Faith Weekend of Action
Faith Weekend of Action for Puerto Rico Against Ecological Devastation
June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season. Join faith communities as we raise our voices to demand accountability in recovery efforts, demand action by governments to address ecological devastation and remind the nation that there is no Planet B. Faith communities are being asked to integrate Blue Tarps into their liturgy and worship over the weekend, representing the thousands of tarps that still cover Puerto Rico right now, eight months after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. If you're in NYC, join us on the evening of Friday June 1st for Decolonizing Faith: What's Next for Puerto Rico? and on Saturday, June 2nd for No Refuge from the Storm: Rally at the United Nations where we will demand that the UN Audit the Debt and Audit the Death!
For liturgical resources, click here for suggested liturgy and prayers developed by Ft. Washington Collegiate Church's Senior Minister Rev. Damaris Whittaker. Other faith communities are simply draping blue tarps on their own buildings to raise awareness, and then sending it with donations to an organization working on recovery and resilience in Puerto Rico. Stay tuned for a full toolkit coming soon.
And we encourage everyone who has worked on Puerto Rican solidarity and environmental justice to mobilize for June 4th rallies around the country for the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Click here to find a rally near you. The Campaign is building a movement to overcome systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy, all of which directly impact Puerto Rico and the health of our planet. The week of June 3-9 is "The Right to Health and a Healthy Planet: Ecological Devastation and Health Care" As the Souls of Poor Folks Audit states, Puerto Rico's poverty rate was 43.5% before Hurricane Maria, compared to about 13% nationwide. We need a Poor People's Campaign and a National Call for Moral Revival to decolonize Puerto Rico and build build resilient communities!
Faith Weekend of Action Events:
Friday June 1st, 7 PM | Decolonizing Faith: What's Next for Puerto Rico?
Join us at Fort Washington Collegiate Church for a free discussion on what's next for Puerto Rico and how faith leaders can turn crisis into sustainable change as the new hurricane season begins. RSVP on Eventbrite or on Facebook.
Saturday, June 2nd, 10:30 AM | No Refuge from the Storm: Rally at the UN
We will take our demands for accountability to the United Nations on Saturday morning. Join us at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th St. & 1st Ave.) as we call for an audit of the Puerto Rican debt and an audit of the actual deaths and devastation in Puerto Rico from Maria. RSVP on Facebook.
Friday, June 1–Sunday, June 3rd | Shared Observance during Worship
Consider integrating prayers and liturgy like the one described here by Ft. Washington Collegiate Church's Senior Minister Rev. Damaris Whittaker. Utilize blue tarps on your building or in your worship space to raise awareness of the ongoing failures of the US Government in building a sustainable recovery in Puerto Rico and elsewhere.
Monday, June 4th, Rally at 2 PM, Washington D.C.| March with Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Pray with your feet and join us on June 4th, 2018 in Washington, D.C. as we rally around ecological devastation and Puerto Rico with the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Sign up here so that we can gain an understanding of who wants to attend.