THOMAS MERTON CENTER
NEW PEOPLE
PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER
THE
VOL. 48 No. 5 June 2018
2018 NEW PERSON OF THE YEAR: MONICA RUIZ BY MAGGIE WEAVER
On July 26, Monica Ruiz’s son will graduate high school.
Statement on Palestine Violence......................................................PAGE 3 Poor People’s Campaign.....................................................................PAGE 7 APALA in Pittsburgh...........................................................................PAGE 9 Legislator Versus the Poor................................................................PAGE 12
AMAZON HQ2 ≠ P4
At age 15, a young man traveled to the U.S., an unaccompanied minor seeking employment. He was a victim of human trafficking; he lived on a basement cot, worked 80 hours a week, and made $800 per month. Eventually, the young man fell ill. His treatment, a daily medicine, required taking a two-hour bus trip from Monroeville to Lawrenceville. After his cousin refused to make this trip for the prescription, the young man was left to die. Press conference and rally outside of the Pittsburgh P4 (Planet, People, Place, Profit) Conference at the David Lawrence Convention Center on April 26th. (Photo: Kim Dinh)
STOP BANKING THE BOMB
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2018 NEW PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD When: Tuesday, June 26th, 6PM - 9PM
Where: National Association of Letter Carriers Hall, 841 California Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 For more information, become a sponsor, or buy tickets, visit https://www.thomasmertoncenter. org/2018-new-person-award
BY NEIL COSGROVE
A recent Elon University poll concluded that 83% of Pittsburghers “strongly or somewhat” support Amazon placing a second headquarters in their city. No doubt, the oft-quoted figures of 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in new investment have a lot to do with the prospect’s popularity. How could anyone think such an infusion of money and “good” jobs would be bad for our region? Well, the Thomas Merton Center and other activist organizations are far more than skeptical that Amazon HQ2 means unmitigated “happy times” for Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania. Why? We have our reasons; several of them, in fact.
So, Casa San Jose took action. Casa San Jose (CSJ), located just outside of Banksville, is a community resource center for Pittsburgh’s Latino Community. The organization, as said in their mission statement, “advocates for and empowers Latinos by promoting
WHY WE DON’T LOVE AMAZON HQ2; LET US COUNT THE WAYS
PNC shareholders protest nuclear investments on April 24th. More on Page 11. (Photo: Bette McDevitt)
First of all, Amazon has not won our trust by creating a process that essentially pitted hundreds of geographical regions, and now 20 “finalists,” against each other. Such an approach makes it all too obvious that the company is trolling for big tax breaks, even though analysts commonly observe that such incentives are not the deciding factor when site selections are made. The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that the state of Pennsylvania is offering Amazon $1 billion in tax incentives to locate in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, two of the company’s finalists. It’s also rumored that both cities have included billions in payroll tax exemptions in their proposals, proposals county and city leaders refuse to disclose to citizens who already pay their share of state and local taxes. Such tax incentives, Laura Wiens of Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) points out, would be better applied “to thousands of locally owned, minority-owned businesses, for instance, and that would do a better job of stimulating the local economy and keeping wealth in our community.”. Continues on page 4.....
The Thomas Merton Center works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, oppression and environmental justice. TMC engages people of diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world.
Thomas Merton Center 5129 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 www.thomasmertoncenter.org Page 1
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THE NEW PEOPLE
IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE THOMAS MERTON CENTER 5129 PENN AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15224 Thomas Merton Center Hours: Monday - Friday: 10AM - 4PM East End Community Thrift Store Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 10AM - 4PM Saturday: Noon to 4PM Office Phone: 412-361-3022 Fax: 412-361-0540 Website: www.thomasmertoncenter.org The NewPeople Editorial Collective Cheryl Bauer, Neil Cosgrove, Michael Drohan, Russ Fedorka, James McCarville, Bette McDevitt, Marianne Novy, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Jo Tavener, and Maggie Weaver. TMC Staff & Volunteers Executive Director: Gabriel McMorland Finance Director / Project Liaison: Roslyn Maholland Support Staff: Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly, RSM Activist & Office Volunteers: Christina Castillo, Nancy Gippert, Lois Goldstein, Jordan Malloy, Joyce Rothermel, Judy Starr NewPeople Coordinator: Kim Dinh Community Organizer: Krystle Knight Technology & Operations Coordinator: Kim Dinh East End Community Thrift Store Managers: Shirley Gleditsch, Shawna Hammond, & Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly 2018 TMC Board of Directors Rob Conroy (President), Neil Cosgrove, Bill Chrisner, Mark Dixon, Antonia Domingo, Michael Drohan, Patrick Fenton, Nijah Glenn, Ken Joseph, Fatema Juma, Anne Kuhn, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Jim McCarville, Jordan Malloy, Emily Neff, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush (co-founder), Tyrone Scales, M. Shernell Smith, Robert Wilson
THRIFTY
The East End Community Thrift (Thrifty) is an all volunteer-run thrift shop which provides quality, low-cost, used clothing and household goods to the surrounding community. Thrifty needs volunteers and shoppers! Please contact us at (412) 361-6010 and ask for Shirley or Shawna, or stop in at 5123 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Email shawnapgh@aol.com. We are mission driven volunteers who look to build love and community by serving others in times of need. Follow @getthriftypgh on Instagram
PUBLISH IN THE NEW PEOPLE
The New People is distributed each month to 2,200 people who belong to diverse organizations, businesses and groups. To Submit Articles, Photos, or Poems: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/submit To Submit an Event to the TMC Calendar: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar Advertising prices range from $15 for a business card size to $250 for a full page. There is a 10% discount when purchasing 6 months of ad space at a time, and a 20% discount when purchasing a year of ad space at a time. An additional 10% discount is available for non-profit organizations and faith-based groups.
Human Rights Book‘Em: Books to Prisoners Project bookempgh@gmail.com www.bookempgh.org
2018 New Person of the Year: Monica Ruiz Why We Don’t Love Amazon HQ2; Let Us Count the Ways
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Statement of Thomas Merton Center on Violence in Israel and Palestine What’s in the Name — Thomas Merton? In Memory of Fr. Eugene Lauer
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Why We Don’t Love Amazon HQ2; Let Us Count the Ways (Cont’d)
Fight for Lifers West fightforliferswest@gmail.com 412-607-1804 Fightforliferswest.org
Shalefield Stories (Friends of the Harmed) 412-422-0272 brigetshields@gmail.com Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group 724-837-0540 lfpochet@verizon.net
Anti-War/Anti-Imperialism
Greater Pittsburgh Interfaith Coalition Anne Wirth 412-716-9750 Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.prisonerstories.blogspot.com Pittsburghers for Public Transit 412-216-9659 info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
Anti-War Committee awc@thomasmertoncenter.org
Economic Justice
Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Environmental Justice Marcellus Shale Protest Group melpacker@aol.com 412-243-4545 marcellusprotest.org
Harambee Ujima/Diversity Footprint Twitter @HomewoodNation Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance 412-512-1709
TMC PARTNERS (Partners are independent organizations who support the nonviolent peace and justice mission of TMC. - Articles may not necessarily represent the views of Partners) Abolitionist Law Center 412-654-9070 abolitionistlawcenter.org Amnesty International info@amnestypgh.org - www.amnestypgh.org Association of Pittsburgh Priests Sr. Barbara Finch 412-716-9750 www.associationofpittsburghpriests. com Battle of Homestead Foundation 412-848-3079 The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD www.thebigideapgh.org The Black Political Empowerment Project Tim Stevens 412-758-7898 CeaseFire PA www.ceasefirepa.org—info@ceasefirepa. org Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net
2018 New Person of the Year: Monica Ruiz (Cont’d)
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A.C.T. for Activists Letter From the Director
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A New Poor People’s Campaign Sixth Annual Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition Forum
May Day 2018 in Photos
www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com
The Global Switchboard Pittsburgh 412-471-7852 admin@globalswitchboard.org www.theglobalswitchboard.org
Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com
North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition 412-369-3961 email: info@arc.northpgh.org www.arc.northpgh.org
SW PA Bread for the World Joyce Rothermel 412-780-5118 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org
PA United for Single-Payer Health Care www.healthcare4allPA.org www.PUSH-HC4allPa.blogspot.com 412-421-4242
Veterans for Peace Paul Dordal 412-999-6913 vfp47wp@yahoo.com
Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Edith Bell 412-661-7149 granbell412@ gmail.com
Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition 412-303-1247 lisacubasi@aol.com Pittsburgh BDS Coalition bdspittsburgh@gmail.com
TMC is a Member of
Pittsburgh North People for Peace 412-760-9390 info@pnpp.northpgh.org www.pnpp.northpgh.org Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org Raging Grannies 412-963-7163 eva.havlicsek@gmail.com
Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network 412-621-9230 office@piin.org Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Martha Conley 412-361-7872, osterdm@earthlink.net TMC supports these organizations’ missions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Pittsburgh 350 350pittsburgh@gmail.com World.350.org/Pittsburgh
Steel Smiling info@steelsmilingpgh.org www.steelsmilingpgh.org 412-251-7793 Stop Sexual Assault in the Military 412-361-3022 hildebrew@aol.com
Cities for CEDAW pgh4CEDAW@gmail.com
For more information and to help distribute the paper: Call 412-361-3022 or email newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org.
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TMC PROJECTS
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Not Your Model Minority: Organizing Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Workers
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White Supremacy and the 2nd Amendment The Myth of a System Cartoon by Russ Fedorka
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Stop Banking the Bomb Campaign Protests PNC’s Annual Shareholder Meeting Prospects for a Unified Korea
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State Legislators Avoid Responsibility for Affordable Higher Education Proposed House Bill Cuts to SNAP Are Immoral
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Alphabet City: City of Asylum’s Sanctuary for the Soul Cuba: Building Bridges, Tearing Down Walls-Caravan
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Social Justice Seekers Are on the Move Wreck (poem)
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Thrifty’s 25th Birthday Page 2
MERTON CENTER NEWS STATEMENT OF THOMAS MERTON CENTER ON VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
This statement from the Thomas Merton Center Board of Directors was approved at their May 21 board meeting. The Thomas Merton Center, together with the United Nations community, condemns the lethal use of violence by the Israeli Defense Forces against Palestinian protesters who were protesting the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the U.S. declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The United Nations position is that the status of Jerusalem will only be resolved through negotiations by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Merton Center upholds the right to peaceful protest without armed authorities using lethal force. Violence has terrible consequences. More than 106 protesters have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded at the Gaza border with Israel during the 70th anniversary of the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their home. The wounded include an 8-month old baby, children, Palestinians with disabilities, and journalists. Hospitals in Gaza have been unable to cope with the casualties. Turkey has recalled its ambassadors to Israel and the U.S., and South Africa has recalled its ambassador to Israel. There have been demonstrations across the world, including Arab and Muslim nations which see this most recent violence against Palestinian protesters as yet another demonstration of Islamophobia. The Trump administration’s actions to ban Muslim travel to the U.S., refusal to admit Muslim
refugees, declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and moving the U.S. Embassy there are all seen by many Muslims and others as a pattern of behavior by the Trump Administration that is anti-Muslim and anti-People of Color. This is the time of Ramadan, a month of fasting in which faithful Muslims pray and remember the poor who hunger. This should be a time for prayer and family gatherings. Our Palestinian brothers and sisters must now bury their dead and care for their wounded without adequate medical resources during this sacred holy month. The Merton Center deplores the U.S. veto in the UN Security Council to prevent an investigation into the violence in Israel/Palestine. This veto follows the U.S. veto in December 2017 of a UN Security Council resolution which condemned the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the U.S. intention to move its embassy there. The U.S. goes against the will of most other UN Security Council and UN General Assembly member states that work for a more even-handed approach in protecting Israel while also protecting Palestinians and the right they have to live in peace on land internationally recognized as theirs. Today, the people of Palestine are deeply wounded. We call on the United States and Israel to acknowledge their wounds and work toward a humane resolution instead of engaging in further violence.
IN MEMORY OF FR. EUGENE LAUER On May 20, TMC member Fr. Gene Lauer passed away at age 82. A priest of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, he was a scholar, theologian, author, popular pastoral minister, conference speaker and retreat master; but most of all Fr. Lauer was a teacher. His career called him to Duquesne University, LaRoche College, Wheeling College, Seton Hill University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame University, and the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Before returning to Pittsburgh he served as the Director of the National Pastoral Life Center in New York City.
BY JOYCE ROTHERMEL
As recently as last month, Fr. Lauer was teaching in the Osher Programs at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Fr. Lauer was a long-time board member of Global Links, a medical relief and development organization dedicated to supporting health improvement initiatives in resource-poor communities and promoting environmental stewardship in the US healthcare system. We are grateful for Fr. Lauer’s life-time witness of peace and social justice.
WHAT’S IN THE NAME — THOMAS MERTON?
BY JIM RUCK
The Center’s founders, in looking for a name, settled on “Thomas Merton,” the Catholic contemplative monk and social critic who had died not long before at age 53. From his Kentucky monastery his prophetic voice, clear and widely known, challenged America’s Vietnam War, its racism and other social injustices. That spirit is what the founders wanted. Names are tricky. Some are mere formalities, someone who funded a building, someone largely unknown today. Other names leave an indelible mark, because the person’s spirit continues to inspire the group. Is the Merton Center a collection of good causes and political agendas as much needed today as when it was founded? Or is it that and something deeper? As much as Thomas Merton may seem passé, a denominational religious, a monk largely hidden in the hills, he can continue to call both society and TMC members to a deeper, truer, more nonviolent path – personally, for the center, for our country, for the world’s people and environment. My wife, Gail Britanik, and I both admired Merton before connecting with the Center. She joined the staff, fired by her passion for Central America. Together we led study groups, deepening our realization of how strong his influence could be. Two qualities are noteworthy. Thomas Merton engaged in a life-long struggle for integrity. On a spring, 1941 retreat at Gethsemane Monastery, Merton resonated immediately with what he experienced. In December he entered the community. Once drifting in dissolute living, orphaned after his mother’s death at age 5 and his father’s at 16, at the monastery he absorbed the Christian message and the spirit of monasticism. He found both deeply healing. But Merton did not merely conform to external expectations of religion or his superiors’ wishes. While at some points the monastic regimen cramped his conflicting desires for more solitude and for more engagement with the world, the monastery also recognized his talent. Merton was named to lead the young monks studying for ordination and then the novices. Challenging as this work was, it led Merton to appreciate the spirit of early monasticism and of his Cistercian Order. With this fresh perspective, he challenged deadening accretions that crept in over the years. His was not a marketing campaign to get young monks in line, but a labor of love, connecting each student’s particular talents, attitudes and aspirations to God’s radical call and the deep sources from which to grow. Integrity: not learning how to play a role but discerning how to best live one’s life, fully, freely and without violence. Jim Ruck was a TMC Board Member in early 80s, and husband of Gail Britanik, who was a staff member 19871993.
SUSTAIN TMC THROUGH MONTHLY GIVING AND MORE Please consider becoming a sustaining member by becoming a Monthly Peacemaker. You can become a Peacemaker on the TMC website, and your monthly giving will bring a greater stability to the Center’s financing. You can send a check to the Merton Center at 5129 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, noting the person in whose honor or memory you are making your gift in the memo section, or donate on line at www.thomasmertoncenter.org. Other ways to support the Center include: • Gift memberships – introduce others to the Merton Center through a subscription to The NewPeople.
• Become a Cornerstone Sustainer with a gift(s) of $500 or more annually. • Remember the Merton Center in your will. Learn more about the Molly Rush Legacy Fund at the TMC website. Whatever way you choose to support the Center financially is most welcome. Recent events locally, in several parts of the country, and internationally remind us over and over again why the Merton Center is so important to us and to our community. P.S. If your membership has expired or you are not yet a member, please renew or become a member today. (See form included on the last page)
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A DUBIOUS HONOR WHY WE DON’T LOVE AMAZON HQ2; LET US COUNT THE WAYS (CONT’D) BY NEIL COSGROVE
In addition, Amazon is already receiving substantial government subsidies for their “fulfillment centers” in Pennsylvania. The Intercept recently reported that Pennsylvania localities have already granted Amazon “an estimated $24.8 million in subsidies [for] 13 warehouses employing around 10,000 workers” —over 10% of whom have such low wages that they are enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), another form of government subsidy. That same Intercept article observes that while Amazon is only the 19th largest employer in Pennsylvania, the company ranks fifth in the amount of employees receiving food assistance. Second, it is obvious to just about everyone that selection of Pittsburgh for Amazon HQ2 will put huge upward pressure on the region’s housing costs, where there is already a shortage of more than 17,000 affordable housing units in the city alone. Activist Carl Redwood notes that on average three black people and 1.5 whites are leaving Pittsburgh every day because they can’t afford the rents and home sale prices. To get a sense of what speculation in housing and land values might do to Pittsburgh, one has only to look at Seattle, home of Amazon HQ1. “In Seattle,” states a recent release authored by PPT and the Merton Center, “housing prices have increased 57% in the last six years to $2100/month. In the last 12 months alone, median home prices have increased 21% up to $741,000.” (Pittsburgh’s currently is $135,465.) Real estate speculation is already occurring in Hazelwood, location of
Hazelwood Green, one prime possible HQ2 site. Amazon claims it would like to prevent the Seattle experience from happening at its second headquarters, but just how it can be prevented is unclear. Because Pittsburgh has no inclusionary zoning or rent control, Laura Wiens contends, once the speculation gets rolling, “both the mayor and Amazon will become ancillary.” A third reason for our HQ2 wariness is the region’s lack of infrastructure, particularly when it comes to public transit. Seattle has two transit agencies with multi-billion budgets, while Pittsburgh has the Port Authority, with an operating budget of $419 million. Amazon HQ2 will strain public transit in two ways—one involves moving Amazon employees to their various work sites; the second involves transporting lowincome people much greater distances than is currently the case. As we’ve seen, rising housing costs are already driving more and more low-income people out of the city, and that exodus would explode with Amazon HQ2. As Laura Wiens points out, there is a direct relationship between durations of commute and the ability to pull one’s self out of poverty. HQ2 could greatly exacerbate current economic inequality. Finally, it is reasonable to wonder about the quality of those 50,000 jobs Amazon has promised. People get big-eyed when they see Amazon’s 45,000 Seattle employees making an average of $110,000 plus. They need to remember that the median pay for all the
company’s employees is around $28,500, because the great majority of them are in dangerous, physically demanding warehouse jobs that pay, on average, “about 9 percent less than the industry average” for warehouse work, according to The Intercept. Amazon has already told Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald that “possible distribution centers near the airport” are being considered, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported. Amazon is noted for “tracking how fast its warehouse workers can pick and package items from its shelves,” as Business Insider recently put it, “efficiency” run amuck. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has “found that seven workers have been killed in Amazon warehouses since 2013” observes an article on Gizmodo, and the Council recently ranked Amazon as among their top 12 companies “that most put their workers at risk.” A heightened awareness of all of the above might significantly lower Pittsburghers favorable attitude towards Amazon HQ2. Five years down the road Pittsburghers might feel luckier if they were NOT chosen for the dubious honor of hosting the company’s second headquarters. The question to ask might be this: Do we want to be a second-rate Silicon Valley or a first-rate Pittsburgh? Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople editorial collective and the Merton Center board.
Talia Smith speaks at the Press Conference outside of the P4 Conference, highlighting the problems with locating Amazon HQ2 in Pittsburgh. (Photo: Kim Dinh)
Crystal Jennings of Pittsburghers for Public Transit speaks out for affordable housing at the P4 Press Conference (Photo: Kim Dinh)
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NEW PERSON AWARDEE 2018 NEW PERSON OF THE YEAR: MONICA RUIZ (CONT’D) BY MAGGIE WEAVER
integration and self-sufficiency.” Ruiz is Casa San Jose’s current Civic Engagement and Community Organizer and recipient of the 2018 New Person Award from the Thomas Merton Center. At the time of the young man’s near-death, Ruiz was an intern with Casa San Jose. The youth was a client of the organization, and they were able to connect Ruiz’s commitment as a foster parent with her nowson’s needs. On July 26, Monica Ruiz’s son will graduate high school. Now, he speaks three languages, has an appointment to receive a driver’s license and plans to attend carpentry school. As a primary contact with Pittsburgh’s Latino population, Ruiz is involved with a variety of CSJ’s programs. She works to better understand the needs of her community, providing direct services for issues dealing with legality, education, housing and more. Her current position emerged from a Latino needs assessment of Pittsburgh. “We realized we needed to stop putting band-aids on broken arms and think on a more macro level of what we could do,” said Ruiz. “ That’s when the advocacy and the organizing part came along.” With the creation of her current position, Ruiz has been able to create new initiatives for CSJ. The organization has been able to campaign for a change of Pittsburgh’s policing policy and to develop programs to raise awareness of anti-immigrant bills. Often, Ruiz and her fellow advocates are called to action. “About a year ago, PA State Rep. Dom Costa supported an anti-immigrant bill. In his mind, he believed that he was protecting the community, and I’m sure whatever he read on that paper told him he was,” said Ruiz.
“In reality, the bill would’ve allowed police officers to ask immigration status of folks that are reporting crimes,” she continued. “We were able to schedule a meeting with him, and myself and three or four of his constituents went into this meeting. We were able to talk with him about what this really means for the community. We were able to plead our case to the point that the very next day he publicly stated that he could no longer support this bill.”
Ruiz emphasizes stepping out of your comfort zone, engaging with a member of the community who speaks a different language or who looks different.
Ruiz emphasizes the need for an educated community. For clients of CSJ, this takes a unique form.
“When I first got to Pittsburgh, I thought ‘what is happening here?’” said Ruiz. “I’ve never seen anything so segregated. I must have been here 6 months before I saw someone who is black. I was in shock.”
The institution offers a variety of youth programs, working with about 60 students altogether. For the younger children, 13 and under, CSJ centers the curriculum on culture. “Many of these youth, who are born here, start to lose their cultural identity. They don’t want to speak Spanish, they’re ashamed of where they came from, so we have a program that centers on Spanish speaking,” said Ruiz. The high-school-aged group focuses on activism and policy education, engaging in local politics. CSJ acts as a space for the older youth to learn. “I don’t want to say they have to carry the torch after I’m gone,” said Ruiz, “They have that torch and are running full speed ahead with it. I’m just in the background saying ‘a little to the left’ or ‘a little to the right.’” For the surrounding community, education takes a very different form. “Pittsburgh has not had many immigrants that are non-white looking,” said Ruiz. “Now that folks like me are here and we don’t want to blend in, we need to educate people that immigrants have always been here and that is what sustains this city.”
“There’s just so much racism here,” said Ruiz. “ I cannot understand this. A lot of work needs to be done.” Since her arrival in Pittsburgh, 11 years ago, Ruiz highlights the growth she’s seen in the Latino community.
Ruiz finds encouragement in small victories, such as the results of the recent Pennsylvania election. “It shows that people want change,” said Ruiz. “After the last election, it really came out that people wanted to support this type of work,” Ruiz continued. “It was to a point when I had so many people who wanted to do something that I didn’t know what to do with them. I never thought it would be like that. No change will happen until people are so fed up they take their anger and turn it into action.” Ruiz is the 2018 Merton Center New Person Award recipient. Previous award winners include Carl Redwood (2017), a local housing activist, Tim Stevens (2016), a local social activist, and Jim Forest (2015), a peace activist. Details on registration for this year’s award ceremony on June 26 are located in this issue of The NewPeople and on both the Merton Center and NewPeople websites. Maggie Weaver is an intern with the NewPeople Editorial Collective.
SAVE THE DATE: TMC PICNIC When: Saturday, July 7th Where: Pool Grove, Highland Park, Lake Drive
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PREVENTING ACTIVIST BURNOUT A.C.T. FOR ACTIVISTS
Depression. Anxiety. Despair. These are just some of the emotional distresses that I have observed in friends, comrades, and in myself, as we engage seriously in the work of social justice. Unfortunately, I have also observed a high occurrence of burnout among activists. It seems that many activists just do not have effective strategies for coping with the emotional rollercoaster that is part and parcel of confronting the myriad injustices in our world. And it isn’t just our justice work that is responsible for our emotional distresses. Poverty, war, racism, sexism, and other systemic injustices can be correlated to the mental illnesses suffered by millions of Americans. So, what can we who fight the good fight do to take care of ourselves in the midst of all of these challenges? What practices can we engage in to keep ourselves emotionally fit for the long haul? In my work as a board-certified clinical chaplain I am privileged to have been trained in several evidence-based therapeutic modalities, principles of which I use in my care of patients in the hospital setting. One of those modalities is called “Acceptance Commitment Therapy” or ACT. ACT’s overall goal is
BY PAUL DORDAL
to increase “psychological flexibility” in response to the inevitable difficulties of life. Kershner and Farnsworth, ACT’s authors, define psychological flexibility “as the ability to adapt behavior to varying contexts and situations in the pursuit of one’s core values.” I have found that ACT’s core processes are effective in my chaplaincy work, but also for self-care as I engage in my volunteer work as a peace and justice activist. There are six core processes of ACT which can be used for self-care. First, Acceptance is the willingness to accept our feelings in the face of suffering. Acceptance allows us to feel our feelings without judgement or defense. If you are extremely saddened by the racism in our society or anxious about all the work that needs to be done to end the senseless wars in our world, then accept your feelings as normative to the situation. Another process of ACT is living in the Present Moment. For this, the practice of mindfulness is especially important. Mindfulness practice keeps us focused in the here and now and helps us to not ruminate on the unchangeable past or over-think an uncontrollable future.
Defusion, a third process in ACT, is the method of responding differently to our negative thoughts about ourselves. When those negative thoughts enter your mind, you might say, “I am not my thoughts” or “I am having a negative thought, but I am not that thought.” Defusion is especially important in dealing with the often hurtful responses activists might get from reactionaries. Related to Defusion, another ACT process is viewing one’s Self as Context. We, as “whole” humans, are not the content of what we do or what we have. As Henri Nouwen once said, “I am not what I do, what I have, or what others think of me. I am the beloved.” Maybe what I appreciate most about ACT in relation to activism and self-care is its focus on living a Values driven life. This is a fifth process of ACT where we remind ourselves what our core values are and recommit to living by them. This is a key piece to my own self-care. I refuse to see my emotional challenges as impediments to the valuable work I do for justice in the world. And finally, the sixth process of ACT is when we bring our values to life by moving into Committed Action. This means we
can engage in activism based on an open, present moment understanding of who we are and in accordance with our values, in the midst of the anxiety, depression, or other strong emotions we may be experiencing. To summarize, the ACT processes for self-care might be remembered simply as Accepting our thoughts and feelings, Choosing a valued direction, and Taking action. Finally, I want to say that self-care strategies may not be enough if your emotional distress is severely interfering with your work, in your home, or relationships. I recommend seeing a mental health professional if your symptoms become acute or are too difficult to manage. If you would like more information about ACT or to find an ACT counselor, go to www.contextualscience.org. Rev. Paul Dordal is a member of the Thomas Merton Center and a volunteer organizer for Veterans For Peace. He can be reached at pauldordal@gmail.com.
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
The ACT Processes (Picture: Creative Commons)
I’m grateful for the work the Thomas Merton Center has been able to do in 2018. We helped workers win back more than $10,000 in stolen wages in the winter, and then joined a new campaign with workers who were never paid for construction of luxury housing. Our coalition won the campaign to prevent use of armed officers to collect fares on public transit. We picketed the PNC annual shareholders meeting demanding they divest from nuclear weapons and confronted the mayor and other leaders about the inevitable mass displacement if they succeed in attracting Amazon’s second headquarters. We also joined more than a dozen organizations in holding a beautiful May Day march celebrating immigrants and workers. In this whirlwind of activity, I found myself returning to a quote from Thomas Merton, “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is
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BY GABRIEL
MCMORLAND
to succumb to the violence of our times.” In reading Merton’s advice, I hear more than a suggestion to stay well rested and drink eight glasses of water a day. His words tell me we cannot let our work overshadow our humanity. He reminds me that we should discern our own place in larger movements and support the growing leadership of people around us. I know many of us also feel an urgent need to create focus and efficiency in our turbulent times. I hope this will not lead us into the trap of trying to identify the single most important issue facing all humanity, or the umbrella issue encompassing all other struggles. Instead, let’s approach our own work with strategy and conviction, while helping each other to reflect on how the problems we see arise as symptoms of deeply tangled oppressions. I hope that you, too, found Merton’s words reassuring. I would love to know your thoughts on this and welcome responses in the pages of The NewPeople or at gabriel@thomasmertoncenter.org.
ACTIVIST NEWS A NEW POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN BY GINNY CUNNINGHAM
Beginning on May 13, and continuing through June 21, the Poor People’s Campaign invites participation in a national initiative addressing racism, economic exploitation, war and environmental degradation, and aiming for societal transformation. In over 30 state capitals, including Harrisburg, the campaign encompasses Sunday meetings followed by nonviolent, direct action on Mondays. This beginning phase of the Campaign will culminate on June 23 with a national rally in Washington, DC. (This series of actions are only the beginning of a multi-year campaign.)
On this 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s March on Washington, two spiritual leaders, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, invite reflection on the injustices of our time and urge us to undertake prophetic action for the common good. The campaign arises, says Joan Brown, OSF, who writes for The Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, “as a clarion call, surfacing from the suffering soul of earth and humanity.” An Institute for Policy Studies report, “The Souls of Poor Folk,” assesses poverty-related conditions and trends during the past 50 years in the United States (available at www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.), and supports Campaign initiatives to confront government policy that deepens the chasm between rich and poor and embeds myth and stereotypes
in our thinking and behavior.
Most observers of the political scene today recognize a chasm of profound depth. According to another recently publicized Institute for Policy Studies report, the combined wealth of three men—Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975; Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon in 1994; and investor Warren Buffett — is greater than the total wealth of 50 percent of the U.S. population. Since the 1970s wages for the bottom 80 percent of workers have stagnated. The cost of housing, health care and education has risen dramatically. Consequently, 2.5 to 3.5 million people are living in shelters, transitional housing centers and tent cities. Teachers are buying classroom supplies and holding down second jobs. Students graduate from college burdened with crippling debt. The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program assists only 23 percent of poor families with children. The Poor People’s Campaign asks us to turn our attention to policies, legislation, myths and stereotypes that have not only allowed this inequity but have enabled it. Ken Regal, executive director of Pittsburgh’s Just Harvest, works in the trenches of the fight to eliminate hunger, poverty and economic injustice. To hear Regal talk about public policy, legislation, and the path that legislation takes, is to hear the voice of a citizen engaged in a real-time life and death struggle to advance humane legislation.
His best hope at this time is to kill in committee two bills that would adversely affect the above. Pennsylvania HB 2138, currently in committee, would add new work requirements to the state’s Medicaid program, which provides life and health-saving insurance coverage for 1.7 million adults, most of whom are working already. HB 1659, which already limits food stamp aid to “ablebodied” adults without dependents to three months, is also in committee, but could be brought to the Senate floor for a vote soon. Both of these bills, Regal says, “are just mean-spirited measures aimed at adding to burdens, building on stereotypes and flying in the face of evidence that these kind of work requirements don’t work.” Bills such as these shred the food and health-care safety net. One in five U.S. households has no accrued wealth. While a shrinking number of men at the economic summit accrue a greater percentage of the wealth and resources of the nation, taxpayers with stagnant incomes pay billions for budget items such as nuclear submarines that cost $2.6 billion each. Accordingly, 53 cents of every federal discretionary dollar go to military spending and only 15 cents go to anti-poverty programs. The Poor People’s Campaign advocates for the “fundamental dignity inherent to all humanity,” most notably in this country’s context of an abundance of resources that accrue inequitably to the few.
Of particular local interest is the campaign’s demand for clear air and water, the effects of which are hardly limited to the poor. According to the American Lung Association’s most recent annual report, “State of the Air,” the Pittsburgh metro region ranks As the 10th worst of 201 regions for daily measure of fine particulate pollution. “Pittsburgh’s Water System Is Why We Shouldn’t Run America Like a Business,” published in November in The Nation, spotlighted the many inadequacies of our water system as well as lead levels exceeding federal standards. The Campaign, says Joan Brown, “is an intentional reach into the hearts of people troubled in soul, whose very lives are threatened by the current political landscape.” It offers all people of faith and conscience an opportunity “to push beyond apathy, fear, and feeling overwhelmed in order to create a new landscape of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.” “Not everything that is faced can be changed,” said American novelist and social critic James Baldwin. “But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Link to the Campaign, its vision, principles and demands, as well as the report “The Souls of Poor Folk” at www. poorpeoplescampaign.org. Ginny Cunningham is a local writer and member of the Thomas Merton Center.
SIXTH ANNUAL PITTSBURGH DARFUR EMERGENCY COALITION FORUM The Sixth Annual PDEC Forum on Sudan and South Sudan was held at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church (ELPC) on Sunday, April 15, 2018. This program, “Sudan: Crises Unresolved,” was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition (PDEC), hosted by the Peace Committee of ELPC, and underwritten by the International Partnership of the Pittsburgh Presbytery and the Cross Roads Presbyterian Church of Monroeville, PA.
founded, the Alliance for Civil Society Darfur. These goals are to obtain justice and peace in the region, to obtain civil rights for its people, to obtain relief for the victims of the fighting, and to bring more attention to (and respect for) its cultural heritage. Methods for achieving these objectives include bringing more attention to the situation in the media of other countries, planning for technical innovation, and projects for economic development.
Dr. David Rosenberg, PDEC Coordinator, thanked members and supporters and gave a brief history of the conflicts in Sudan (and later South Sudan) that led to the founding of PDEC in 2004 and our continuing advocacy. He introduced the speakers: Ibrahim Mohamed Ishaq, Founder, Alliance for Civil Society Darfur; Andrew Burnett, Deputy Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan in the US Department of State; Brian Adeba, Associate Director of Policy for ENOUGH: the Project to End Genocide and Crimes against Humanity; and Eric Cohen, President, Massachusetts Coalition for Darfur and co-founder of Act for Sudan and Investors against Genocide.
Eric Cohen said that the efforts of grassroots organizations like PDEC and his MA Coalition for Darfur helped to prevent more deaths in Sudan but were insufficient to make real change. He also said that the US government, during the last three presidential administrations, and the governments of other countries have mounted an inadequate response to the atrocities committed by the Bashir government of Sudan, which has learned to continue its atrocities with impunity from that response.
Ibrahim Mohamed Ishaq gave a brief history of the conflict in Darfur, his role in advocating for oppressed people there, the persecution by the Sudanese government that led to his exile, and the goals of the organization that he
Cohen believes that regime change, which has not been a part of US policy so far, will be the only effective way to stop the oppression by the Government of Sudan (GOS). He also suggested actions short of direct military intervention that may lead to this goal: increased financial pressure on the GOS, delivering aid to victims in areas of conflict without approval by the GOS, and support of opposition groups (such as inviting members of credible opposition groups to
the US for education and training).
Andrew Burnett has worked in the office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan for 7 years and had previously been involved in negotiations with Sudan. Although there is currently no special envoy to head the office and less reliance on special envoys by the Trump administration, the staff will continue to work through senior State Department officials on issues involving the two countries. While US input is important in mediating the conflicts, regional organizations such as IGAD (the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) and the African Union should take the lead in negotiations; the US should not take over the process. The office recognizes numerous ongoing problems in both countries and has developed goals for their solution.
BY MARY DAWN EDWARDS
Brian Adeba of ENOUGH emphasized that we must keep the issues faced by the people of both countries and efforts to resolve them alive. Financial sanctions may be an effective tool of leverage on the corrupt leaders of both countries; they should target specific individuals with power in government and business, curtailing their ability to move money in the international market, rather than the whole country to avoid ill effects on the general population. There is a detailed description of this strategy on the ENOUGH web site. The forum ended with a Q & A session, mainly about Sudanese overtures to Russia to obtain weapons embargoed by Western countries. Mary Dawn Edwards is a long time member of PDEC. Speakers Ibrahim Mohamed Ishaq, Eric Cohen, Andrew Burnett and Brian Adeba lead the discussion at the Sixth Annual PDEC Forum. (Photo: Chelsey Engel)
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MAY DAY MARCH FOR IMMIGRANTS AND WORKERS
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
(Photo: Ike Gittlen)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
(Photo: Ike Gittlen)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
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(Photo: Ike Gittlen)
(Photo: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
APALA IN PITTSBURGH NOT YOUR MODEL MINORITY: ORGANIZING ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDER WORKERS BY KIM DINH
2018 May Day Celebration - Pittsburgh, PA. As immigrants and workers in Pittsburgh gathered on May Day to celebrate International Workers’ Day, for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, the day also marked the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In the United States, representation of AAPI workers and immigrants is often overlooked. In Pittsburgh, this gap in representation is even more apparent.
Where are AAPI workers in labor and civil rights movements? AAPI workers, along with Latino workers, represent the fastest-growing groups of unionized labor in the U.S. Yet, despite a history of strikes that dates back to the 1800s, Asian American workers are still regarded as “the model minority,” as quite docile workers. AAPI labor is often exploited because of the public perception that they don’t fight back. People who are denied their rights often organize out of necessity. Notable events in the AAPI labor movements include, but are not limited to, the Chinese Rail Workers Strike in June of 1867, the Oahu Sugar Strike in 1920 organized by Filipino and Japanese plantation workers, the Delano Grape Strike in 1965 organized by Filipino and Mexican agricultural workers (whose collaboration gave rise to the United Farm Workers Union), and the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Strike in New York City’s Chinatown in 1982. About 20,000 garment factory workers, most of whom were Chinese women, took to the streets in New York to demand work contracts, which made it one of the largest AAPI worker strikes in the history of the US labor movement. AAPI union members today represent many different East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian diaspora in the US. AAPI workers, whether in a union or not, come from many different industries, such as agricultural,
textile, construction, restaurant, service, hospitality, transportation, and more. While most labor unions are still primarily white-led and conservative in values, many AAPI union leaders are climbing in ranks. While the earlier AAPI labor movements saw Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino activists, today’s AAPI movements see a rise to leadership of younger generations of Vietnamese, Cambodian, H’Mong, Indian, and Pakistani workers. Activism in AAPI communities is not confined to labor unions. In a 2011 study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, 67% of unionized AAPI workers are also immigrants. In Pittsburgh, two of the largest groups of undocumented immigrants are Latino and Asian or Pacific Islander. To fight for workers’ rights is to fight for immigrants’ rights -- undocumented immigrants are less likely to seek medical care out of fear of being deported. One out of three AAPI people do not speak English fluently. Language barriers keep AAPI people from seeking healthcare and other resources. In addition to demands for higher wages, paid sick days, education, housing, better work conditions, and benefits, activists also organize to demand language access, legal representation, and mental health resources.
Not Your Model Minority Despite a history of fighting for the rights to live and work, many AAPI communities and those outside of them are still largely willing to uphold the narratives of the “model minority,” which implies that the success and social standing of Asian Americans today are because AAPIs “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.” This narrative disregards the two million AAPIs who live in poverty, the AAPI youth affected by the School to Prison to Deportation Pipeline, and the undocumented workers who are subject to less-than-minimum hourly wages and unsafe working practices. It also justifies ingrained anti-black notions by situating one minority above another and by allowing one to criticize
protests and other collective actions. This reality helps explain where more recent AAPI movements are headed. Even though coalition work has been going on for decades, more and more AAPI groups are focusing on addressing larger systemic issues, such as unpacking entrenched racism and classism, as well as addressing intergenerational LGBTQ issues. This work proves to be challenging, and it is just the beginning of a long, but important, conversation.
Organizations and Coalition Building As labor movements strive to become more inclusive of immigrant voices, a new laborfocused group hopes to engage AAPI communities in Pittsburgh. In early 2018, seeing the lack of representation of AAPI workers, a group of activists came together to form the Pittsburgh local pre-chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), which, up until this point, has primarily been in the coalitionbuilding phase. APALA’s national organization is the first labor group in the US working to advance AAPI labor and immigrant rights. APALA has 20 chapters and pre-chapters, as well as a national office in Washington D.C. APALA Pittsburgh has been involved in the Wage Theft Coalition with other Pittsburgh groups, such as the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the Thomas Merton Center, and Restaurant Opportunities Group (ROC). They have also been involved in the organizing of Know-Your-Rights sessions for Restaurant Workers. Moving forward, APALA Pittsburgh plans to continue building coalitions and engaging Pittsburgh’s AAPI communities. Kim Dinh is the Technology and Operations Coordinator at the Thomas Merton Center and organizes with APALA Pittsburgh prechapter.
Left: TMC Board Member Antonia Domingo and Penn Plaza Action’s Judy Suh display APALA’s banner. Right: TMC’s Kim Dinh and Board Member Antonia Domingo carry on at the May Day Celebration. (Photos: Steve Dietz from UnionPix)
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BENDING HISTORY TOWARDS JUSTICE WHITE SUPREMACY AND THE 2ND AMENDMENT Review of book Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, City Lights Books, 2018.
This wonderful peoples’ history by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz follows her earlier book entitled An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. As with all peoples’ history books it provides an alternative to the conventional narrative of the origins of the US; one of a culture of violence and fetishization of guns. Her narrative of the history of the 2nd Amendment begins with a brief account of the French and Indian War from 1754-63, which was the extension of the Seven Years’ War between Great Britain and France in Europe. The war had been preceded by settler invasions across the Allegheny Mountains, with the violent seizure of the lands of the Miami, Kickapoo, and Ottawa Nations, and the confederations associated with Chief Pontiac. At the end of the French and Indian War with the Treaty of Paris, 1763, George III issued a proclamation prohibiting British settlement west of the Allegheny Mountain chain and ordered those who had settled there to relinquish their claims and return to the 13 colonies. In order to pay for the enforcement of the Proclamation with military force, the British Parliament imposed a tax in 1765 on the colonists named the Stamp Act. The settlers [saw this as] the tyranny of taxation without representation and there ensued the war for independence from Britain. So much for the narrative of a noble struggle for freedom from tyranny. In a very real sense, then, the road to independence of the 13 colonies was in great part a war to have the right to invade and take possession of the land of the indigenous Indian peoples. Guns,
as Dunbar-Ortiz points out, were the indispensable means for this process of dispossession and genocide of the native peoples. The early settlers went armed into the fields, forming a kind of militia, and with the warning of a sentinel they fought off attacks of native people who opposed the robbery of their lands. All male settlers not only had the right to bear arms but were required to do so and so begins the long history of the 2nd Amendment. The gun was and remains the symbol of the conquest over the native Indian peoples.
With the introduction of slavery into the colonies, the settlers and planners faced another problem, which was the attempts by slaves to escape bondage and flee from slavery. Originally, the task of controlling enslaved Africans belonged to the overseers and slavers but eventually it was extended to all settlers and made a public responsibility. Any enslaved person outside the control of the slaver or overseer was required to carry a pass and the system was enforced by slave patrols. The gun was central to the slave patrol system, especially when the search for escaped slaves became rampant. Many laws were introduced in the colonies requiring militias to create slave patrols and imposing stiff fines on white people who refused to serve. These slave patrols later morphed into police forces as the militia system was universalized. On the face of it, the 2nd Amendment would appear to be speaking of a “well regulated militia” and not about an individual right to bear arms. In fact, it was not an issue for much of US history. With the growth of right wing movements, however, beginning in the 1960s in response to the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam war movement, the 2nd Amendment became an individual right question. The birth of
THE MYTH OF A SYSTEM There seems to be a belief in the myth of a system where society can handle all that comes its way in a fashion reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg contraption: There is a problem; it gets shuffled around; and eventually, it is solved! This system provides enough comfort and succor to give society the appearance of being held together. Superficial governmental programs, especially in education, give you a recipe to follow and a checklist to laminate as proof that everything possible has been done. Politicians and pundits hold debates long enough for citizens to grow weary and move on to other areas of concern. I hope this is not the case with violence that takes place in schools. It is my hope that the voice of children and young adults will resonate a sound so loud that, this time, the politicians and pundits will grow weary and finally realize that something positive must be
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BY MICHAEL DROHAN
the John Birch Society in 1958 by a scion of the Welsh candy family is a historical marker in this development. The threats to white supremacy that the civil rights and peace movements posed would seem to be the underlying foundation of the movement. The apogee of the movement was reached only in 2008 with the high court decision District of Columbia v Heller. The majority decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, found the 2nd Amendment to be an individual constitutional right.
of native peoples, the enslavement of millions of African people and the ravaging of many countries around the globe in the quest for resources and markets. It is a must read. Michael Drohan is a member of the Editorial Collective and the Board of the Merton Center
Gun regulation activists for the most part identify the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the monster to conquer. Dunbar-Ortiz, however, disagrees. She points out that for most of its history, the NRA was not averse to gun regulations. It is only with the rise of white supremacist movements that the NRA became an avid opponent of any and every form of gun regulation. The problem is deeper than the NRA and has to be understood as the contemporary expression of conquest and white supremacy. Dunbar-Ortiz’ book explores every nook and cranny of the fetish of guns in US society today and helps one to understand it in the historical context of genocide
CARTOON
BY RUSS FEDORKA
BY PAUL CECH
done. In the early sixties it was the children of Alabama who faced bigotry and hatred as a way to open the eyes of ordinary citizens and to increase awareness about the ills of segregation. It took young adults, like my late wife Deborah, to march against social injustice and help bring an end to a war where so many suffered great losses. And, now students are once again making their voices heard. It is our responsibility as adults to support them and make sure that the myth of a system can be dissolved, and in its place we provide the conduit that is rooted in the old saying, “lest we forget.” Paul Cech is a poet, educator, and an independent scholar-researcher. Several of his poems have been published by The NewPeople. This article was submitted in memory of Paul’s wife, Deborah.
In the event of a nuclear war, roaches and chickens are the only ones that will survive.
NARRATIVES FOR PEACE, NOT WAR STOP BANKING THE BOMB CAMPAIGN PROTESTS PNC’S ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING BY THE STOP BANKING
THE BOMB CAMPAIGN
On Thursday, April 24th at 10 AM, the Stop Banking the Bomb campaign held an action outside PNC tower in downtown Pittsburgh during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. On the street were the Raging Grannies, who sang songs about the evils of war and the wrong that is nuclear weapons. Joining the Grannies were about 20 other protestors who held signs and yelled chants urging PNC to divest from companies that PNC provides loans for, and that manufacture and maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. A few passersby also joined in with the regulars to help Stop Banking the Bomb let shareholders, and the public know that PNC is financing nuclear war. On the inside, several members of the campaign took part in the meeting as shareholders who by law are entitled to attend such events. The meeting was chaired by William Demchak, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of PNC Bank, who is also regarded by some as an architect of the credit-derivatives industry. The use of credit-derivatives, some may remember, played an important role in the 2008 housing crisis, which was partly caused by the bank (J.P. Morgan) that Demchak used to work for prior to PNC. Like most shareholder meetings, the first 45 minutes were uneventful. The meeting, which is open to the thousands of shareholders who own stock in PNC, was attended by maybe 40 people (many were PNC security or members of the board), and almost none of them said anything throughout the meeting.
It wasn’t until the general comment period that Stop Banking the Bomb was given a chance to ask Demchak why PNC was invested in companies who service the nuclear weapons arsenal. The first commenter was a priest who noted that Pope Francis, along with other members of the Catholic Church, were pushing for world disarmament, and he asked Demchak why PNC continued to invest in nuclear weaponry. Demchak responded by claiming that PNC’s investment was only a couple hundred million dollars (not true) and then tried to paint the companies as nuclear energy producers. The second commenter disagreed with Demchak on both fronts, noting that this year the Nobel Peace Prize winning group ICAN (International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons) put PNC’s involvement at over 600 million dollars, and that the companies PNC provided loans to were producers of intercontinental ballistic missiles and trident missiles, both euphemistically referred to by the arms industry as “delivery systems” for nuclear weapons.
During the 2nd World War, the Japanese enslaved thousands of Korean women as sex slaves known as “comfort women.” As World War 2 was ending, the then Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August 1945 and liberated the Koreans. The US, however, was having none of this and entered the Korean theater of war, declaring Korea South of the 38th Parallel to be under US control. The Americans brought a conservative Korean émigré back to Korea, Syngman Rhee, and had him installed as President, along with some collaborators of the Japanese It was in effect a reinstitution of colonial rule but now under the aegis of the US. In Northern Korea a different political, social and economic culture emerged. Thousands of Koreans who had fought as guerillas for the Chinese in their struggle for liberation now poured back into the northern part of Korea. One of these returned émigrés, Kim Il Sung, a socialist closely allied to the Soviet
Like any CEO or politician or principal or boss, Demchak is unable to see the connection between what his company
The third commenter, a former professor with a Ph.D. in physics, asked Demchak and the board if they were concerned that PNC was making it easier for Trump to use nuclear weapons by financing companies involved in various “modernization” projects. Demchak again tried to make PNC investments seem smaller than they were, and then attempted to shift the blame onto the U.S. government by saying nuclear weapons were a policy question outside
PROSPECTS FOR A UNIFIED KOREA The division of the Korean Peninsula into two Koreas is a tragedy of external meddling in the Korean affairs. Imperial messing in the Peninsula began at the end of the Russo-Japanese war in 1905, when the Japanese annexed Korea in 1910 and instituted a brutal colonial regime.
of PNC’s responsibility. Demchak then attempted to cut further questions on nuclear weapons, which did not deter one of the commenters who asked Demchak if PNC bank ever lobbied government for better regulation, or if it just regarded such questions as matters of policy. Demchak then contradicted himself by saying that the bank does lobby government, but that it only does so on financial related matters. This response also shows his lack of knowledge on which politicians PNC gives money to (many of whom have pro-war positions), but that is another matter.
does and the effect it has on everyone else. It’s a common problem with a simple solution: direct action. The campaign, and likewise the activist community in Pittsburgh, must act to show the world that financing nuclear weapons is no longer acceptable. It will take a lot of time, sacrifice, and perseverance to make this happen, but this work must be done. And if that means we must sit through more bad meetings, then so be it! To find out more about the Stop Banking the Bomb Campaign and to get involved, go to www. stopbankingthebomb.org or email the campaign at stopbankingthebomb@ gmail.com
(Photo: Bette McDevitt)
BY MICHAEL DROHAN
Union and China,emerged as the leader of the northern part of Korea.
The Korean War The Korean War began officially on June 25, 1950 when the Korea People’s Army (KPA) crossed the 38th Parallel and attacked the South. In short order, they practically overran the entire south and were it not for the entry of the US army the country would have been united under a kind of socialist regime. During the Korean War, the US conducted something of a scorched earth policy. General Curtis LeMay, the then Chief of the US Air Force, is reported to have wanted to burn down every city in North Korea. On July 11, 1952 Pyongyang was bombed by 1,254 air sorties by day and 54 B-52 attacks by night. In June 1953, the US bombed most of the dams in the North, ending the supply for water for the irrigation of the rice paddies. At the end of the war, North Korea had become a bombed out shell with few structures remaining. Even though the Korean War ended almost 70 years ago, the destruction wrought on the land and people of North Korea by the US is still vivid and hard to forget.
The Post War Period 1953-2018 Despite the might and size of the US
army, it failed to prevail against the North Koreans and the war ended in a stalemate on July 27, 1953, with an armistice declared. In a very real sense the war never ended and to this day the US has 28,500 troops in South Korea and an array of threatening missiles. Together with Japan and South Korea, the US conducts annual war games simulating attacks on North Korea. The North Koreans make the argument that their development of a nuclear program is as a deterrent against the armed colossus that threatens its extinction. Given the historical experience of Iraq and Libya in this century, their claims carry a good amount of validity. With the ascent of Donald Trump to the presidency of the US, the rhetoric of belligerence and threats of destroying North Korea escalated. In response to the launching of ballistic missiles by the North, Trump threatened them “with fire and fury such as the world has never seen” and launched a barrage of demeaning insults on Kim Jung Un, the leader of North Korea.
Light at the End of the Tunnel In the midst of these threats of the annihilation of North Korea and the imposition of crippling sanctions by the US, the North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and the South Korean Prime
Minister, Moon Jae In announced they were going to meet on April 27, 2018 at the demilitarized zone between the two halves of the country. They duly met on that date and conducted friendly talks on the future of the Peninsula. They produced a kind of blueprint for a comprehensive agreement between the two sides. This development is extraordinary and as yet we do not understand its genesis and full significance. My speculation is that faced with the threat of mutual annihilation by a war initiated by the US, the leaders of the two Koreas took the fate of the Peninsula in their own hands and marginalized the US. Furthermore, they did all this while stroking Trump’s ego, letting him take credit for the entire affair. It was a masterful act of diplomacy, defusing one of the most volatile situations on the planet. It is not inconceivable that the two Koreas may continue this process and rid the Peninsula of all foreign forces and domination. Michael Drohan is a member of the Editorial Collective and of the Board of the Merton Center.
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LEGISLATORS VS. POOR PEOPLE STATE LEGISLATORS AVOID RESPONSIBILITY FOR AFFORDABLE HIGHER EDUCATION BY NEIL COSGROVE
Here’s the awful truth: a significant, at times decisive, set of Pennsylvania legislators don’t believe their state has an obligation to provide affordable higher education to its less affluent students. Given past statements by State House Speaker Mike Turzai, it’s not even clear those same legislators think they have an obligation to provide equal educational opportunities to students in K through 12. Right now, Pennsylvania ranks 47th out of 50 states in per-capita expenditures on public higher education. In 2016 the state spent $4052 on each full-time-equivalent student, nearly three thousand less than the national average of $6,966. Student loan obligations burdening our graduates are among the highest in the land. State budget allocations cover about 21% of the operating budgets of the 14 stateowned universities, compared to 63% when the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE) was created in 1983, while the percentage for “staterelated” universities like Pitt and Penn State is in the mid-single digits. Nevertheless, these same legislators seem determined to cut their support still further, and can come up with any number of reasons for doing so. The most recent example was the commissioning of a Rand Corporation study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, intended to
address a perceived “crisis” confronting the State System. Part of this alleged crisis is a drop-off in student enrollments from a peak of nearly 120,000 students in 2010, a peak that corresponded with a peak in state high school graduates, to 102,000 students at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, which also corresponds with steady declines in high school graduates since 2010. Somehow there wasn’t the same sense of crisis when enrollments were only around 104,000 in 2004, or under 100,000 in 1991. More worrisome are quite sharp declines at a handful of universities—Cheyney, Mansfield, Clarion and Edinboro—but neither the legislators nor the Rand study take much note that these schools are in some of the poorest areas in the state, with declining populations. Branch campuses of the state-related universities in those same regions have also seen their enrollments drop. Nor do the legislators or Rand bother to look for links connecting the regions’ low incomes, steadily rising tuition rates, and declining enrollment at those universities. Because of paltry state budget allocations, tuition at the state system schools is now more than double what it was less than 20 years ago--$7,492 for 2017-18; $3,468 in 1998-99. This increase far outstrips the US inflation rate of 50% over the same period. And the crisis is not one
of exploding costs. Despite modest increases the past few years the most recent budget allocation for SSHE is still nearly $25 million less than the one for 2008-09. Many legislators, it appears, would like to cut the allocation further, and commissioned Rand to provide them with reasons to do so. “Rand makes recommendations,” comments Kenneth Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculty (APSCUF), “but from where does it derive these recommendations? There are no comparisons to what other states may have done. There is no sourcing to any research.” And there are no recommendations that the state continue to make modest increases in SSHE’s allocation, or the more substantial increases that are truly needed. Instead, Rand’s recommendations range from the ineffectual to the ludicrous. The former is represented by a suggestion that System universities be freed from state-mandated procurement and construction rules, even though such so-called “efficiencies” have already been part of the schools’ belt-tightening for years, in the face of chronically inadequate state support. The ludicrous comes in the form of recommendations that System schools either become state-related universities themselves,
PROPOSED HOUSE BILL CUTS TO SNAP ARE IMMORAL The current Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2018. On April 18, 2018 the House Agriculture Committee passed H.R.2, Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, out of committee along a party-line vote. Advocates believed this highly partisan legislation would have had devastating effects on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), one of our nation’s most effective safety-net programs for food security.
They urged Representatives to vote “no” on the bill. Sr. Simone Campbell, one of the most outspoken critics of the proposed bill, said, “Speaker Ryan and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway should be ashamed of their draconian proposal.” The House Republican leadership brought H.R.2 to the floor for a vote and on May 18 the House of Representatives defeated it by a vote of 198 - 213. A temporary victory for people in need on the road to the final reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Now, Congress has a chance to return to bipartisan Farm Bill negotiations that will hopefully reduce food insecurity and not increase it. Why was H.R. 2 so bad? The bill rewrote the eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP), which would drop
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more than two million Americans from the program. It would include parents raising children and people with disabilities. This partisan and punitive measure broke with the long history of bipartisan commitment to alleviating hunger as a matter of basic human dignity. H.R. 2 cut SNAP benefits by more than $20 billion over 10 years. Under one provision, a person who doesn’t meet work requirements within a month of receiving SNAP benefits would have been dropped from the program for a year. Most people on SNAP who are physically able to work already do. Even among people receiving SNAP who already work, more than 25% of them would fail to meet the proposed new requirements to remain in the program.
Children would be put at risk. The expanded work requirements applied to parents with children 6 and up. If these parents lose food assistance, children would come home to empty shelves and refrigerators. Encouraging work and responsibility are important goals, but the changes proposed were aggressive and onerous. Many who are not currently working often struggle to find jobs in an economy where even low-wage, temporary work without benefits can be difficult to find.
like Pitt and Penn State, or become branch campuses of the already existing state-related schools. It’s hard to see just how such steps would strengthen any of the universities under discussion. No evidence exists indicating the state-related universities are eager to take over the System’s institutions. There is evidence that the System’s cost for instructing each of its students is less than the comparable cost incurred by the state-related schools. The most likely outcome of all Pennsylvania’s publicly supported universities becoming state-related would be much higher tuition for System students. Pitt’s 2017-18 undergraduate tuition for in-state students is $18,130. The chair of the State Senate’s Education Committee, John Eichelberger Jr., says the state can’t “just keep throwing money at things,” but the state legislature has been throwing money at the State System as if nickels were manhole covers. State Senator David Argall adds that “the status quo regarding our State System universities is unacceptable.” So, change the status quo, Senator, by putting needed public money back into the state’s public universities. Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople editorial collective and the Merton Center board.
BY JOYCE ROTHERMEL
An economy of exclusion and inequality can present systemic barriers to employment. Programs like SNAP are success stories. SNAP helps one in eight Americans afford a basic diet. Most recipients are children, seniors, and people with disabilities. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the modest benefit, averaging about $1.40 per person for each meal, has great impact that keeps people out of hunger and healthier. In the Senate process, the Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to move its version of the Farm Bill later this spring. PA Senator Bob Casey serves on this Committee and is working closely with advocates like Bread for the World to make positive changes to the food security programs covered in the Farm Bill both internationally and domestically. SW PA Bread for the World Team, the Gr. Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Just Harvest are among those advocating for improvements to the SNAP program and are meeting with SW PA Congressional Representatives, seeking their support for a much better bill than H.R. 2. Members from the SW PA Bread Team
are taking this message to Washington, D.C. on June 11-12 for the annual Bread for the World Lobby Days. Meetings have been scheduled with Rep. Mike Doyle, Rep. Keith Rothfus, Rep. Conor Lamb, Senator Toomey and Senator Casey. Transportation is being provided. Those who would like more information and/or to participate in local meetings or attend the Bread Lobby Days in D.C., call Myra Mann at 412-882-6252 or me at 412-780-5118. Further information is available at www.bread.org Voters unable to advocate in person are encouraged to express their concerns through personal letters, emails, and phone calls to Congress. To find updated sample letters on these very important issues, go to www.bread.org/activist Joyce Rothermel is Co-Chair of the SW PA Bread for the World Team
PITTSBURGH LOOKS OUTWARD
ALPHABET CITY: CITY OF ASYLUM’S SANCTUARY FOR THE SOUL The vibrant Mexican War Streets neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s North Side has long been the center of an eclectic arts community, home to the Mattress Factory, Randyland, and other curiosities. It was only natural that here the writers-in-residence at City of Asylum in Pittsburgh would once again find their freedom to create.
City of Asylum, founded in Pittsburgh in 2004 by Henry Reese and Diane Samuels, works with International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) to provide shelter to exiled writers, many unable to continue their work due to political opposition in their home countries. Pittsburgh is one of four participating U.S. cities, and has been home to seven writers-in-residence since 2004, when Chinese poet Huang Xiang came to the Steel City. Though at first timid, Xiang later fully embraced his liberation, reciting his poetry from his doorstep and later painting his home’s exterior with broadstroke calligraphy of his work. Now called “House Poem”, his was the first in a tradition of “house publications” – contributions of writings, murals, and other art installations to several homes by residents in years since. This narrow alley became the namesake of City of Asylum’s publishing arm and the hub of City of Asylum activities, public readings, naturalization
ceremonies, and eventually an annual Jazz Poetry Concert, until a new opportunity emerged.
After extensive redevelopment of the dilapidated Masonic Hall building located at 40 W. North Avenue, Alphabet City opened its doors to the community on January 13, 2017, with a goal to become a literary center amplifying the voices of their writers-in-residence and other artists from around the globe. During a ceremony to mark the occasion, twenty resident immigrants became naturalized U.S. citizens, including Silvia Duarte, Program Director for City of Asylum in Pittsburgh. “The ceremony was truly emblematic of the mission of City of Asylum,” she says, recalling past years when these ceremonies were held outdoors at Sampsonia Way. Silvia came to Pittsburgh from Guatemala with her former partner, writer Horacio Castellanos Moya, when he was accepted as the second City of Asylum resident writer in 2007. U.S. citizenship is a goal for each refugee, in addition to becoming selfsufficient. To that end, City of Asylum provides writers and residents housing, medical coverage, stipends for living expenses, and assistance to obtain permanent residency status. As a result, writers-in-residence are free to fully engage in their work and develop a stable life in the U.S. without fear of political consequences. Current writers-
in-residence are Israel Centeno of Venezuela, Tuhin Das of Bangladesh, and Osama Alomar of Syria, and City of Asylum is working to shelter another writer from Sudan.
Named for the collection of alphabets adorning the glass-encased entrance to the building, Alphabet City is a haven embodying the spirit of the City of Asylum mission. City of Asylum Books, on the right, boasts an extensive international collection, specializing in English translation of international works for readers of all ages and interests, and hosts a monthly book club. The bistro on the left, Brugge on North, was opened in 2018 to rave reviews and offers lunch, coffee, dinner and drinks in an open air setting. Nestled between the two is a cozy lounge facing a central stage. In its first year of operation, Alphabet City hosted 150 events, all free to the public, and is keeping the pace well into 2018 with an event calendar packed with activities for all ages. Several readings are held each week, featuring works of international fiction and topics related to global human rights and freedom of speech. For children 4-10, there is a monthly reading series, “Let’s Travel the World,” and authors from around the globe share stories and traditions from their native countries. Children are encouraged
BY CHERYL BAUER
to return each month to earn a stamp on their “passport” to document their travels via story. Alphabet City hosts a variety of music events year-round featuring local musicians, including a monthly chamber music presentation in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the annual Jazz Poetry Festival in September. In partnership with ReelQ: Pittsburgh’s International LGBTQ Film Festival and Sembéne – The Film & Art Festival, Alphabet City hosts regular screenings of international films featuring LGBTQ artists and African and African-American filmmakers. The City of Asylum program has introduced a new element of diversity to the Steel City, and a reminder that our differences make us stronger when we care enough to nurture each other. Thanks to the work and vision of the City of Asylum Pittsburgh, Alphabet City has taken the next step to bring the work of international and disenfranchised writers to a new audience and has earned a reputation as a local destination for literary and musical arts. More information about Alphabet City events and programming can be found at http://www.alphabetcity. org/.
Cheryl Bauer is a member of the New People Editorial Collective.
CUBA: BUILDING BRIDGES, TEARING DOWN WALLS-CARAVAN BY LISA VALANTI
Alphabet City (Photo: Cheryl Bauer)
The Thomas Merton Center will be joining the Pittsburgh Matanzas Sister Cities Partnership and others on Saturday June 23rd to host Pastors for Peace 30th U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment (Time and Place TBA)
evening, June 23 when a potluck dinner, film, and discussion about U.S. policy under Trump and consequences of the 50 year old ‘blockade’ on the Cuban people will take place (Time and Place to be determined).
Independent Filmmaker, Jennifer Wager, will be the featured speaker this year, and show her award winning film, “Dare to Dream” about the U.S. residents who braved every impediment and joined thousands of students from around the world and went to Cuba to the Latin American School of Medicine, determined to become doctors.
Cuba just elected a new Parliament, with almost half being women and young people, and a new President, Miguel Diaz-Canel. The revolution is now in the hands of a generation of nation-builders that did not live through pre-revolutionary Cuba, or the revolution, but whose commitment to participatory government, education, healthcare, environment and peace continue to shape Cuba’s priorities. Education and healthcare are free, and Cubans are now living on average ten years longer than U.S. residents, with the highest literacy rate in this hemisphere….things we are aspiring to achieve here. Be inspired, join us!
“Dare to Dream” is a 30-minute movie that tells the story of the largest medical school in the world, the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, Cuba through the eyes of U.S. students who received full scholarships from the Cuban government, with the commitment to practice medicine in underserved communities. Through the stories of ELAM graduates from all over the U.S. we learn the history of this medical school that is revolutionizing healthcare on a global level, having graduated more than 26,000 doctors from around the world. As we fight for single-payer healthcare, please mark your calendars for Saturday
For information on Cuba, and upcoming events please contact LisaCubaSi@aol.com, or call 412-3031247. Lisa Valanti is Vice President of the Pittsburgh-Matanzas Sister Cities Partnership and a TMC member.
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AN EXPANDING GROUP SOCIAL JUSTICE SEEKERS ARE ON THE MOVE BY JOYCE ROTHERMEL
Late last year, The NewPeople reported on the beginning and early stages of the Social Justice Seekers (SJS) in the South Hills. Much has happened since then and the Seekers are now extending even broader opportunities for engagement with them. Started in January 2017, SJS is a Pittsburgh-based group seeking a diverse membership from all faith practices. Social Justice Seekers are people of faith who share common goals for positive change. They are committed activists working for justice, peace, and reconciliation in their community and world. Rooted in prayer, they act with hope that their resolute efforts yield fruitful outcomes. Their overall plan is organic; they will develop based on the interests of their members. They have focused thus far in trying to become a local presence in each of the four directions of Pittsburgh: South, West, North and East. Kevin Hayes, Coordinator of SJS, explains, “The SJS-South group has been the most active, having monthly meetings for over a year and focus groups on issues, politics, and prayer/ outreach to faith communities. The West and North groups have begun to organize meetings. The West group will have had their first meeting on May 22 at 6:30 pm at the West Allegheny Library. The North group will have their first meeting on Monday, June 4 at 7 pm at the Kearns Spirituality Center dining room behind the Divine Providence Motherhouse and adjacent to the LaRoche College campus” (9000 Babcock Blvd, in Allison Park). Part of the agenda for both first meetings is a discussion on what social justice issues in their respective geographic areas the groups wish to focus. All are welcome, especially those who are curious and want to learn more about SJS. The SJS-South group meets on the third Monday of the month. The next meeting is Monday, June 18 in Benedict Hall at St. Winifred Church, 550 Sleepy Hollow Road in Mt. Lebanon at 7 PM. In May, the group heard Rev. Sally Jo Snyder, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church currently serving as the Director of Advocacy and Consumer Engagement for the Consumer Health Coalition. Sally Jo spoke about PA HB 2138, which would require some/most Medicaid recipients to be employed or in a job training program. The heart of the fight is: “Is Medicaid health care or is Medicaid welfare?” To ask any questions about the group or meeting, or express an interest in being on the SJS-South email list, please email Kevin Hayes at khayes@hayesdesign.com. The SJS-North group is planning a bipartisan Candidate Night in September with Rep. Conor Lamb and Rep. Keith Rothfus, to discuss the congressional
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candidates’ positions on various social justice issues (the environment, economic disparity and jobs, health care, reasonable gun control, immigration, and more). To RSVP for the meeting (not required), ask any questions about the group or meeting, or express an interest in being on the SJS-North email list, please email Jim McCarville at jim. mccarville@gmail.com “The SJS-North welcomes the chance to collaborate with the Pittsburgh North People for Peace (PNPP),” says Hayes. “We certainly don’t see ourselves in competition with any other peace and justice group; in fact, some of the SJS members are members of the PNPP! SJS doesn’t see the need to ‘re-invent’ what any other group is doing. Instead, we would hope to support and complement them.” “We do not yet have an active group meeting monthly in the East part of the city. But we hope to soon,” Hayes adds. If you are interested in leading a SJS-East group, or in being involved in helping to organize the first meeting of this group, please contact Hayes. Prior to the beginning of the SJS, Hayes worked with the TMC and faith-based groups like the Association of Pittsburgh Priests and Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi, offering retreats for reflection and community building. Hayes said, “I do hope we can have more retreats. My vision is that these can be mutual endeavors enlisting the help and support of people from various groups as we have done in the past.” What are the challenges and opportunities of the SJS? “The major challenge,” says Hayes, “has been to find people willing and able to commit time to help organize SJS efforts, including someone to help manage our evergrowing database of names and emails. We live in a time when everyone is busy with many things, and so it has been a challenge for many people interested in social justice to ‘carve out’ time to spend on nurturing the growth of SJS.
WRECK
BY ANGELE ELLIS
no moon, no stars. the streetlamps
he ground & grunted,
as distant as Venus.
flipper-paw mauling my frozen breast.
i boarded the wrong bus— thought i had
the galley went hazy
encompassing right.
because my glasses shattered when I fell.
my membrane of safety slipped
after the wreck,
like a sail my roommate said “tea.” four blocks
the cops said nothing.
on the wrong side
dazed days before
of the street i breathed in and out where a man plowed
without heart pain.
wine-dark air,
months before
intent as Moby Dick. i managed sleep my heart shrunk
in soul-dark hours.
to a panicked pulse,
years before
beat against his breath. weight of steps behind me keep moving, keep—
stopped raising hackles
ghost catshark fleeing
of oceanic sweat.
bleached killer whale. a tender twenty, he downed me in the hall.
i learned to eat dulse—
i screamed three times
salt seaweed of survival.
through drowning waves. Angele Ellis is a longtime editor and community activist who has authored four books, and whose prose and poetry have appeared in seventy-five publications. Her work often deals with social and political issues. She lives in Pittsburgh.
Finally, Hayes summarizes, “The opportunities SJS has had include resonating with younger people who see social justice as a way to make sense of their religious faith in today’s world, whether that faith is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or other. It has also offered support and encouragement to people who are committed to social justice but were not sure other people were. SJS allowed individuals to connect with others who share this value.” Joyce Rothermel is a member of St. James Parish in Wilkinsburg and serves on the Editorial Collective of The NewPeople. Angele Ellis (Photo provided by Author)
THRIFTY AT 25 25 YEARS OF AWESOME VOLUNTEERING BY SHAWNA HAMMOND
Congratulations to the many volunteers, past and present, who have made 25 years of community service at East End Community Thrift worthwhile. (Photos provided by Shawna Hammond)
Shirley Gleditsch, Shawna Hammond, Bonnie DiCarlo, Janet Miles - Party Planners
Shirley Gleditsch: Founder & Coordinator celebrated Thrifty and her birthday on the same day.
Kennedi Williams, youngest volunteer started at age 8.
Alice Wilson, oldest volunteer.
Kennedi Williams, age 16,volunteer since age 8 and Shirley Gleditsch, ageless, Co-founder
On TV EVERY THURSDAY @ 9pm During MAY/JUNE “North Korea: War or Peace?” COMCAST 21 or VERIZON FIOS 47 Panel of experts on North Korea, discuss current situation.
Thrifty volunteers and friends at LeMont Restaurant
PROGRESSIVE PGH NOTEBOOK TV SERIES Carlana Rhoten: Community Producer tvnotebook@gmail.com 412.363.7472 Rich Fishkin: Videographer/Editor YouTube: richfishpgh
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REGULAR MEETINGS Sundays:
Book’Em: Books to Prisoners Project First three Sundays of the month at TMC, 4-6pm Contact: bookempgh@gmail.com
Mondays:
JUNE 2018 EVENTS CALENDAR 06/01 -
06/02 -
06/03 -
06/03 -
06/04 -
“The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bombs” Screening When: 7PM Where: St. Winifred’s Catholic Church Hall, 550 Sleepy Hollow Road in Mt. Lebanon
06/11 06/12
Bread for the World Lobby Days Where: Washington, DC. Refer to page 12 for more information.
06/16 -
Capitalism and Mass Surveillance When: 12PM - 5PM Where:TBD
“The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bombs” Screening When: 2PM Where: Stone House at the Connare Center, 2900 Seminary Drive, Greensburg
Come to Capitalism and Mass Surveillance to learn about the billion dollar consumer surveillance industry and how you can remove yourself from the machine.
“The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bombs” Screening When: 2PM Where: Motherhouse of the Sisters of Divine Providence, 9000 Babcock Blvd. in Allison Park
This event is being organized by Restore the Fourth Pittsburgh, a group of local activists working to defend our right to privacy and digital security in the 21st century.
SW Healthcare 4 All PA /PUSH Meeting 3rd Monday, 6:30 —8 pm Squirrel Hill Library Contact: bmason@gmail.com Association of Pittsburgh Priests 2nd Monday, 7—9 pm, St. Pamphilus Parish 1000 Tropical Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILP) 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave Amnesty International #39 2nd Wednesday, 7—9 pm First Unitarian Church, Morewood Ave. 15213
Tuesdays:
Green Party First Tuesday of the month at Panera, Blvd of the Allies, Oakland, 7pm
Wednesdays:
Darfur Coalition Meeting 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Meeting Room C Carnegie Library, Squirrel Hill 412-784-0256 Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP) 1st Wednesdays, 7-8pm, First Unitarian Church, Ellsworth & Morewood Avenues, Shadyside Pittsburghers for Public Transit 2nd Wednesday, 7pm, 1 Smithfield St., lower level
Thursdays:
“The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bombs” Screening When: 6:30PM Where: Carlow University, AJ Palumbo Hall of Science and Technology, Room 107, 3304 Fifth Avenue, Oakland Bus to Harrisburg for the Poor People’s Campaign Information: www.putpeoplefirstpa.org Refer to page 7 for registration info. Theme: The Right to Health and a Healthy Planet
06/26 -
06/23 -
US - Cuba Friendshipment Potluck & Film When: 5PM - 8PM Where: TBD
06/24 -
Feminist Zine Fest Pittsburgh! When: 12PM - 5PM Where: TBD
07/07 -
TMC Membership Picnic Where: Pool Grove, Highland Park, Lake Drive
2018 New Person of the Year Award: Honoring Monica Ruiz When: Tuesday, June 26th, 6PM - 9PM Where: National Association of Letter Carriers Hall, 841 California Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 For more information, become a sponsor, or buy tickets, visit https://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/2018-new-person-award
International Socialist Organization Every Thursday, 7:30-9:30 pm at the Thomas Merton Center Global Pittsburgh Happy Hour 1st Thursday, 5:30 to 8 pm, Roland’s Seafood Grill, 1904 Penn Ave, Strip District Green Party Meeting 1st Thursday, 7 to 9 pm, 2121 Murray, 2nd floor, Squirrel Hill Black Political Empowerment Project 2nd Thursday, 6 pm: Planning Council Meeting, Hill House, Conference Room B
Fridays:
Unblurred Gallery Crawl 1st Friday after 6 pm, Penn Avenue Arts District, 4800-5500 Penn Ave., Friendship and Garfield 15224 Hill District Consensus Group 2nd Thursday, 6pm - 8pm, Hill House Conference Room 2 People of Prisoners in Need of Support 3rd Friday, 7:00pm New Hope Methodist Church, 114 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh 15212
Saturdays:
Project to End Human Trafficking 2nd Sat., Carlow University, Antonian Room #502 Fight for Lifers West 1st & 3rd Saturday, 1 pm, TMC Annex Anti-War and Anti-Drone Warfare Coalition 4rd Saturday at 11:00 am at TMC, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield, PA 15224
BECOME A MEMBER Subscribe to The NewPeople by becoming a member of the Thomas Merton Center today! As a member, The NewPeople newspaper will be mailed to your home or sent to your email account. You will also receive weekly e-blasts focusing on peace and justice events in Pittsburgh, and special invitations to membership activities. Now is the time to stand for peace and justice! Join online at www.thomasmertoncenter.org/join-donate or fill out this form, cut out, and mail in. Select your membership level: ____$15 Low Income Membership ____$15 Youth / Student Membership ____$25 Introductory / Lapsed Membership
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Please complete and return to TMC. Thank you! Name(s): Organization (if any): Address: City:___________State:_____Zip Code:_______ Home Phone:_________________ Mobile Phone:_________________ Email:________________________ Mail to TMC, 5129 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Call 412-361-3022 for more information, or visit: www.thomasmertoncenter.org