From Domestic Workers United:

The moment is finally here. Governor Paterson will indeed be signing the Bill of Rights into law this coming Tuesday at 10am!!

After 400 years in the shadows of slavery.....
75 years of invisibility and exclusion under US labor law.....
6 years of a hard-fought struggle in the New York State legislature.....
Domestic workers are finally gaining rights, respect, and recognition. 

Join us for the historic ceremony at the new Harriet Tubman Memorial Plaza, a traffic triangle, at the intersection of Frederick Douglass Boulevard (formerly Eighth Avenue) at St. Nicholas Avenue and 122nd Street.

See you all there!!!!

The Poverty Scholars Program hosted an evening discussion with long-time activist and labor leader General Baker during the US Social Forum in Detroit. He spoke about the history of labor organizing in Detroit and the need for community leaders today. Over 60 Poverty Scholars representing more than 22 organizations participated. This was one of the many events that the Poverty Initiative organized during the US Social Forum. Thanks to the Media Mobilizing Project for shooting and editing the video.

Part 1 (32:26):

Part 2 (36:55):

General Baker is an internationally recognized labor leader and autoworker who is legendary for his role in leading Black autoworkers in the 1960s Detroit wildcat strikes against automakers and discriminatory union leaders. He was the first American to refuse the Vietnam draft; his case was a landmark in draft resistance, symbolizing the beginning of the anti-war movement.  Baker ran for statewide political office in Michigan; led in the statewide effort to support Detroit's homeless tent city; was part of the North American delegation to the 7th Pan-African Congress in Uganda,  and he has addressed many other international gatherings. General Baker was a plenary speaker at the Detroit US Social Forum.

Jess Chadwick, alumna of Union Theological Seminary ('07) and a leader from the very beginning of the founding of the Poverty Initiative at UTS, currently lives in Iowa and serves as an associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Greater Des Moines.  From Sunday, June 13 through Friday, June 18, Jessica led her church youth group in a mission/immersion trip to West Virginia .  Having attended Alderson Broaddus College in Phillipi , WV for her undergraduate degree, Jess has had a longstanding connection to the state of West Virginia .  She helped to organize, during her time as a student at Union , the Poverty Initiative January immersion trips to Central Appalachia (2006, 2007) and later the Poverty Scholar Leadership School (2009).  Colleen and I were involved, alongside Jess, in all of the Poverty Initiative's trips to West Virginia, and for this reason, Jess asked us to join her and her church youth group this summer as they spent a week traveling through the state and meeting and working with religious and community leaders.  On this trip, Colleen and I had our 22 month old son, Myles, to take part in the journey.

The Poverty Initiative is hosting a walking tour of the Financial District for incoming students at Union Theological Seminary on Thursday, Sept 2, 1-5pm. 

Tour includes:

New York Stock Exchange, The House of Morgan, The Wall Street Bull, Site of the New York slave trade, Monument to the Manhattan Purchase, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Museum of American Finance (time permitting)

Learn about the current economic crisis and the impact it's having not just on New York City but the entire country. Reflect on poverty and wealth and the theological imperative to end poverty and learn how you can get involved in the work of the Poverty Initiative.

Download flyer (PDF).

At the United States Social Forum in Detroit, members of the Poverty Initiative as well as the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Picture the Homeless, and NESRI  rallied for a solidarity soccer game, as a sign of solidarity with the struggles of the South African poor, in particular the Abahlali baseMjondolo, who are fighting displacement caused by the World Cup. See the video:

On Sunday, July 11, 2010, Vandana Shiva, one of the world’s most inspirational community and environmental leaders, along with her sister Mira, visited the Poverty Initiative office for lunch and an intimate strategic conversation about the broad struggle to end poverty.  Vandana received the Right Livelihood Award in 1993 (often referred to as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’) and the Sydney Peace Prize in 2010 for her extensive and highly influential work in promoting the sustainable food movement in India, advocating for food and seed sovereignty, and fighting to protect traditional knowledge from being co-opted by modern intellectual property rights law.   She has challenged and defeated Monsanto and other multi-national agribusinesses in the Indian Supreme Court and the World Trade Organization over their attempts to patent seeds, claiming instead that these belong to communities and must remain within the public realm to protect farmers’ rural livelihoods.  

The conversation at the Poverty Initiative office was educational, engaged, and inspiring.  Willie Baptist, coordinator of the Poverty Initiative’s Poverty Scholars Program said afterwards that, “the work that Vandana Shiva is doing is critical for our development as Poverty Scholars and for promoting this concept of engaged intellectualism that is essential in building a viable social movement.”

Member of the Poverty Initiative and a PhD student in Ethics, Charlene Sinclair, was, “blown away by the depth of her intelligence.  She was an inspirational model of someone who has dedicated their intellectual capacity to building a movement for positive social change.”  Professor Paul Knitter was also at the lunch and he called it a much needed, “spirit-booster.”   The Poverty Initiative live-streamed the event to its network of Poverty Scholars across the country – the recorded stream can be viewed  above.

Fall:
SU 190: Ending Poverty: Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1968 Poor People's Campaign
Sponsored and facilitated by the Poverty Initiative, in cooperation with Field Education staff.
Friday, September 24, 9am-5pm

This seminar will be a general introduction to the work of the Poverty Initiative and will explore how religious leaders, local congregations, and poor people's organizations can get involved in effective anti-poverty programs and partnerships. Special attention will be given to the history of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People's Campaign and the effort of the Poverty Initiative to re-ignite the Poor People’s Campaign for today. Participants will examine the lessons gained from the history of this campaign, learn some basic information on poverty and community organizing, and participate in biblical study and theological reflection on building a social movement to end poverty, led by the poor.

SU 190: Food Justice: Uprooting Systemic Inequity One Meal at a Time
Offered by the Edible Churchyard and the Poverty Initiative
 
Food is fundamental.  We all need to eat.  However, food is more than mere survival. Our bodies, our communities, and our culture are formed as we eat.  Food and eating also highlight systemic inequities and injustices.  What is food justice and what could it mean in your life and community? What are the theological implications of food justice?  Let’s get to know a bit more about how we’re fed.  We’ll start by examining how our food system operates and the consequences of those structures.  We will also explore alternatives at work in our communities, and examine how we can envision, support, and create other possibilities for ourselves, our parishes, and our communities.

United Workers are in the news in Baltimore as ESPN Zone workers protest the decision to close the Inner Harbor Restaurant. To see UW and Reverend Powers in action check out:

History is made:  On July 1, 2010, the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights passed in the NY State Legislature.  Domestic Workers United is celebrating after 6 years of organizing together with unions, employers, clergy, and community organizations!

Statement from Governor David A. Paterson
“Today, both houses of the Legislature passed legislation that truly deserves to be called historic. It would make New York the first State in the nation to enshrine in law the basic rights of a class of workers that has historically and wrongfully been excluded from such protections: the domestic workers who care for our children, clean our homes, and provide the elderly with companionship. Their work is of incalculable value, yet our laws have failed to recognize it. This bill would change that, and serve as a model for such change on a national scale.

“The bill passed today reflects an agreement reached earlier this week between my office and both houses of the Legislature. I am glad to have been a part of this process, and congratulate the sponsors, Assemblyman Keith Wright and Senator Diane Savino, who should feel justifiably proud of their achievement. Most of all, I must express my gratitude to the thousands of individual domestic workers who organized and fought for this legislation. They provide all of us with an example of how individuals can, through struggle and dedication, bring about positive change in the face of skepticism and doubt. This achievement belongs to them, and I will be pleased to sign it into law on their behalf.”

For more information go to: Domestic Workers United website and New York Civil Liberties Union

Poverty Initiative's
POVERTY SCHOLARS PROGRAM
hosts

"Mística, Spirituality and Leadership Development in Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST)"
with MST Leader Ana Justo

What breathes life into Latin America’s largest social movement? How do rural farmers learn lessons from history and past struggle? How does the MST begin to live out its’ hopeful future? What religious and spiritual traditions are embodied in the MST? What forms do they take when working among poor Brazilians? Ana will converse with Poverty Scholars and others about how the role of mística and spirituality in the development of grassroots leaders throughout Brazil.

Tuesday, June 29th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Union Theological Seminary
New York

To see photos from this event and a special session for Poverty Scholars, see our Flickr page.