Category: Immigration Justice

#GivingTuesday Spotlight: Immigration Justice

by Emily Parker Leave a comment

Dear Friend,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am sure many of you are making menu and travel plans and looking forward to gathering with family and friends to give thanks and revel in the precious joy of being together. Among the things we are thankful for, safety, security, warmth, food on the table, and loved ones to share in this abundance all rank high on our lists. 

But in many parts of the world, and even here at home, simple freedoms and the blessings of security, safety, lack of hunger, and being with loved ones are a distant dream for too many.

Read More “#GivingTuesday Spotlight: Immigration Justice”

Legislative and Advocacy Priorities, UU FaithAction NJ 2020-2021

by Rev. Rob Gregson 1 Comment

Legislative and Advocacy Priorities, UU FaithAction NJ 2020-2021

Criminal Justice Task Force

  • Youth Justice Transformation. Stopping the school to prison pipeline is essential to reducing the number of individuals, especially people of color, out of our state corrections facilities. Restorative justice pilot projects called for in one of our priority bills, will work to keep young people, especially youth of color in urban areas, out of the criminal justice system and provide them with support they need in their own communities.
  • Expanding Post-Prison Reentry Services. With continued corrections and parole reform, as well as Public Health Emergency Credits, more and more individuals will be released and need to reintegrate into their communities of origins. Services are critical to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Reentry services will assist those being released in reintegrating into their home communities, becoming active citizens who can participate in the important work to be done in rebuilding their communities– often urban, and minority.
  • Dismantling Racism. Three different bills address different aspects of racism within the criminal justice system: the need for an amendment to the Constitution, a bill to form a Reparations Task Force, and a bill to restrict the use of deadly force by the police. Advocacy will focus attention on how institutional racism feeds the criminal/corrections system– through our failures to protect all lives in the Constitution, to failures to protect individuals during interactions with police, and failures to correct for our history of slavery which has left African Americans — as individuals, families and as a people– robbed of their labor, their wealth and their influence in the larger society and economy.

Environmental Justice Task Force

  • Reduce Fossil Fuel Emissions, especially in EJ Neighborhoods with Focus on Transportation. Follow lead of Environmental Justice partners including NJEJA, Ironbound Corp., Clean Water Action. This will have direct impact on health of residents in EJ neighborhoods.
  • Reduce lead in households, both in drinking water and lead paint. Following lead of EJ partners including NJEJA, Ironbound Corp. and Clean Water Action, help promote outreach to residents about avoiding or reducing lead in drinking water and lead paint in their households
  • Promote the Green Amendment. Conduct outreach, especially through UU congregations, to build understanding and support for the Green Amendment Bill in NJ promoting the right to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment. Follow the lead of “Green Amendments for the Future”. The Green Amendment is supported by our EJ partners.

Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

  • The GVP task under the leadership of its chair, Liandra Pires, has been active in renewing their focus and vision. Additionally, the task force continues to advocate for the Safe Storage Bill which is in the process of being updated to centers an anti-racist/anti-oppression lens around this important legislation concerning firearm and ammunition storage. The task force will continue in the process of identifying specific legislative and educational priorities in their monthly meetings.

Immigrant Justice Task Force

  • Legislative Priorities
    • Enact Covid-related relief legislation to include undocumented persons, starting with S2480/A4171.
    • Enact the Immigrant Trust Directive into Statutory Law with few carve-outs for criminal offenses.
    • Enact DACA program into statute, at federal level, with as few restrictions as possible.
  • Advocacy/Educational Priorities
    • Effective implementation of driver’s license regulations for undocumented persons, with as little interaction with federal government as possible.
    • Investigate and publicize the holding of children separated from parents at southern border in South Jersey foster homes
    • Promote need for as much funding for legal representation of detainees as possible.

Reproductive Justice Task Force

  • Support for the Reproductive Freedom Act. S3030/A 4848, which safeguards reproductive care, upholds basic rights and justice, and respects decision-making throughout pregnancy for all women regardless of race, class, sexuality, ability, or citizenship status. The bill expands the protections of reproductive justice beyond the right to abortion to include protections and expanded access to birth control and pregnancy-related care, as well as eliminating medically-unnecessary restrictions that block access to care.
  • Monitor the work of the Commission to Study Sexual Assault, Misconduct and Harassment by Staff against Inmates in NJ State Correctional Facilities, especially at NJ’s Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, who are disproportionately Black and Brown women, poor women, and also transgender women.
  • Strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality, including supporting the Maternal Mortality Review Commission, and affirm our commitment to ending New Jersey’s shameful record as a state with one of the worst Black-White racial disparities in maternal deaths in the nation.
  • Support the strategic plan of the Sexual Education Subcommittee of Thrive NJ, which challenges heterosexist and cis-sexist assumptions about sexuality and gender.
  • Monitor the implementation of the address confidentiality law (PL 2019.c175) by reviewing the proposed regulations with assistance from Legal Advocacy, and encourage comments that will advance our goal of protecting access to abortion for all women and their providers.

Immigration Justice Prayer, Feb. 26 (Ash Wednesday) 2020

by Rev. Rob Gregson Leave a comment

Pilgrimage by Rev. Rob Gregson

“Spirit of Life and Love,

Amor sin fronteras ni paredes…love without borders or walls

We gather and we march with strength and determination to call out evil actions

while holding fast to our faith that no one is forever outside the circle of amor sin fronteras ni paredes.

Neither migrants nor the undocumented, not Jews nor the police.

Not African-Americans nor gays, lesbians or transgendered people.

We pray that our strength today builds and grows along the path we walk, the same one named by so many prophets across time and tradition: Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa.

In the words of contemporary Buddhist monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, written the day after the 9/11 attacks that took place just across the harbor from us here today, we call on that same prophetic tradition,

‘…So that we can hold in our arms the suffering of America as a nation, the suffering of humanity as a family–[una familia]–the suffering of the earth as a home for all of us. 

We need their energy so that we can become lucid and calm, so that we will know exactly what to do and what not to do in order not to make the situation worse.

We know that…responding to hatred and violence with hatred and violence only makes the hatred grow one thousand-fold.  Only with compassion can we disintegrate hatred.’

We recommit ourselves today to standing up to hatred with a thirst for la justicia: for justice informed by love.”

Fall Issues Conference 2019 – Agenda

Agenda

8:30 – 9:45 Cong. Liaisons Breakfast     Breakfast and conversation with Board members

9:30 – 10:00   Registration

10:00 – 10:10   Welcome & Worship     Rev. Andrée Mol, Central Unitarian Church

10:10 – 10:15   Remembering Luis Merlo     CUC members

10:15 – 10:30   Welcome & Update     Tim Catts, Board President & Rev. Rob Gregson, Exec. Director

10:30 – 10:35   Another Way to Serve     Carolyn Baldacchini, Chair, Nominating Committee

10:35 – 10:45   Helping Justice Thrive     Marty Rothfelder, Chair, and Rev. Jennifer Kelleher, Eco Gala 2020 Committee

10:45 – 12:15   Keynote Panel w/Q & A.    Prof. Sara Wakefield, Tia Ryans, Andrea McChristian

12:15 – 1:30   Lunch   “Lunch with A Leader” in the Sanctuary

1:30 – 1:40   Task Force Introductions    Tom Moran, Chair, Task Force Committee

1:40 – 3:15   Task Force Break-out Groups & Voting on Issues

Gun Violence Prevention –  Kathy Allen

Criminal Justice Reform –  Susan MacDonnell and Anne Houle

Environmental Justice –  Nancy Griffeth and Ray Nichols

Immigration Justice  – Clara Haignere and Peggy Hayden

Reproductive Justice  – Carol Loscalzo

3:15 Break

3:30 Closing

Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

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Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
  1. Restore right-to-vote to those on parole, probation, and those still incarcerated
  2. Dignity for Primary Caretakers Act, for incarcerated women
  3. Reform parole system to include ways for certain offenders to earn their way to earlier parole

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  1. Mandatory emissions reductions in EJ communities, including transition to electric buses and alternate fuel trucks
  2. Reduce single use plastic bags
  3. Maintain adequate water infrastructure – no lead in NJ water

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
  1. Continue to support Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)
  2. Work with NJ legislators to strengthen proposed Safe Storage of Guns bill

IMMIGRATION JUSTICE
  1. Drivers licenses for undocumented. We expect this to be considered and presumably enacted in the 2019 lame-duck legislative session.
  2. Increased funding for legal defense for detainees in NJ facilities. This is connected with the budget process. As part of the NJ Universal Representation Coalition for the past two years, we will continue to advocate for the amount required to ensure all detainees without means have access to legal rep.

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
  1. Access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, by working with coalitions who are introducing legislation in NJ
  2. Strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality including supporting the Maternal Mortality Review Committee
  3. Dignity for incarcerated Primary Caregivers Act, a bundle of bills that incorporates allowances for incarcerated parents to spend time with their children, bans the use of shackles for pregnant women and provide appropriate mental health and substance abuse care
  4. Work alongside a newly formed coalition working to pass/bundle bills related to preventing & supporting sexual assault survivors including reporting and investigating sexual assault inside NJ prisons

Issues 2019 – Immigration Task Force Report

Immigration Justice Task Force

The Immigration Justice Task Force has had the benefit of two summer interns, who helped us be ready to launch two and possibly three action projects for volunteers to provide direct help to undocumented persons.  Much of the groundwork has been done.  The action projects are 1) temporary housing for persons released from detention, 2) accompaniment for persons who need to report regularly to ICE and/or attend court hearings, and possibly 3) provide transportation assistance to persons traveling from the southern border to temporary stays with family.
On the housing effort, First Friends of NJ and NY has established a very good program, and they have been able to hold one training session so far for UU volunteers.  We expect that First Friends will agree to several more training sessions.  On accompaniment, we have identified two organizations and possibly a third with which to work, channeling UU volunteers to them for training and assignment to specific opportunities for service.  One training opportunity has occurred, and we are developing others.  On transportation assistance, we have so far not found an organization in place in New Jersey offering help, and we will decide (based on the level of interest) whether we think that FaithAction itself can sustain the program.
Many details still need to be worked out, but we look forward to an opportunity for volunteers who are able to get involved with specific cases and provide direct service to those who need it.