This week Congress was in recess as many Members of Congress honored Memorial Day in their home states. President Biden traveled to Oklahoma to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the massacre and destruction of the Greenwood district of Tulsa. More than 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands of survivors were forced for a time into internment camps overseen by the National Guard. Burned bricks and a fragment of a church basement are about all that survive today of the more than 30-block, historically Black district. President Biden traveled with HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and announced new measures he said could help narrow the wealth gap between races and reinvest in underserved communities by expanding access to homeownership and small-business ownership. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its jobs report for the month of May. May saw employment rise by 559,000 jobs. The resulting unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage points to 5.8 percent, and the number of unemployed persons fell by 496,000 to 9.3 million. These numbers are down considerably from their recent highs in April 2020 but remain well above their levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (3.5 percent and 5.7 million, respectively, in February 2020). There was a significant job increase in the leisure and hospitality fields, public and private education, and in health care and social assistance. In May, the number of persons jobless less than 5 weeks declined by 391,000 to 2.0 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined by 431,000 to 3.8 million in May. On May 29th, Catholic Charities USA responded to the Biden Administration's FY22 budget proposal, you will find the statement here. COVID-19 Update We are continuing to see a reduction in COVID-19 infections. On June 3, 2021, the CDC reported that there were 14,354 new COVID-19 cases and 437 deaths. Across the country, 169 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 136 million people who have been fully vaccinated. CDC issued new guidance for those who are fully vaccinated. Full guidance can be found here. In addition to this promising news, people who are still not vaccinated should remain vigilant in their use of masks and social distancing. CCUSA is a founding member of the COVID-19 Community Corps to support vaccination across the country. To find the closest place for a vaccine, click here. Please visit the CCUSA Social Policy/Advocacy page for updates and policy papers. See here.
Faith and the Common Good
The United Nations observes June 11th as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The day was established on August 19, 1982, to originally focus on victims of the 1982 Lebanon War. Later the day was designated to "acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse." In 2016, Pope Francis said in his World Day of Prayer for Peace address, "We have heard the voice of the poor, of children and the younger generations, of women and so many brothers and sisters who are suffering due to war. With them let us say with conviction: No to war! May the anguished cry of the many innocents not go unheeded. Let us urge leaders of nations to defuse the causes of war: the lust for power and money, the greed of arms' dealers, personal interests and vendettas for past wrongs. We need a greater commitment to eradicating the underlying causes of conflicts: poverty, injustice and inequality, the exploitation of and contempt for human life." Let us join the world and pray for the protection of all children.
I Pray For
I pray for: Strength - that God gives them the strength to do what they need to do each day. Courage - that they will be brave as they face the challenges that are before them. Peace - that their hearts will be calm and peaceful as they go through their day and in their sleep at night. Provision - asking God to provide for all that they need - for stamina, spirit, and finances - for each day. Direction - that they will be led to embrace what is good and right. Protection - that God keeps them safe in this increasingly unsafe world and protects them from harm and wickedness. Joy - that God fills them with the kind of bliss joy that can only come from the Divine. Compassion - that they will show compassion on those in need and who have less than they do. Justice - to give them a sense of justice to stand up for what is right and to defend the weak. Wisdom - that they will grow in knowledge and understanding. Hope - to give them the hope that comes from above - the kind that far exceeds what we have in the here and now. Love - that our children are filled with the love of God. That they will know how deeply they are loved, and that love will overflow onto others. © Jesuit Resource, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/children-prayers, Accessed 4 June 2021.
Trivia
Who was the first U.S. Congresswoman? On May 28st, the question was, " What important Amendment was passed in Congress on June 4th?" Shari Davis was the first to submit the answer, the 19th Amendment. Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. The 19th amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle-victory took decades of agitation and protest. What's not often acknowledged in classroom textbooks and curriculum is the reality that not all women gained the right to vote. While the previously ratified 15th amendment prohibited Federal and State governments from denying the right to vote based on color, race or previous servitude, nothing in the U.S constitution and no federal laws explicitly prohibited discrimination on the basis of color, race and sex. Thus, Black, Indigenous, Latino, and other women and men of color did not see their voting rights ensured until the 1964 Civil Rights and 1965 Voting Rights Acts, more than 40 years later.
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!
You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.
Stay connected with our work to end poverty, follow us on Twitter at @CCharitiesUSA.
If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty you can contribute here. |
