Social Justice in Southwest DC
In Jesus, God comes to heal a world profoundly broken by sin. White supremacy and racism more broadly is a grievous sin that destroys life every day. As disciples of Jesus, we know we are committed to combating racism and working for real racial justice.
St. Augustine's unequivocally supports the work and message of the national Movement for Black Lives.
Supporting Migrants Coming to DC
Over the last 18 months, a large number of migrants, refugees, and asylees have been arriving in the DC area. Various local groups and faith communities, including Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network and our Diocese, have been supporting these folks in various ways. We expect the number of people coming to increase dramatically in the coming weeks. There are many needs, but the major need right now is for specific items of clothing. Scott is asking St. A's to show our love for our migrant neighbors by supporting this effort. If you want to help, don't send money to the church; instead, you can buy the items directly through this Amazon Wishlist: bit.ly/welcome-center-supplies. When you buy the items through that list, they will automatically be shipped to the welcome center where migrants will arrive.
We also seek to be allies in the struggle for racial justice in our own local community:
Southwest DC Action is a relatively new group of organizers and activists here in Southwest who are working specifically on creating a more equitable and just community here in Southwest. You can learn more about them at https://www.facebook.com/swdcaction/. You can also speak with parishioner Thelma Jones, who has been working with them since last year!
EmpowerDC is a long-standing grassroots organizing team that's worked in DC for over 15 years. They focus heavily on defending & expanding affordable housing in the District. Their organizers work directly with folks living at Greenleaf and James Creek. You can learn more at https://www.empowerdc.org/
The Poor People's Campaign is an outgrowth of both the Defenders of the Breach (who organized Moral Mondays in North Carolina) as well as the historic Poor People's Campaign begun by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shortly before his murder. The PPC calls for a massive overhaul of our politics and our government budgets to create a better society and economy for all. They draw on the prophetic tradition of Jewish & Christian faith to demand we live in accordance with God's love & compassion. You can learn more about the PPC here: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.
And there is also a local DC chapter of the campaign working to host events here in the District: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/committee/washington-dc/
The work of achieving racial justice that God calls us to is a marathon, not a sprint. We ask you to pray and reflect on how God might be calling you to this work. If you have any questions, you can always be in touch with Scott!
