Environmental Ministry News (8/29/2016)
Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with America’s Native Peoples Workshop
Indigenous leaders are calling on people of faith to raise awareness about the historical and ongoing injustices committed against Native Peoples, and to seek ways of building right relationship with them in accord with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In response to this call and with the advice of Native American educators, the Indigenous Peoples Concerns Committee developed a 2-hour workshop called, “Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with America’s Native Peoples.” Workshop participants enact a 40-minute script and then reflect on and share their responses in a “talking circle” or worship-sharing format. A Resource Kit is provided so that groups can pursue further study of the issues and consider what “right relationship” might mean in their own circumstances. In the Doctrine of Discovery we find the roots of Injustice. In the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples we find the seeds of change. How can we nurture these seeds to bring forth the fruits of right relationship among all peoples? This workshop is a deeply moving and impactful experience. It will change you. And it will change how you understand history and the injustices committed against Native Peoples.
Paula Palmer, director of Toward Right Relationship, a project of the Indigenous Peoples Concerns committee of the Boulder Friends Meeting (Quakers), created this workshop and facilitates workshops and facilitator trainings throughout the country. Dr. Brown and Ms. Gregory are both trained workshop facilitators.
To REGISTER: Send an email to Joan M. Gregory: , put “HSI WORKSHOP” in the subject line and include: your name, cell phone number, and email address. Attendance is limited. Sign up now to reserve a place. Suggested Donation: $10+. Donations are appreciated, but not required, and will be gratefully accepted at the workshop. All donations will go to support the work of the Toward Right Relationship Project. Questions: Joan M. Gregory, Co-Coordinator, Environmental Ministry, CELL: 801-949-2906, EMAIL: .
This Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Towards Right Relationship with America’s Native People Workshop will be offered as a pre-conference workshop at Compassion, Connection and Response-Ability, the Human Science Institute Conference to be held in Salt Lake City, September 8-10, 2016. Conference attendance is not required for the workshop, but a special one day conference rate is available for those who may be interested.
Sounding the Alarm on Climate Change -submitted by Joan M. Gregory, Co-Coordinator, Environmental Ministry
Something quite amazing is happening … people … some significant people … are now writing, speaking about, and acting as if the climate crisis is indeed a crisis … a clear and present danger we should be paying attention to with urgency and alarm. This happened because of a lot of work and effort on the part of tenacious people who kept on delivering the message to key spokespeople … and the message has gotten through.
Where will you find this amazing news … check out the articles linked below:
· Bill McKibben (A World at War: We’re under attack from climate change—and our only hope is to mobilize like we did in WWII): https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-climate-change-mobilize-wwii?utm=350org
· The Democratic Platform (page 45: We are committed to a national mobilization, and to leading a global effort to mobilize nations to address this threat on a scale not seen since World War II.): https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Democratic-Party-Platform-7.21.16-no-lines.pdf
· Green Party candidate Jill Stein calls for climate state of emergency: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/20/jill-stein-green-party-climate-state-of-emergencymate state of emergency
Clearly, words alone cannot address the enormity of the climate crisis, but words are definitely required to formulate the strategies and plans on which significant action must be based. If you are looking for an excellent source of news, updates, and investigative reporting on climate change, Environmental Ministry recommends: The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change) with US, UK, Australian and International editions that you can read online.