| Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus Advocate for Good Jobs, Green Jobs Creation for the Nation’s PoorSeries of Nationwide Events to Highlight Path to Economy Recovery, Poverty Reduction Washington, DC—Citing a shared tradition of justice and compassion, the faith community, no stranger to providing personal and communal assistance to the nation’s most vulnerable populations, is organizing across the country to call on government officials to create new, sustainable and green job opportunities for the poor. Led by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), 34 national faith organizations representing the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities will hold public events across the country to encourage government officials to, when working to usher in a new green economy, simultaneously fight poverty by ensuring equal opportunities for training and employment for the nation’s most vulnerable. Entitled Fighting Poverty with Faith: Good Jobs, Green Jobs, the week-long mobilization will include programs such as worker training/retraining seminars, home retrofitting fairs, roundtable discussions on how to implement green job training opportunities and tours of green job facilities across the country. This year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith initiative will be held from October 14-21, 2009. “It is tragic that in today’s era, despite being the richest country in the world, there are still those who are unable to make ends meet,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “There is no doubt that the United States is making strides to transform our nation into a more clean-energy economy. No matter if one is a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu or of any other faith, all of our religious traditions have a strong ethical mandate of helping the must vulnerable among us. This central tenet of our faiths is why we are speaking as one voice to encourage our nation’s leaders to make poverty reduction a central component of any initiatives ushering in this new economy.” “Families are hurting. Children are hurting. Senior citizens and those who worked hard all of their lives are hurting,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. “If we ever hope to seriously reduce poverty in America, we must work harder to reduce the social and economic risks that result in people falling into poverty—particularly now as we have the opportunity to rebuild our nation’s economy. Reducing poverty must be a priority on the national agenda. It is time for us to put ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ into practice.” Currently, unemployment levels are at 9.8 percent, the highest level in 26 years. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated in September that the number of Americans living in poverty has risen from 37.3 million to 39.8 million. Government and economic leaders across the country have suggested one path to economic recovery will be through increased investments in green job creation. The Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization will kick-off on October 14 at 2:00 p.m. with a national teleconference featuring U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Mike Castle (R-Del.). The week-long mobilization will conclude with an event in the nation’s capitol on October 21. Faith leaders are also encouraging their members to contact federal, state and local government officials on October 21 to encourage them to support legislation such as the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act and embrace policies that invest in green jobs for the nation’s most vulnerable. Additionally, four national faith leaders have united this week to offer a new interfaith prayer calling for the creation of new, sustainable and green job opportunities for the poor. Joining Rabbi Gutow and Fr. Snyder as authors of the interfaith prayer were Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA; and Dr. Sayyid Syeed, national director for the Islamic Society of North America’s Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances. The four faith leaders will give a special reading of the prayer at the Fighting Poverty with Faith’s concluding event in Washington on October 21. Specifically, the mission of the Fighting Poverty with Faith week is to encourage federal, state and local government officials to: - Target funds toward projects that help low-income families develop the necessary skills to compete in a new economy;
- Ensure green industries create “good jobs” with decent benefits, family-supporting wages and safe working conditions;
- Promote projects that improve the quality of life for low-income families by lowering energy costs and enhancing public health through safer housing;
- Create pipelines that enable low-income people to access jobs in green, traditional and other newly emerging industries; and
- Ensure equity and transparency in the distribution of funding associated with the creation of new workforce development, including green jobs.
National organizations endorsing this effort include: the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Catholic Charities USA; Alliance to End Hunger; American Baptist Churches USA; Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies; BBYO, Inc.; Bread for the World; Center of Concern; The Episcopal Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Evangelicals for Social Action; Hindu American Foundation; Hindu American Seva Charities; International Association of Jewish Vocational Services; Islamic Relief; Islamic Society of North America; Jewish Labor Committee; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Jewish Women International; Lutheran Services in America; MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Council of Churches USA; National Council of Jewish Women; NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Progressive National Baptist Church; The Rabbinical Assembly; Society of St. Vincent DePaul; Sojourners; Union for Reform Judaism; United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries; United Jewish Communities; The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society; and Women of Reform Judaism. The Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization is part of JCPA’s “There Shall Be No Needy Among You” anti-poverty campaign and Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America. Since both campaigns launched in 2007, JCPA’s and CCUSA’s efforts to urge local, state and national leaders to advance anti-poverty legislation and programs that help provide food, shelter, additional work and educational opportunities for the nation's most vulnerable, have led to an increased national commitment to reduce poverty. More information on this year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith initiative can be found at http://www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com. -30- | |
| Catholic Charities USA’s members—more than 1,700 local Catholic Charities agencies and institutions nationwide—provide help and create hope for nearly 8.5 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary. JCPA, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community, serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 14 national and 125 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. | |