ESTHER’s immigration task force has been calling for several years for immigration policy that is consistent with our faith values, keeps families together, provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already here, and expands legal avenues for workers to enter the U.S. Now that an immigration reform bill has been introduced in the Senate, it’s time to get behind the effort to pass it and then to implement it in a humane way. Humane immigration reform has many enemies, and this is no time for us to be complacent. Read More (below) to learn how you can help.
The Fox Valley’s 20,000 Latinos live among us, but we do not really know them. As our ancestors did, they have come to make a better life for themselves and their children. But their efforts are complicated by a restrictive and politicized immigration system. ESTHER’s up-coming Latino Simulation will give participants a chance to deepen their understanding of the problems that our Latino neighbors face: finding jobs and transportation, obtaining health care, keeping their documentation up-to-date or living without it, and trying to understand a strange language and culture.
Want to learn how to make a big difference in your community? Not sure where to start? Be part of this impactful and effective 2-day leadership training.
When: 5:00-9:00 PM on Friday, May 3rd and 8:30 AM-3:00 PM on Saturday, May 4th
Where: First Congregational UCC; 724 E South River St, Appleton
Cost: $25 (includes Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast and lunch)
Shocking facts released in new study on Wisconsin's mass incarceration
Wisconsin has the highest black male incarceration rate in the United States, according to the 2010 decennial census. The rate (1 out of 8 African American men ages 18-64 were in state prisons and local jails in April 2010) is nearly double that of the nation as a whole and 32% higher than the next worst state (Oklahoma). The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute released a new study on Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration of African American Males: Workforce Challenges for 2013.
The prison population in Wisconsin has more than tripled since 1990, fueled by increased government funding for drug enforcement (rather than treatment) and prison construction, three-strike rules, mandatory minimum sentence laws, truth-in-sentencing replacing judicial discretion in setting punishments, concentrated policing in minority communities, and state incarceration for minor probation and supervision violations. Particularly impacted were African American males, with the 2010 U.S. Census showing Wisconsin having the highest black male incarceration rate in the nation. In Milwaukee County over half of African American men in their 30s have served time in state prison.
More than 900 People of Faith United for Justice from all around Wisconsin – including 80 from the ESTHER – traveled to Madison on March 14 to bear witness to the importance of social justice and to ask our legislators to support 1) funding for treatment instead of prison (11x15); 2) public transit; and 3) accepting federal funds to expand Medicare.
The Wisconsin League of Women Voters has endorsed a central aim of WISDOM’s 11X15 campaign—increased use of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders. In a memo sent to LWV leaders state-wide on March 8, Executive Director Andrea Kaminski asks League members to contact their state Senators and Assembly Representatives to urge expansion of Treatment Alternatives and Diversion funding, instead of increased funding for jails and prisons.
Governor Walker's budget proposal related to transit funding will adversely affect many across the state, especially those who depend on transit to get to work, seniors, and those with disabilities who seek self-sufficiency. By removing transit from the transportation fund and cutting funding once again, Governor Walker is sending a clear message to transit users that they do not matter and that their mobility is not a priority for Wisconsin. More info below at [read more].
ESTHER has moved into new office space at First United Methodist Church in Neenah. Many thanks to St. Therese Catholic Church in Appleton for hosting us during the last year. We’re also looking for a used copy machine. If you have one, please contact Stephanie at 920-216-0891 or email Penny at penny.robinson@esther-foxvalley.orgUpdate: On February 26, we will become the proud owners of a used copy machine which has recently been removed from service at the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and donated to ESTHER. We promise not to over-use it (we want to save trees), but it will definitely help us in our work. Thank you, ECWRPC!
ESTHER’s immigration task force has been calling for several years for immigration policy that is consistent with our faith values, keeps families together, provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already here, and expands legal avenues for workers to enter the U.S. Now that an immigration reform bill has been introduced in the Senate, it’s time to get behind the effort to pass it and then to implement it in a humane way. Humane immigration reform has many enemies, and this is no time for us to be complacent. Read More (below) to learn how you can help.
The Fox Valley’s 20,000 Latinos live among us, but we do not really know them. As our ancestors did, they have come to make a better life for themselves and their children. But their efforts are complicated by a restrictive and politicized immigration system. ESTHER’s up-coming Latino Simulation will give participants a chance to deepen their understanding of the problems that our Latino neighbors face: finding jobs and transportation, obtaining health care, keeping their documentation up-to-date or living without it, and trying to understand a strange language and culture.
More than 900 People of Faith United for Justice from all around Wisconsin – including 80 from the ESTHER – traveled to Madison on March 14 to bear witness to the importance of social justice and to ask our legislators to support 1) funding for treatment instead of prison (11x15); 2) public transit; and 3) accepting federal funds to expand Medicare.
Governor Walker's budget proposal related to transit funding will adversely affect many across the state, especially those who depend on transit to get to work, seniors, and those with disabilities who seek self-sufficiency. By removing transit from the transportation fund and cutting funding once again, Governor Walker is sending a clear message to transit users that they do not matter and that their mobility is not a priority for Wisconsin. More info below at [read more].
