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.

To see photos from the Poverty Initiative's trip to the USSF, visit our Flickr page. This week the Poverty Initiative will join thousands in Detroit for the “Another World Is Possible US Social Forum”

The Poverty Initiative will be joined by dozens of Poverty Scholars Program participating organizations, friends, and allies.  Poverty Scholars will also be meeting with community leaders in Toledo, OH and Detroit MI during their travels.

For more information on Poverty Initiative workshops and People’s Movement Assembly click 'Read More': 

Colleen, John, and Myles Wessel McCoy of the Poverty Initiative join Jessica Chadwick (Poverty Scholars Program) in West Virginia for First Baptist Church of Greater Des Moines Youth Group immersion trip!  During the trip they will be visiting Poverty Scholars Program participants DAWG, Isaiah Project, and Larry Gibson at Kayford Mountain. To read about their trip go to: www.fbgdm2010.wordpress.com

 
 

• The Poverty Scholar-in-Residence program initiated in 2004 by bringing Willie Baptist, a formerly homeless father and organizer among the poor for over 40 years. This grew into our Poverty Scholars Program training more than 250 leaders representing some 50 organizations throughout the country;

• Reigniting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign by equipping Poverty Scholars – low-income organizers, faith leaders, media makers and community leaders – with tools, space for exchange and ongoing support;

• Our impact on Union Theological Seminary’s curriculum that has grown into nearly a dozen semester-long courses for seminarians and local Poverty Scholars including two Spring 2010 courses – Poverty and Poor People’s Movements and Gospel of Paul: Poverty and Spirituality – co-taught with Union faculty and PI’s Willie Baptist and Liz Theoharis;

• Immersion courses where seminarians, faculty, and Poverty Scholars travel to epicenters of American poverty to study the plight and fight of front-line organizations; 

• Carrying out MLK’s vision of a New Freedom Church of the Poor through preaching, Bible Studies, and work with congregations to create new relationships between people of faith and the poor based on respect, mutual support and justice.

Please join us in this cutting edge approach to ending poverty.

Sincerely,

The Poverty Initiative

Poverty Initiatve member Onleilove Alston interviews West Virginia’s Larry Gibson and Allen Johnson, co-founder of Christians for the Mountains about the struggle over mountaintop removal mining in the June issue of Sojourners. Read the article.