Action Alert Digest - May 11, 2022

May 11, 2022

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition for a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding

The Peace Alliance urges us to sign their petition to establish a cabinet-level US Department of Peacebuilding (HR 1111) in our federal government. This historic and transformative legislation would make peace a much-needed national and ongoing focus. It addresses the interconnection of all life and the intersectionality of peace, justice, equality, planetary survival, and other aspects of life. TAKE ACTION

Guns Became the Leading Cause of Death for American Children and Teens in 2020

Firearms became the leading cause of death for American children and teenagers in 2020, according to researchers who analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. This sad fact represents a major shift in risks for young people in the U.S. For over 60 years, car accidents were the leading cause of death for kids and teens. Car accidents are now number two, while drug overdoses are number three. MORE

U.S. Police Trainers with Far-Right Ties Are Teaching Hundreds of Cops

Hundreds of cops across the United States have been taught by individuals who espouse far-right extremist views, according to a new investigation. Reuters identified five law enforcement trainers who have been hired by police and sheriffs' departments nationwide despite their support for right-wing militia groups, including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters; the QAnon conspiracy, and other extremists. MORE

Nuclear Proliferation is Not the Answer to Russian Aggression

Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine has brought the dangerous possibility of nuclear war into renewed focus. In response to the invasion, many countries are looking to boost military spending, much to the delight of weapons contractors. Even more alarming are the calls for increased investments in nuclear capabilities by nuclear-armed states, and the calls for deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons into countries that currently do not host them. MORE

U.S., Russia Adhering to New Start Despite War

A few days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States and Russia exchanged data on their respective strategic nuclear forces as required by the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The data showed that the countries remain at or below the treaty limits on deployed strategic warheads and their delivery vehicles. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Urge Administration to Set Refugee Admissions Goal at 200,000

The world is faced with the greatest displacement and refugee crisis in history, and the United States needs to restore its bold leadership in the global humanitarian response. Welcoming people seeking safety is part of who we are as a nation. Church World Service asks us to tell Congress to Protect Refugees and Urge Administration to Set Refugee Admissions Goal at 200,000 for FY 2023. TAKE ACTION

Iowa Gov. Reynolds Joins Multistate Effort on Immigration

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa will join more than two dozen other states — all led by Republican governors —to assist federal immigration enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border by sharing intelligence and information from criminal investigations. The group has named itself the American Governors’ Border Strike Force, and set the goal of helping “put an end to the crime stemming from the southern border.” MORE

Local Communities Take the Lead in Welcoming All

Local communities across the country have long experienced the positive effects of growing immigrant and refugee communities. As a result, many local governments, chambers of commerce, and nonprofits have been thinking proactively about how to create an environment that sends a message of inclusion and social cohesion, maximizes the contributions of all residents, and gives community members the tools they need to thrive together. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the EPA to Clean Up Heavy-Duty Trucks

Truck pollution is a public health crisis, but it doesn’t have to be. Most heavy-duty trucks on the road burn diesel, which takes a heavy toll on the health of the communities trucks drive through as they belch dangerous levels of nitrogen oxides, benzene, and particulate matter. EarthJustice urges us to tell the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up truck pollution. TAKE ACTION

U.S. Plastic Recycling Rate Drops to Close To 5%

According to a new report, plastic recycling rates in the U.S. have dropped to less than 6%. The decrease is due partly to a reduction in plastic waste exports. "Recycling does not work, it never will work, and no amount of false advertising will change that," said report author Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator. Per capita plastic waste went from 60 pounds per year in 1980 to 218 pounds in 2018 - a 263% total increase. MORE

Mississippi River Named Among America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2022

American Rivers has named the Mississippi River one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2022, highlighting the threats that habitat destruction and pollution, combined with climate impacts, pose to millions of people across the basin. Nearly 40 percent of land in the continental United States drains into the Mississippi River, which faces urban and agricultural runoff, habitat loss, and intensifying storms. MORE

Ethiopian Drought Leading to ‘Dramatic’ Increase in Child Marriage

Cases of child marriage in parts of Ethiopia experiencing drought have nearly quadrupled since last year amid hunger and displacement, UNICEF warns. "These people [have their daughters married] because they're desperate for one reason or another. They're afraid of violence, they're afraid for the safety of the girls, they need resources, they can't afford to feed them," says UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. MORE

Help Stop Human Trafficking by Becoming a Foster Parent

Advocates say that over 50% of child trafficking victims that are recovered were currently in foster care or had been in foster care prior to going into trafficking. Human traffickers take advantage of desperate situations where people find themselves in unstable conditions, living in constant fear with limited options for survival or earning a living, and with no family and friends. MORE

How to Prevent Teen Dating Violence

We only get one chance at youth, and events in childhood can set a course for the rest of our lives. The preteen and teen years are formative in establishing behavior patterns that continue into and shape adulthood. Just as youth need to learn the foundational skills of reading, writing, and math, children of all ages must learn the building blocks of healthy relationships. MORE

What Courts Need to Understand About Victims of Domestic Violence

Why do victims reach out to their abusers? Those in an abusive relationship may go through periods of calm between incidents of violence. Victims sometimes cope by focusing on their perpetrator's loving side and shutting out the abuse, maintaining contact to elicit affirmative behavior or financial support from the abuser. Family law attorney Patricia Fersch says greater training must be given to our judges nationwide. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Extend the Child Tax Credit

In January, 3.7 million children fell back into poverty when Congress allowed the monthly Child Tax Credit to expire. Between inflation and the pandemic, families are struggling to get by. The good news is we have a solution that we have tried and know works: the Child Tax Credit. It is time to build a better kind of politics with children at our center. NETWORK is circulating a Catholic sign-on letter urging Congress to extend the Child Tax Credit. TAKE ACTION

Grinnell College Becomes First Fully Unionized Undergraduate School in the U.S.

Last month, student workers at Iowa’s Grinnell College elected to create the first wall-to-wall undergraduate student union in the country, expanding their Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) to include all hourly student workers. Organizers are hoping to connect student activism on undergraduate campuses to the broader national labor movement. MORE

Breaking Down Racial Barriers in Real Estate

The real estate industry has long had a Whiteness problem. In Baltimore, a community flourished for decades until the early 1940's when a combination of redlining, housing segregation, discrimination in employment, "urban renewal", the disappearance of blue-collar jobs, and the drug epidemic hit Black communities across the nation. A new buyers collective is working to restore these neighborhoods to what they once were. MORE

Virgil Presell is scheduled to be executed on May 17 by the state of Georgia for the murder of Lori Ann Smith. Please hold Virgil, Lori Ann, their families, and the people of Georgia in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Frank Atwood is scheduled to be executed on June 9 by the state of Arizona for the murder of Vicky Hoskinson. Please hold Frank, Vicky, their families, and the people of Arizona in prayer. TAKE ACTION