ICEJ Has And is Making a Difference

ICEJ Has And is Making a Difference

Here I am again. About two years ago, I stood here and spoke to you about the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice and what it means to me. I had been working for ICEJ for about a year and was still getting my feet wet in the world of being a community activist and organizer. It has been a wonderful journey that many of you have been on with me.

A lot has happened in a few years, and without your help and the help of other member congregations, it would never have been possible. Last winter many of us in this sanctuary filled out postcards asking the governor to include more $$ in her budget to add preschool spaces for our neediest kids. As a result, she did. Then we went to the Democrats and said, “Ok, the governor added 500 more spaces; what are you going to do? ” and through more postcards and more phone calls, they added another 500. We lifted up the benefits of a state earned income tax credit for our hard working, low income residents and almost won on that issue until backroom 11th hour discussions killed it.

THIS YEAR WE WILL PREVAIL and on October,5th (2006) we will pack a church in Hartford with a grassroots effort the likes of which has not seen in a long time. We are in the forefront right now of a statewide campaign to secure universal healthcare for ALL of Connecticut’s residents. And we have been told that it will be the # 1 priority in the legislature this year. We are and will continue to be the voices for our undocumented brothers and sisters.

We have brought Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Unitarians, Congregationalists, Pentecostalists, Quakers, Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians to the same table to dialogue, worship and come together on behalf of justice and equity. Of that, I am most proud.

We have wept, shouted, campaigned, argued, discerned, persuaded and held hands with many in this troubled city when violence has stolen the lives of its young. We have turned some silenced voices into voices of strength and dignity. We have expressed our outrage at an unfair health system that leaves the poor with little or no care. We have held forums, public meetings, actions and discussions on immigrant rights, preschool education, health disparities and the deep systemic link between racism and education and health disparities. We have developed allies, built power relationships. We have proven that boundaries are just silly lines on a map and that nothing can keep people of goodwill apart.

But none of this could have happened without this congregation’s support. You have listened and responded with your time and energy and your pocketbook – yes, your pocketbook. And while I love your time and energy what I really am here to ask you for today is a little bit from your pocket. This congregation is very deliberate about who it contributes to and that is good and as it should be. We make choices based on our values.

We deliberated about joining an organization such as ICEJ that was different from some of the other projects and social justice programs we have been involved in. ICEJ was and is about deep systemic structural change. It is about the intersection of our deepest spiritual values as UU’s and making a real difference in the lives of real people. We all know that changing people’s attitudes about racism, poverty, taxation and healthcare requires a steady nerve and a deep commitment. And we voted to join. And I can stand up here and tell you that ICEJ has and is making a difference. Your vote to join has unleashed the energies of people like Carol Shoemaker, Mike Winterfield, Tom and Joan Kemble, Doug Christie, Martha Page and many others who have become strong leaders in this organization.

To continue this work we need many hands and hearts and we also need resources. I thank you all for listening to me this morning. And now we will take up the Offering for the work of this Congregation and the GH Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice. - Shai Cassell

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 03/19/07)