Congregations Networking for Social Justice has recently co-hosted the Hands-Off Rally, the No Kings Rally, and the Good Trouble Rally in Oak Park, demonstrating our support of the Constitution and the Rule of Law. We are back in Scoville Park this Saturday, Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for #No Kings #No Billionaires.
Who is this group leading our moral outcry?
In 2021-22 several members of four congregations concerned about justice and anti-racism came together to share resources and form a network. We hosted a meeting at the library to identify key issues of Success and Challenge. From there we created a quarterly newsletter for a growing database.
We promoted a Human Library with tabletop discussions of Climate Change, Immigration, LGBTQ, and Anti-Racism. The Working Group became nine members from seven congregations.
By 2023 we were supporting awareness of Gun Violence in cooperation with Moms Demand Action and the banner campaign, “Imagine a World without Gun Violence.” Soon afterward we hosted Disparities and Determinants of Health and Wellness at an area church
Early in 2024 more and more migrants were arriving in Chicago and some arrived at Oak Park Village Hall seeking assistance. Area congregations immediately stepped up with food, clothing and housing. Local nonprofits were mobilized to do more. Our standing-room-only meeting at the library for Oak Park’s Response to Migrants was well received and more people volunteered.
Voter registration was key for the fall elections. Members volunteered to write postcards, canvass neighboring states, and at Early Voting where the lines were long. Our quarterly newsletters broadcast events and resources to 130+. Our Working Group became a solid 12.
Immediately after the election, we thought about the huge divide between Red and Blue. We called upon Braver Angels to facilitate a workshop to promote better skills for communicating with family members or friends who didn’t share our alarm.
Next we hosted two workshops: “Countering Disinformation in Digital Spaces” and “Creating a Data Security Toolkit,” which were met by appreciative audiences at our Main Library. We also responded with our feet: taking action by joining the nationwide efforts of MoveOn and Indivisible to loudly protest!
In September we coordinated with several local organizations and congregations in order to host pre-screenings and discussions of the documentary, A Binding Truth. It is the compelling story of building relationships by truth-telling about the legacy of slavery and our current racial divide. The film will be released this month on PBS.
Currently we are making an effort to reach out to those of you who have other networks and would be willing to increase the connection among various organizations. We can link those concerned about reparations and criminal justice, such as Walk-the-Walk and Together is Better Alliance. There is interest in reaching area veterans to hear their views of the policy impacts on their oath to the Constitution. Another small group is working to create a public document expressing all of our concerns at this moment in our history.
For more information or to share your energy, please contact: justicenetwork.op@gmail.com
Cynthia Breunlin, an Oak Park resident and member of Congregations Networking for Social Justice, wrote this on their behalf.