Things You Can Do
Take Action Now
Here are suggested things you can do now to help further the causes on TIAR’s action agenda. For those items asking you to contact a federal, state, or local official, contact information is found at the following site:
Prevent Use of a Tax-Payer Funded Venue for a Christian Nationalism Rally
One of the worst examples of Christian nationalism today is Michael Flynn and Eric Trump's so-called "ReAwaken America Tour." Each tour stop is a toxic, two-day parade of pro-Trump preachers, MAGA celebrities, and QAnon conspiracy theorists mixing election denial, violent rhetoric, and deadly COVID-19 misinformation with baptisms and praise music -- all in Jesus's name for audiences of thousands. Next month, the ReAwaken America Tour is planning a major stop in North Las Vegas, Nevada -- where they'll be setting up shop at Craig Ranch Regional Park, a publicly owned, taxpayer-funded venue.
An event that promotes antisemitism, lies, and even outright political violence should never be welcome on public property. Let's speak out together now and ask North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown to revoke ReAwaken America's permits and decline to rent them public facilities.
Tell Mayor Goynes-Brown: Don't host the ReAwaken America Tour at a public venue >>
Join the Climate March on September 15
Join other climate-concerned citizens on Friday, September 15, 2023, for a Climate March! This march will be in solidarity with mobilizations around the globe organized by Fridays for Future to End the Era of fossil fuels! We will start lining up at Washington Square Park at 2:30 PM and start marching at 3:00, stopping at Rochester City Hall and the Monroe County Office Building before returning to Washington Square Park. Let me know if you are interested in helping organize/promote the march or have any questions about it.
Support the American Family Act
Among other things, the American Family Act will:
Make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable instead of partially refundable
Expand the Child Tax Credit maximum amount to $250 per month per child ages 6-17 and make the credit available monthly
Extend the expanded Child Tax Credit to U.S. Territories
The following link will provide more information and a petition to sign if you wish to do so: Support American Family Act
Stand By RGH Nurses Fighting for Better Patient Care
Nurses at Rochester General have formed a union and are fighting for improved staffing ratios. For more information and access to a petition to sign, click on the following link: Support RGH Nurses
Donate a “Welcome” Kit for People Leaving Prison
People leaving prison are without even basic necessities, and about half have no family to assist them. (See “Monroe County Re-entry Task Force” below) Please consider donating “welcome” kits for men (and some women). This can be a great project for a church group, scout troop or school community service project. Kits can contain items like toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, disposable razor, lotion, socks, washcloth, underwear, pocket calendar book, pen, a personal note to encourage—or whatever your imagination inspires. To receive information on how to prepare a Welcome Kit, contact Paul Brayer at brayerpm@frontiernet.net
Educate your Faith Community on Prisoner Re-entry
Resource materials for use in educating groups on the reentry of prisoners back into our communities are available from the Diocese of Rochester. They are useful for panel discussions, prayer, bulletin inserts, book clubs, adult education, preaching, etc. and may be found at the following web site: http://www.dor.org/charities/dioprograms/Prodigal.htm
Make a Donation to the Rochester Supplemental Burial Fund
The Greater Rochester Community of Churches (GRCC) is collaborating with Monroe County to inaugurate a Rochester Community Supplemental Burial Fund to meet the burial needs of the poor in our community. Their current task is to raise money for this fund and they seek your help by asking for donations to establish this important initiative.
In 2006, Monroe County reduced the it’s average contribution for a funeral under its Burial Assistance Program from $1,850 to $1,250, enough only for cremation. For some people, cremation violates their religious beliefs and their cultural and ethnic traditions. The cost for a traditional burial ranges from $2,600 to over $6,000.
Concerned citizens, including TIAR, have been working with the county since 2006 to seek ways of providing for the poorest among us. As a not-for-profit agency, GRCC will serve as the holder of the funds raised for the Supplemental Burial Fund. A Burial Advisory Council will provide oversight. Monroe County will continue to determine eligibility for assistance and provide a respectful burial for those who qualify.
Please consider a contribution to the Rochester Community Supplemental Burial Fund, in any amount you feel appropriate. You can send your check to the GRCC office at the address above, or use the Paypal link at the bottom of the GRCC website.
If your church, temple, organization or company and would like to donate on behalf of the group, GRCC would be willing to help you think about creative ways to fundraise for this necessary initiative. Call or email, (585) 254-2570 , grcc1@frontiernet.net, if you have any questions.
Start Listening to TIA National’s Radio Show and Podcast, “State of Belief”
Nearly three decades ago, Interfaith Alliance was founded to celebrate true religious freedom and to challenge the bigotry and hatred arising from religious and political extremists. Today, that mission is more urgent than ever, as Christian nationalists and their allies try to blur the boundaries between church and state. On this week’s State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by experts on how religion sways American politics today. He’ll speak with Dr. Ryan Burge, assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, about his latest statistical analysis of the intersection of religion and politics. And Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, winner of the 2023 New York Society for Professional Journalists ‘Deadline Club’ award for opinion writing, joins Paul to discuss the convergence of gun idolatry and white Christian identity, and the recent political religious efforts to influence judicial nominations. To access the podcast, go to https://stateofbelief.com/ and make listening to this and future programs a habit.
Visit the Hunger Museum.
The Hunger Museum is, a brand new, all-virtual museum that illuminates the history of hunger in the U.S. — how we almost solved hunger, and how we can do it again. It’s a powerful exploration of how we got here and how we can end hunger. The museum is a virtual project of “MAZON”: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Share it with your friends and colleagues.
View the Recording of “Bridging the Black/Jewish Divide: A Dialogue.”
In mid-February, more than 150 people joined in the Levine Center program, Bridging the Black/Jewish Divide: A Dialogue.* If you were unable to be there, please be sure to check out the recording. The presenters, Dr. Terrence Johnson and Dr. Jacques Berlinerblau, gave us much to think about, but perhaps most meaningfully, they modeled how two people can disagree on certain points while holding each other with respect and affection, all the while listening and learning from one another.
Visit the Consolidated Calendar of Community Climate Events.
On this calendar, created by the Climate Solutions Accelerator, you will find activities posted by climate justice groups in the Rochester area.
Download and Study ACT Rochester’s 2022 Report Card for Rochester and the Surrounding Area.
See below to access the latest ACT Rochester report cards for Monroe County and the City of Rochester. More information is available on the ACT Rochester web site.
Think About Becoming a Braver Angel.
Braver Angels is a national citizens' movement to bring liberals, conservatives and others together at the grassroots level - not to find a centrist compromise, but to find one another as citizens. Through skills trainings, discussion workshops, debates, and town hall style meetings, Braver Angels helps Americans understand each other beyond stereotypes, form community alliances, and reduce the polarization that poisons our civic culture. For more information: Braver Angels
Volunteer to Promote TIAR Through Tabling at Local Events.
These opportunities will open up over the summer street fair season. Email Rich Codding, rcodding123@gmail.com, if interested.
Visit Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) Website.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and then Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren were pleased to announce the August 2021 launch of the updated website for the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE). This comes as the Commission moves into the Community Leadership phase of its implementation plan. To ensure transparency around implementation of the recommendations, a database has been added to the website. The database will include each working group recommendation along with the responsible entity and a timeframe for implementation. Additionally, there will be a mechanism to allow community members to Get Involved in the process and assist in implementing the recommendations. To read the complete report and for more information on RASE, visit www.rocrase.com
Showing Up for Racial Justice.
SURJ-ROC conducts many workshops related to confronting racism with topics and schedules continuously changing. For the current schedule of workshops and links to sign up for them, go to http://surjroc.org/workshops/
Black Lives Matter Saturday Silent Vigil:
Every Saturday, 12noon - 1pm. Follow the link for locations, contacts, and important information: The May location is Mt. Read Blvd. and Lyell Ave. BLM Vigil
Healing Our Racialized Trauma:
Every first and third Thursday via Zoom from 7 – 8 pm. A group initially founded to discuss ideas and issues raised in the book White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. Now the group is using the book My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem as a framework. All are welcome. Please contact Bob Palumbus at bobpalumbos@yahoo.com for the Zoom link.
Pachamama Courses Dealing with Climate Change.
Take advantage of Pachamama Alliance’s outstanding online courses that prepare people for taking transformational action on behalf of our Earth. You can find information for all of these at https://www.pachamama.org/engage:
Awakening the Dreamer is a foundational two-hour course that covers the underlying dynamics that have created our environmental crises. It shows the path out of them and is inspiring, motivating, and many have found it to be life changing. You can take it on your own time, and it’s free.
The Game Changer Intensive is an 8-week course that gives you an in-depth perspective on the climate crisis, threats to our democracy, and systemic racism and injustice. It gives you tools to become a “game changer” in the areas of most concern to you. You can do the readings and watch the videos on your own time, then have occasional live online meetings with like-minded people across the country and the world. Registration is free, but you are invited to make a voluntary donation at the end of the course.
Graduates of the Game Changer Intensive are eligible to take one of the Game Changer Action Trainings. The Introduction to Community Climate Action is an exciting new 10-week online training which focuses on developing key skills for local community action and climate justice, grounded in a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life.
Climate Solutions 101.
Project Drawdown has released Climate Solutions 101, a free online course exploring the last 50 years of change and putting earth's current climate inflection point in context. The six-part video series explains emissions sources and sinks and the critical importance of centering human equality in the race to shift climate solutions to global action. The links below are to the individual units and may be accessed at any time:
Public Statements
Content to be supplied
Current Events
June 14, 2023
American Crusade, How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom. A Zoom presentation of Americans United. Save the date for a zoom presentation by Andrew Seidel, Vice President for Strategic Communications at AU central office. His talk will focus on his recent book "American Crusade, How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom”, a work that exposes how the court system is endangering church-state separation. More specific information about how to register and view this talk, which is being hosted by the Rochester AU Chapter, will be forthcoming.
June 15, 2023
TIAR Board Meeting. The TIAR Board meets via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month, September through June. The Executive Committee continues meeting in the summer months as well. All TIAR members, whether on the Board or not, are welcome to attend Board meetings. They begin at 4:00 pm and links will be provided on request to any TIAR member. If you are not on the Board and wish to receive a link, contact Rich Codding, rcodding123@gmail.com. The 2023-24 schedule will be posted as soon as it is set.
June 21, 2023
Partners in Restorative Initiatives (PiRI) Annual Meeting. Join PiRI for their Annual Meeting to celebrate Restorative Practices as a community! The event is free and open to the public. Anyone who is interested in the implementation of Restorative Practices in Rochester is encouraged to attend. The event will run from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. with a social time from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. Partners in Restorative Initiatives is located inside the Rochester Mennonite Fellowship Building, 111 Hillside Avenue, Rochester, NY 14608
If you have any questions, please contact Rohan Parikh at office@pirirochester.org.
Continuing
Showing Up for Racial Justice
SURJ-ROC conducts many workshops related to confronting racism with topics and schedules continuously changing. For the current schedule of workshops and links to sign up for them, go to http://surjroc.org/workshops/
Black Lives Matter Saturday Silent Vigil
Every Saturday, 12noon - 1pm. Follow the link for locations, contacts, and important information: Black Lives Matter Saturday Silent Vigil
Healing Our Racialized Trauma
Every first and third Thursday via Zoom from 7 – 8 pm. A group initially founded to discuss ideas and issues raised in the book White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. Now the group is using the book My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem as a framework. All are welcome. Please contact Bob Palumbus at bobpalumbos@yahoo.com for the Zoom link.
Pachamama Courses Dealing with Climate Change
Take advantage of Pachamama Alliance’s outstanding online courses that prepare people for taking transformational action on behalf of our Earth. You can find information for all of these at https://www.pachamama.org/engage:
Awakening the Dreamer is a foundational two-hour course that covers the underlying dynamics that have created our environmental crises. It shows the path out of them and is inspiring, motivating, and many have found it to be life changing. You can take it on your own time, and it’s free.
The Game Changer Intensive is an 8-week course that gives you an in-depth perspective on the climate crisis, threats to our democracy, and systemic racism and injustice. It gives you tools to become a “game changer” in the areas of most concern to you. You can do the readings and watch the videos on your own time, then have occasional live online meetings with like-minded people across the country and the world. Registration is free, but you are invited to make a voluntary donation at the end of the course.
Graduates of the Game Changer Intensive are eligible to take one of the Game Changer Action Trainings. The Introduction to Community Climate Action is an exciting new 10-week online training which focuses on developing key skills for local community action and climate justice, grounded in a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life.
Climate Solutions 101
Project Drawdown has just released Climate Solutions 101, a free online course exploring the last 50 years of change and putting earth's current climate inflection point in context. The six-part video series explains emissions sources and sinks and the critical importance of centering human equality in the race to shift climate solutions to global action. The links below are to the individual units and may be accessed at any time:
You Set the Date
Conversations on Race
Facilitators lead whole-group and small-group discussion on questions such as:
How segregated is my life?
In what surroundings am I most aware that I have a racial identity?
To what extent is privilege a factor in not having to think about my racial identity?
Who or what raises questions about race for me?
Conversations on Race with Poverty facilitators lead whole-group and small-group discussion exploring the connection of race to poverty.
Presented by the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library in collaboration with Metro Justice, the National Coalition Building Institute, ACT Rochester, the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, and the Center for Dispute Settlement among others.
If you would like to schedule a Conversation on Race for your organization, workplace or place of worship, contact Donna Goldberg at 585.385.4866.