, Sharif Jamil, in an examination of environmental and labor issues related to the leather and garment export industries. They visited the Buriganga River, leather tanneries north of the city, a massive garment factory, and had a number of informative meetings with factory owners and managers, labor union organizers, and environmentalists.
Polluted Water from Leather Tanneries flows into the Buriganga River
The tanneries are a large source of pollution for the main river flowing through Dhaka, a megacity of an estimated 18 million people. Millions depend on the rivers for bathing, washing clothes, and transportation, yet they are heavily polluted with industrial and human waste. Human Rights Watch recently issued a study of the health impacts of the tanneries, which matched the findings of this trip. Untreated industrial waste flowing from the garment factories is common. A huge factor in the pollution is the lack of adequate sewage treatment for the city’s burgeoning population.
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Oblate working in Brazil with Street Children interviewed on NPR May 1st, 2013
Street crime by children in Brazil has been in the headlines, due to a recent spate of violence. Fr. John Drexel, OMI was heard talking earlier today on the NPR program “All Things Considered” about his work with street children in Sao Paolo. The program which he founded some 40 years ago is designed to give street kids a more stable and nurturing environment, but he says things have changed in recent years. Many of the kids coming into the program now have already been exposed to criminal behavior, and the use of crack cocaine on the streets is a real problem. Fr. Drexel says the answer is not for the government to increase the penalties for young offenders, but rather to provide desperately needed housing, healthcare and education.
Missionary Oblates Join Other Institutional Investors in Calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform May 1st, 2013
Missionary Oblates joined more than 70 institutional investors in a letter calling on Congress to take immediate action and pass common-sense immigration reform. The organizations consist of investors representing $890.5 billion in assets on behalf of major pension funds, non-profit organizations and socially conscious and faith-based investors.
The investors’ letter says, “We believe comprehensive reform must be developed and implemented consistent with the human rights of all concerned, must value the integrity of families and must prevent immigrant workers be they temporary or permanent from being subjected to second-class employment standards.”
Read the letter (Download PDF)
