Citizens Not Politicians amendment qualifies for Ohio ballot
On July 23, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that the citizen-sponsored campaign to end gerrymandering submitted far more than the required 413,000 eligible voter signatures. 73.2% of the 731,306 signatures turned in by the campaign were validated by county Boards of Election, and the measure met the required minimum number in 58 of Ohio’s 88 counties, far beyond the 44 required. Thousands of volunteers, including many Episcopalians, helped to achieve this success! The next step is for the Ohio Ballot Board to draft the language that will appear on the ballot. I will be watching this closely and updating you.
If approved by a majority of Ohio voters this fall, Citizens Not Politicians will eliminate potential conflicts of interest by prohibiting elected officials and lobbyists from serving on Ohio’s Redistricting Commission. It will set clear rules on the criteria and process for map-making to produce fair, representative districts with the goal that every voter will have equal voice. Gerrymandering creates “safe” districts which parties can count on, meaning that they only need to turn out their base in the primary to win the general election. Both parties do it when they have the majority unless rules are in place to prevent this corruption. Stopping gerrymandering will compel our members of Congress and the Ohio Legislature to pay attention to the concerns of voters who turn out in the general election, not just primary voters.
Please help us get the word out about the Citizens Not Politicians amendment, which was endorsed by the Ohio Council of Churches and our Diocesan Council. Use this form to volunteer: there are many ways you can help ensure that fellow voters in your community learn about this amendment and understand why it’s needed.
Save the date for the August 26 Zoom session on Citizens Not Politicians during Cincinnati’s Festival of Faiths
I’ll share the link as soon as I have it. In this session (12 to 1:15 p.m.), I’ll explain the impact of gerrymandering on policies central to Becoming Beloved Community. Jean Henderson of Fair Districts will outline specific ways congregations and volunteers can help pass the amendment.
Memorial unveiling for Dayton mass shooting victims August 4
Five years ago, just after midnight on August 4, a 24-year-old gunman shot and killed nine people and wounded 17 others in Dayton’s Oregon District, making this the deadliest mass shooting in Ohio since 1975. On Sunday, Aug. 4 at 3 p.m., come to Dayton for the unveiling of the memorial to the Dayton victims, at 530 S. 5th Street. Register here.
Coming less than 24 hours after the mass shooting that killed 23 and wounded 22 others at a Walmart in El Paso, the Dayton tragedy shocked the nation. Grieving Daytonians implored Governor DeWine to “DO SOMETHING!” Nevertheless, Ohio’s legislature has so far failed to pass red flag laws, instead passing several bills eliminating or weakening the gun safety regulations we previously had. The new laws include Ohio’s Stand Your Ground law and the repeal of the requirement to have training and a permit to be able to carry a concealed firearm. The June 18 advocacy update summarizes four bills of the many that have been introduced in the current session, proposing common sense safety rules like closing the background check loophole, which are supported by the vast majority of Ohioans but which are failing to advance.
Episcopal Church Summit on Truth-Telling and Reparations
The Episcopal Church Summit on Truth-telling and Reparations will be held at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, Sept. 19-21. Sign up HERE to be notified when registration and lodging reservations open. This summit is a crucial gathering for Episcopal lay and clergy leaders engaged in reparations and truth-telling ministries, so they can share strategy, best practices, resources, prayers, and encouragement with one another. If your congregation or organization is in any way engaged in the work of racial truth-telling and reparations – unearthing and naming historic racial injustices, reckoning with systemic harm, discerning what constitutes healing and repair, and/or working toward concrete plans toward reparations and repair – please plan to join.
Racial justice resolutions passed by 81st General Convention
The Rev. Miguel Bustos, Episcopal Church Manager for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, has compiled a summary with links to all the racial justice resolutions passed this summer by General Convention. This includes anti-racism work, reparations, environmental justice, and the inclusion and recognition of African-Americans, Indigenous Americans, women, and women in our Church’s polity and worship.
“Presiding Bishop Michael Curry frequently reminds us, ‘If it is not about love, it is not about God.’ This meaningful remark acts as a guiding concept for our actions,” Bustos writes. “The resolutions passed at the convention reflect our collective work to embody this ideal, ensuring that our decisions and actions reflect the love and justice that God wants us to seek. The convention’s resolutions address a wide range of racial justice and reconciliation issues, from admitting past wrongs to establishing measures to effect system change. And as our presiding bishop-elect, Sean Rowe, said during his address to the House of Deputies, ‘Our broken world badly needs us to address them even more strategically and more effectively. This is the work God is calling us to do.’
“One of the most telling aspects of the General Convention was the recognition that our work is far from complete. The Beloved Community—a vision of a world where all people are cherished and loved—is still an aspirational ideal that necessitates constant commitment and work. The resolutions are more than just symbolic gestures; they are actionable pledges that necessitate our personal participation and ongoing effort.”
Advocacy updates are compiled by Ariel Miller, a longtime community advocate and member of Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming. Connect with her at arielmillerwriter@gmail.com.
