#359 Taking Down, Our Conference, Anti-Racism - May 5, 2017
Blog Post: Unconnecting a Dot?
What happens when a group invites people to participate in promoting nonviolence, and people take them up on their offer – only to find out that reports of their participation was suppressed? We frequently encourage pro-lifers to strengthen their own case by putting abortion in the context of all socially-approved forms of killing human beings. So we encouraged people to participate in the Week of Action sponsored each September by Campaign Nonviolence. Unfortunately, this year CNV took listings of actions they had invited off their web page. They still haven’t posted any policy to give people forewarning that they’ll remove listings that, while they connect the dots on kinds of violence, also include abortion. Other issues outside the ones they specify are still up. Naturally, this reminds us of innumerable times when we’ve been asked to participate and then taken down when we do. This is not the same, however, because unlike, say, the January Women’s March, Campaign Nonviolence certainly does not defend abortion. Read the full post to get our behind-the-scenes view – and see what actions we plan to take in response. We need your help in making the response the most effective possible.
Bridging the Life/Peace Divide – Coming in August! Why should you attend Consistent Life's 30th anniversary conference, August 4-6 at Eastern University? Great speakers!
John Carr Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought & Public Life, Georgetown University Former director, Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for 20 years.
Shane Claiborne A founding member of The Simple Way in Philadelphia Active in the New Monasticism movement.
Kristen Day Executive Director, Democrats for Life
Joyce McCauley-Benner Feminists for Life Has worked over 15 years with low income and vulnerable populations, including sex trafficking and domestic violence victims.
Ron Sider Founder & Former President, Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA). Great Workshops! Answering those Tough Questions about Hot Button Issues Speaking and Writing for the Movement Advocating on the College Campus Peace, Pacifism, and Just War Theory Prolife Feminism Ending the Death Penalty and Euthanasia The Christian and Secular Case for the CLE Bringing Social Justice and Prolife Advocacy Together And lots more! Each workshop will attempt to connect at least a few of the life issues, will be participatory, and will provide participants with tools and ideas to be effective advocates for the CLE in their communities. It really helps in our planning if you register soon, so please let us know you’re coming.
Anti-Racism Conference We were on the list of sponsors for the “White Privilege Conference,” at its 18th annual gathering, which drew around 2,000 people. In their words, “Organizing. Strategizing. Taking Action. Deconstructing the Culture of White Supremacy and Privilege: Creating Peace, Equity and Opportunity.” Rachel MacNair (pictured) reports that our table seemed to be the only place where the topic of abortion came up at all, and many people had questions and listened sincerely to the answers. It was a very productive outing for us.
An expanded web-page version of the flyer designed just for this conference is up on the website of member group Friends Witness for a Pro-life Peace Testimony (Quakers).
Quotation of the Week Bill Samuel, April 29, 2017 I noticed with irony this from The Washington Post's story on the People's Climate March today: “At 15th Street, where the march began to turn north to begin the loop around the White House, the movement encountered a pro-life protester with a bullhorn. ‘Abortion is destroying human life,’ he said. The protesters sat on the concrete and began clapping as they steadily chanted, ‘My body, my choice.’” Isn't this just the same self-centered attitude, ignoring the fate of others, that brought about anthropogenic [that is, human-caused] climate change?
Responses/News tips/Questions to share are all welcome.
Send to weekly@consistent-life.org.
