On Sept 14, The Justice Center hosted Hannah Drake, Josh Miller, Mark Murphy and Sadiqa Reynolds in a robust conversation about their new book We the Peoples: The Stories beneath the Constitution (available at Carmichael’s). This conversation included an exploration of who was intentionally left out of our Constitution/who was excluded from the “we” of “we the people” and the implications of this excluding; alongside a conversation of what it could look like to reimagine what “we the people” could mean if it truly meant all of us. I found it to be a deeply moving and inspriring evening and want to thank our four guests along with the entire audience for showing up!

The world as we know it, the world that is being defined around us started in someone’s imagination. As Hannah asked “Who’s imagination are we living in.” So in the midst of all that is happening, this seems like a pretty good opportunity for us to start imagining — out loud and with each other. Our collective imaginings can become the new that we want and deserve.

One of the many gems that I walked away with from this conversation was the encouragement to continue to be creative — “if we keep creating, then we will find our people.” NOW is the moment to keep creating/imagining the world we want and deserve –the world we aim to re-create even as there are forces working to destroy and undermine our democracy.

I hope that you can join the Justice Center in some of what we are planning in the coming weeks and months that lend into this effort of imagining,

We are connecting with some area congregations to explore ways we can work collectively to engage voters for the upcoming election. Our goal is to increase the percentage of voters who are already registered to get to the polls!

We are also planning an election night watch party (more details to come soon) in the main building of All Peoples Congregation (4936 Brownsboro Road). The intention is to create a space to be in community as the election results come in, while also exploring ways that we can all work to advance democracy after the election.

Environmental Justice

Earthwalk is quickly approaching,  IEAN is working to mobilize area congregations to participate, and we’re continuing to plan some kind of event the week of Earthwalk to engage more congregations and communities of faith!

Housing Justice

We cotinue to build our Housing Jusitce Interfaith Network to mobilize communities of faith to support the efforts in our community to respond to and end homelessness!

We are planning with our key partners a “housing action week” Dec 1 – 4 which will include a forum, an interfaith prayer breakfast (to which our local and state elected officials will be invited) and the Safe and Stable Assembly (sharing the goals for next years budget request).

Gender Justice

The Justice Center is facilitating the planning for this years Trans Day of Remembrance (Nov 20). Initial plans are to host a public event on Thurs Nov 19 at Douglas Blvd Christian Church, an event for our Trans siblings on the 20th, and a listening session sometime that week. More details to come.

Community Programming

We had an EXCELLENT Community Conversation about Hanna Drake and Josh Miller’s recent book We the People: The Stories Beneath the Constitution (available at Carmichael’s). More than 50 people attended what was a lively and passionate conversation about the people who were left out of “we the people” in the constitution, and imagining what it might be like to write them in!

We have also started the planning for this years Justice Film Festial (mid Jan – end of Feb).  Stay tuned to more details!

Kentucky Interfaith Power and Light and the Justice Center at All Peoples invite you to a  watch party featuring Bill McKibbens’ keynote address to the annual Environment and Spirituality Summit. The Summit’s theme, Grounded Resistance, explores how we engage the world from a place of deep grounding, collective support, and sustained resistance.Bill McKibben is an author, educator, and environmentalist who helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign.

See here for more details about Mr McKibbens presentation.

The Annual Pilgrimage of Hope for Environmental and Racial Justice is a collaboration between the Catholic Enrichment Center and Archdiocese of Louisville Creation Care Team. The pilgrimage begins Chickasaw Park, 1200 Southwestern Pkwy, and proceeds to the Catholic Enrichment Center (3146 W Broadway) for prayer, presentations, and lunch.

Interested parties may call 502-776-0262 ext. 1505 or email jmulligan@archlou.org .

International IDEA releases an annual global assessment about the state of democracy on our planet.  This year’s assessment is now available and notes that the “state of democracy”  worldwide is in a 16 year decline — the longest since records have been kept. Not surprisingly, a major factor in this decline has been the destructive efforts on democractic norms, institutions and practices of the current Trump Administration.

This poweful poem (hyperlinked in the title above) is a reminder that our progress, movement, growht– indeed our very existence is the result of our inter-dependence with each other.  I would add, and also with the planet and all living creatures. I share this with yall in the hopes that you find some inspiration and grounding from it as well.