SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2021
Weekend Reading

Dear John,

Communities across the U.S. are urging Congress to pass a budget reconciliation package that could help millions of people. The bill would provide paid family leave, extend the child tax credit, and invest in addressing climate change.

Unfortunately, the bill does not include a pathway to citizenship—instead offering another temporary status for immigrant community members. After a House vote, the bill heads to the Senate, where it faces further challenges.

Tell Congress: Pass a robust reconciliation package that promotes the health, well-being, and dignity of all! [link removed]

Here are this week’s picks to inform and support your activism.

Stopping evictions in Atlanta: [link removed] A federal moratorium on evictions during the pandemic has ended. Now millions of people in the U.S. could be forced from their homes. In Atlanta, tenants and community members are organizing to stop that from happening, writes AFSC’s Foluke Nunn.

What you need to know about Israel’s political attacks on Palestinians rights organizations: The Israeli government has declared key Palestinian rights groups “terrorist organizations.” The attacks aim to delegitimize groups that have exposed Israel's human rights violations, writes AFSC’s Mike Merryman-Lotze. Now the U.S. and international community must act to protect Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders. [link removed]

Take action to abolish the death penalty!: The death penalty flies in the face of moral values, common sense, and history. Yet several states have moved forward with executions. Four people were put to death in just the past two months: Rick Rhoades in Texas, Ernest Johnson in Missouri, Willie B. Smith III in Alabama, and John Marion Grant in Oklahoma. Tell elected officials to end the death penalty once and for all. [link removed]

Día de Muertos vigils nationwide remember immigrants who've died in immigration custody: At the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejía became the first immigrant to die of COVID-19 while in ICE custody. This week, AFSC and community members held a vigil outside the center, calling for an end to immigrant detention. (Daily Kos) [link removed]

Announcing the Compassion in Action Matching Gift Challenge: Give by Nov. 18, and your gift will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000. DOUBLE your impact and help put $1 million to work for peace, justice, and human dignity. [link removed]

Be well and take care

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