Learn Pray Blog is the official blog of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Our goal is to create a space where Virginians can promote the faith voice on issues such as poverty & the working poor, at-risk children & youth, Caring for God’s Creation and others.
Virginia Consumer Voices, a coalition housed by the Center, is looking for an Outreach Manager. Learn more about VCV and the job here.
Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare (VCV) is Virginia’s new, multi-constituency consumer coalition focused on ensuring that all Virginians have access to affordable, high-quality health care. VCV works to build and sustain a broad-based consumer coalition which includes patients, community and religious organizations, small businesses, organized labor, community health centers, and advocacy organizations to support effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Virginia.
The Center's 2012 Faithful Engagement report on the General Assembly has now been updated to reflect recent action by the Governor and the Virginia legislature.
The Senate passed a budget on April 18, sending it back to the Governor for his review. Governor McDonnell now has until mid-May to make changes, and has the power to make line item changes. The legislature will then reconvene for their final review.
Director of Virginia Interfaith Power and Light
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (Center) seeks someone with a strong organizing background and a true passion for environmental policy to serve as director of Virginia Interfaith Power and Light. As director, this staff person represents the Center on issues related to care of creation and works with people of diverse faith traditions statewide to educate and advocate in favor of public policy changes that result in more just and sustainable environmental policy. The director will also be responsible for working with other Center staff to manage current and future grants in support of their work.
Learn more and apply here
Hooray for the EPA – now that’s not something you hear in Virginia every day. But, today is Earth Day and 22 years since the first such commemoration, we are still working to raise awareness and increase our efforts to build more sustainable, healthy, and responsible communities. In Richmond, there will be an outdoor festival with education and resources that everyone can access to improve eco-friendly practices for daily living. Music, food and activities are one incentive to commemorate Earth Day. Another is the sense of responsibility that many of us hold for one another and to God.
For many people of faith, Earth Day offers a chance to call attention to problems like contaminated water, risky mining processes, and polluted air, to name just some of the concerns that impact the environment and our health as well. Guided by our faith we join together to share the responsibility of caring for creation and for one another.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and Virginia Interfaith Power and Light (VIPL), work together to speak up for people in need who too often suffer the consequences of unjust systems. As part of a national Interfaith Power and Light network, people of faith in Virginia work with VIPL to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and press for public policies that promote a more healthy and sustainable Virginia.
May is Asthma Awareness Month and according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Richmond, Virginia has more cases of Asthma that any other metro area in the United States. Low income communities are more vulnerable to the health consequences associated with industrial carbon pollution and for this reason; VIPL is focused on clean air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently working on new standards for air quality that will ensure that less carbon is released into the air from new power plants. Carbon pollution triggers health problems that affect at-risk families, especially children, the elderly, and those prone to health problems. These new rules can help us win cleaner, more responsible energy for future generations.
The EPA is now accepting public comments about the clean air standards through June 13. Sign the Covenant for Clean Air to tell the EPA that we need and support stronger clean air standards to protect public health.
Faithfully,
Marco Grimaldo
By Marco Grimaldo
Published in the Richmond Times Dispatch
Monday, April 16, 2012
Years ago, a friend of mine had a lapel pin with the image of a street sign on it, which indicated the crossroads of religion and public policy. This logo was the emblem of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy, and it remains a metaphor for how I understand the role of faith and public policy.
In his book "Christian Faith and Public Policy: No Grounds for Divorce," Art Simon, founder of Bread for the World, makes a case for people of faith, particularly Christians, to engage in the political process. A former pastor, Simon argues that the process of making laws and changing policy is too important to be left to others, and if people don't speak up for the moral principles they believe in, then the decisions will simply be made without them. What's more, he makes the case from a Christian perspective that we are responsible not only for our own well-being but, in part, for that of our neighbors as well. I have found that this sense of moral responsibility and agency is a common theme that motivates Virginians of many faiths to care for others.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy has a 30-year tradition of respecting and engaging Virginians from diverse religious backgrounds by drawing on this common concern of caring for our neighbors. This shared responsibility leads us to advocate together for compassionate policies that support families in need and strengthen whole communities. Fundamentally, we believe that there is an appropriate role for government to play, and that government should be held accountable in doing that job well. We believe in building stronger communities through shared efforts and shared responsibilities. We believe that when government or other structures of common life fall short, we must come together to find solutions rather than becoming entrenched in our differences.
The Center has cultivated strong, independent and collaborative faith voices to change public policy in ways that help low-income, underserved people and communities throughout the commonwealth. Each year, thousands of Virginians from many different faiths partner with us to communicate their concerns to their representatives in the General Assembly and in Congress. Together, we share our views of public policy and acknowledge the moral context that our faith offers to our understanding of policy. This year, advocates weighed in on a variety of issues related to hunger and poverty, funding and access to social service programs for struggling families, protections for youth at risk of being trafficked, and policies that promote clean, renewable energy as we seek to be better stewards of creation.
People of faith have various priorities that they choose to address, but lately state and federal budgets have been a pressing concern for many. Center members largely agree that responsible budgets should include spending cuts when needed and new revenue to invest in the future of our children and strengthen our commonwealth. On the whole, Virginia has fared relatively well in the recent economic recession, but not all Virginians are benefiting from the recovery equally and job losses have hit families hard. Our budget advocacy includes protecting funding for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program, which provide much needed assistance to families who would otherwise go hungry. Unemployment insurance, health-insurance programs for low-income families, and community health clinics provided added support for families struggling to make ends meet. The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit are examples of tax policies that directly alleviate poverty and invest in our local economies. These are just some of the policies that the Center and its advocates work for out of our shared recognition of a moral or religious obligation to care for one another.
Religion and politics almost always get more attention during a presidential election year and "hot button issues" like gay marriage and abortion too often dominate the conversation. I hope people of faith throughout Virginia will think prayerfully about what it will take to improve life for everyone in their community — the common good, if you will. Then, consider what you are willing to do to make this possible. Will you write a letter to your delegate or senator to share your concerns? Will you commit to learn more about the needs of low-income and vulnerable people in your community? Regardless of your political persuasion or religious background, get involved, speak up and let's work together for a better Virginia.