Social Justice Links
Here are some great pages that focus on social justice and serving the poor. I copied most of this from another site.
NEW - The Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission - tasked with convening work groups and hearing ideas from the people of rural Alaska to improve law enforcement, judicial responses to crime, domestic violence, child abuse and illegal alcohol. The Commission spent one year travelling to rural parts of the State of Alaska, taking testimony and enlisting the aid of many Alaskans on working groups. The Initial Report of the Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission is available in electronic and print copies. This Report shares over 100 recommendations...compiled in nine areas for action.
Servant Partners - An LA based group which focuses on holistic church planting and relief work among the world’s working urban poor. With sites in LA, and in large cities around the 2/3rds world. Tammy and I spent 5 years with Servant Partners in LA.
NEW - Here is an article on Servant Partners from the online magazine called Momentum.
John August Swanson - Latino artist who donates much of his profits to charity (Hispanic Elderly). Beautiful paintings using bright colors.
Kid Brothers of St. Frank - Now known as The Legacy. (Boo! Keep the real name!) ☺ Great ministry, and this site has some really good links.
Word Made Flesh - Their method is incarnational, their means is community,
as they work with the poorest of the poor in the 2/3rds world mega cities.
Urban Leadership Foundation - Great website for getting a summary on the
strategies and history of incarnational work in the world's cities. It is not
the prettiest site, but do not let this stop you from reading it - particularly
the “catalyzing Mega-City urban poor movements” section.
InnerCHANGE - This is the urban poor branch of CRM (Church Resource
Ministries). They are a predominantly evangelical Christian order among the
poor. There is a focus on the prophetic and contemplative in their missionary
vision.
Evangelicals for Social Action - Great site for learning the basics about
being a “rich Christian in an age of hunger”. There are some great articles and
resources for those interested in an evangelical approach to social justice. Do
not let the low budget sight turn you away.
Ron Sider Article - Just a great introduction to Ron Sider in the magazine
Christianity Today. Sider is an evangelical leader in the field of social
justice and economic equality.
Christian Community Development Association - This group has a long history
of working in the US inner city. Great vision and many established leaders. The
website is unclear, but the “Principles of Christian Community Development” are
excellent.
Sojourners - Great organization and movement dedicated to Christian social
justice. Some of the best articles and thinking on the subject. They refuse to
separate "personal faith from social justice, prayer from peacemaking,
contemplation from action, or spirituality from politics".
The Catholic Worker Movement - Not necessarily evangelical, but certainly
offering a Christian perspective on pacifism and social protest with which
evangelicals could agree.
World Vision - One of the largest evangelical relief agencies.
Make Trade Fair! - In practical terms, one of the biggest reasons poor
countries stay poor, is the way the system is set up. This website backed by
Oxfam out of England, does a great job of getting the message on fair trade
across. It is very well done, and is highly informative.
Jubilee USA Network - They have organized around the principle that the
2/3rds world debt has unjust origins and severely hinders development. Africa
spends 4 times as much on debt relief as is does on health care. Debt slavery is
"foreign aid in reverse- for every dollar sent to the poorest countries in aid,
$1.30 flows back to lenders in debt service".
United Nations Cyber School Bus - Kofi Annan, the Untied Nations Secretary
General, gives this site the highest rating for educational material. Not just
great for kids, I learned a lot. It also has some fun games.
CorpWatch - They seek to counter corporate-led globalization through
education and activism. The objective is to "foster democratic control over
corporations by building grassroots globalization--a diverse movement for human
rights, labor rights and environmental justice".
Sweatshop Watch - They are a coalition of labor, community, civil rights,
immigrant rights, women's, religious & student organizations, and individuals
committed to eliminating sweatshop conditions in the global garment industry.
They believe that workers should be earning a living wage in a safe and decent
working environment, and that those who benefit the most from the exploitation
of sweatshop workers must be held accountable.
Unite - An American Union that also participates in the campaign against
sweatshops. They have a nice guide to purchasing sweatshop-free garments.
Digital Partners - Seattle based group dedicated to using technology for
improving poverty conditions.
Poverty Net - Very
clear website, with lots of useful info.
IRIN news – Bridging the information gap - Great news source for poor
countries which are seldom covered in the regular news.
World Press Review - Some would say that this is the best source of world
news out there. You can find translations of high quality articles on current
events from around the world.