Report from LIDRN Summit III, Woodworth 2/07

Advocacy/Moral Imperatives - Race, Violence, and Equity

What is love and service without justice and equity? Love is the common ground at the heart of religious traditions across the world - what is more complicated when love is our moral and ethical grounding is working to embody and implement it. Rev. Martin Luther King advocated working together within a "beloved community" rooted in "agape" - that spiritual and sustaining love that cares for the well being of all creation - humankind, fellow creatures, decaying towns and rural areas, eroding wetlands and coastlines.

As public, private, nonprofit, and interfaith partners we donate, volunteer, nurture, envision, act as social change agents; help with systemic revamping requires our working together to capitalize on what works while envisioning and implementing more constructive ways for surviving.

We have models for action in Old Testament prophets like Micah, Amos, and Isaiah. They believed that the meaning of life is found in struggle on behalf of a more sustainable community. For them and for us - as change agents - "beloved community" does more than minister to the survivor and send him on his way. We look beyond symptoms to find causes of fundamental injustice - and we do something to change the system.

As Gandhi said, "We must become the change we wish to see."

Dr. Brenda Phillips, Summit III's keynote speaker, "Sustainable Disaster Recovery," reinforced our packet's perspectives from Engel's Our Common Future (1993). "The single most important coalition required for sustainable development to become a reality: the coalition between advocates of ecological integrity and advocates of social and economic justice." Poverty is a critical global issue and no stranger to LA. "Katrina" and "Rita" exacerbated this challenge, "... we must address the question of how to reduce poverty and place disaster response in the context of development if we hope to reduce suffering and make a true contribution to recovery..." (Cuny, 1983).

"A 10 Step Process for Local Holistic Recovery" speaks to human and environmental quality of life, social and intergenerational equity, economic vitality, disaster resilience and mitigation, all within a participatory process. We build upon the assets of our people, our local associations and institutions. As Kretzmann and McKnight's Building Communities from the Inside Out (1993) advocate: asset-based, internally focused, relationship driven. Our LIDRN "Moral Imperatives" include perspectives of survivors as we communicate, cooperate, coordinate, collaborate for the common good. Issues abound like housing, insurance, transportation, safety, delay, accountability - Yet, community innovations and collaborations have produced more permanent changes in services and infrastructure. We can incorporate this improvement as we continue to champion and advocate for on-going, long-term recovery in Louisiana.

Advocacy stems from sustainable relationships - on-going informed awareness and action among the partners for the common good. Change for greater quality of life within a restored, protected environment will include systemic policy changes. Mel;issa Haley, N.O. State-Wide Recovery Coordinator of United Way, reminds that we will need "courage to do justice for others ... In our passion to do the right thing, can we transcend race?" Can we understand class more realistically? Will we note violence as an issue of symptoms needing to be constructively addressed rather than equated with racism? William Winters of the Baton Rouge Unitarian Universalist Hurricane Relief and Social Justice Project envisions our helping to pave the Jericho Road for survivors of "Katrina" and "Rita." We connect with policy makers and key resources as we form those relationships for getting things done. Even 20 letters to a local legislator impacts an issue.

Advocacy Breakout Session

Facilitated by Melissa Haley and William Winters

(Fifteen participants from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, New Iberia, Lafayette, LANO)

Note: Attend the Louisiana Association of Non-Profit Organizations (LANO) Regional

Advocacy Training and Legislator Luncheons, March 5-21, (LANO, P.O. Box

3808, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 (225) 343-5363; kim@lano.org)

Issues

racism, class, ageism, sexism, unfair treatment by employers, learned helplessness, powerlessness, needing a voice
Admit it exists ... a power trip
institutional racism

e.g. public housing - 60% renters on land don't own

e.g. segregated by design (constructive 40's, 50's, 60's. public housing ended in 70's)

e.g. poor public schools, especially if can't afford private ones

e.g. "Road Home" - help for renters late in arriving

e.g. "No Child Left Behind" "soft bigotry of expectations"

paralyzing people by making help a dependency - not much accountability for "helping one to help oneself"
immigrants - new cultures to be exploited

2. Solutions

Have "safe spaces" to discuss racism (other inequities) so can change assumptions as we did with smoking in LA - first hospitals, then "no smoking" in restaurants
HUD's "Hope Six"

e.g. :

employment
entrepreneurship
education
life-skills
parenting
_______

HANO's affordable housing (under $60,000)
Use grassroots advocacy within our communities.

Help improve education, health, skills for better jobs
"Take what we know and share ... be our brothers' keepers ..."
Key resources for change: ministers, store owners, beauty shops
Know issues, rights and responsibilities and "show up" to vote in LA and Fed. 2008. "In the last elections more minorities voted than ever before."
Non-profits can help to train people to gain more power

going to school to advocate for your child
school board meetings
city council meetings

Remember that retired in community good mentors, observers

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Edwards, Member