VeryTopShalom News North America  

An instrument of hope, formation, and action

concerning priority matters of social justice.

In This Issue
Climate Change
Phasing out HFCs
Earth Day
Clean Power Plan
A.C.T to End Racism
Access to Education
Human Trafficking
Refugees
Traditional Territory Acknowledgement
Easter Reflection
Remembering MLK
Mine Awareness
Nuclear Weapons
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April/2018
         
 
As we embrace the new life of Easter and springtime, may we come to "discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation" as we "struggle for justice, love, and peace." (Laudato Si' A Prayer for Our Earth)   

Thank you for joining us in this effort!                  
  
Shalom North America Contacts
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Integrity of Creation              

Climate Change to Displace 143 Million People           
Climate change, already a growing driver of migration, forcing families to flee water scarcity, crop failure and rising sea levels, may cause as many as 143 million people to be displaced by 2050, the World Bank has concluded in a new report. The report focuses on three regions - Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America - that are major climate "hot spots" and account for 55% of the developing world's population. Internal climate migration will likely rise through 2050 and then accelerate unless there are significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and authorities engage in pro-active climate change preparations. Learn more.

 
 

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Integrity of Creation              

Phasing Out Hydrofluorocarbons  
In 2016, more than 140 countries signed the Kigali Amendment, which provided a framework to phase down the global use of the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). This represents the biggest step to protect against catastrophic climate change that countries have taken since the landmark Paris agreement. HFCs, a chemical used in refrigeration and air-conditioning can have global warming impacts that are more than 1,000 times worse than carbon dioxide. This agreement could save the planet as much as 0.5 degrees centigrade of warming by reducing global use of HFCs by 85% before 2050. Canada has ratified the amendment, the U.S. still has not. Consequently, Senators have introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (S.2448), which clarifies the EPA's authority to regulate HFC refrigerants and would pave the way for US participation in HFC phase down both nationally and internationally. Learn more/take action
 
 
 
    
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Integrity of Creation              

Earth Day (4/22) - End Plastic Pollution       
From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet. In response, Earth Day 2018 is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitudes and behavior about plastics. To find out what you can do as individuals and as educators, click here . Check out this Earth Day Toolkit for additional resources.

 
 
 
                 






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Integrity of Creation              

Last Chance to Comment on Proposed Repeal of the Clean Power Plan             
The deadline for accepting comments on the EPA's proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan is April 26. The Catholic Climate Covenant and other faith and environmental groups are urging the EPA to not revoke the CPP. Repealing the plan will leave our air, waters, and people, particularly the poor, vulnerable. Learn more, let your voice be heard
 
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Human Life and Dignity              

A.C.T to End Racism            
The A.C.T. to End Racism Rally will be held in Washington DC on April 4, remembering the 50 year anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The rally is the starting point of a multi-year effort to "eradicate the entrenched racism that grips the U.S. and paralyzes our ability to see every human being as equal" launched by National Council of Churches and friends. LCWR is one of many faith-based organizations which have endorsed this multi-year effort to build healing relationships and address systemic racism. Learn more. What can/will you do to support this effort? Prayer resources.   
 
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Human Life and Dignity               

Protect Vulnerable Girls' Access to Education     
Refugee girls face unique barriers to education in conflict zones, where they are two-and-a-half times more likely than boys to be out of school - making them vulnerable to human trafficking, early marriage, and forced labor. Providing opportunities for education is vitally important. The Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act promotes educational opportunities for displaced children - especially girls and young women. It has passed the House, let's get the Senate to take action. Learn more, take action.

 
Human Life and Dignity               

Human Trafficking - U.S. Legislative Update               
The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) has now passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed by the President. Thank you for all your calls and emails! Meanwhile, Stop, Observe, Ask and Respond (SOAR) has also passed the House, but is still awaiting action in the Senate. Learn more/take action. This leaves the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Three bills were introduced to reauthorize the TVPA, either in whole or in part, ahead of its expiration last September. None have passed. Urge Congress to take action to reauthorize the TVPA. 


 
Human Life and Dignity               

Record-Low Refugee Arrivals  
We live in a time with an unprecedented 65 million people displaced around the world, including 22.5 million refugees - the highest number in recorded history. With global need at its highest, the Trump administration set an all-time low refugee admissions goal for fiscal year 2018 at 45,000. What's worse, the administration is only on track to resettle 20,000 refugees this year, not even meeting their own goal. Learn more/take action to urge more U.S. support for refugee resettlement.

Human Life and Dignity               

Traditional Territory Acknowledgement 
The Traditional Territory Acknowledgement is a recognition that the First Nations were the original occupants of this land on which we (Canadians) live and work today. In 1763, Treaties between the British Crown (government) and Indigenous peoples were negotiated and signed with the intent of delivering mutual benefits. A public acknowledgement of the original inhabitants of the land can be made at any public meeting or ceremony.

 
 

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Peace and Non-Violence              

Easter Reflection    
"To say 'I believe in Jesus Christ...who rose from the dead' is to say I believe that the Resurrection goes on and on and on forever. Every time Jesus rises in our own hearts in new ways, the Resurrection happens again. Every time we see Jesus where we did not recognize him before - in the faces of the poor, in the love of the unloved, in the revelatory moments of life, Jesus rises anew. The real proof of the Resurrection lies not in the transformation of Jesus alone but in the transformation awaiting us who accept it." - S. Joan Chittister, Way of the Cross, Gateway to Resurrection.
                 
Peace and Non-Violence              

Martin Luther King, Jr. (4/4)     
April 4 is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.. In the spring of 1963, King was arrested for civil disobedience for his participation in the Birmingham campaign, one of the most influential campaigns of the Civil Rights movement. In his historic Letter from a Birmingham Jail, he wrote that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Just as thousands marched in Birmingham and Selma in the 1960s, so we are called to stand up and boldly speak out today in response to injustices - the Muslim ban, the ban on refugees, deportation of immigrants, the construction of a border wall, police brutality and impunity, discrimination and violence against minorities and rampant destruction of Native lands, among other issues. "We educate, advocate and act in collaboration with others for the dignity of life and the care of all creation." Consider Archbishop William E. Lori's recently issued pastoral letter, The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Principles of Nonviolence.
                 
Peace and Non-Violence              

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance (4/4)     
This day is a call for continued effort to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels. This year's theme for the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is Advancing Protection, Peace and Development. Learn more.
                  

 
 
 
Peace and Non-Violence              

Making Money from Nuclear Weapons      
In their 2018 report Don't Bank on the Bomb, PAX reports that there has been a massive increase of $81 billion in nuclear weapons investments with 329 financial institutions profiting from nuclear arms race. The report includes profiles of twenty companies that are the most heavily involved in the nuclear weapon industrial complex. Advocates for peace are urged to engage (or if need be, divest from) these companies to encourage them to cut the production of nuclear weapons from their business strategies. Learn more/take action.
                 

The SSND International Shalom Network witnesses to the Gospel with audacity and hope as we collaborate to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times. 

Shalom LogoShalom News North America is an e-publication of the Shalom North America Contacts (SNAC) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame - Arlene Flaherty, Ethel Howley, Jeanne Wingenter, Rose Mary Sander, and Tim Dewane. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed. Email us at tdewane@ssndcp.org.

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