Dear Friends,

As we reflect on the tragic events that occurred on September 11th five years ago and the unfortunate direction in which they have taken our country, it seems that the words uttered by Pope Paul VI for the celebration of the World Day of Peace on January 1, 1972 echo even more clearly today –

“If you want peace, work for justice.”

Working to establish justice and peace in our world is our calling and our vocation here at Educating for Justice and we are thankful that you share in this important work with us.

One of the most visited links from our August Newsletter was for our program on Catholic Social Teaching. In light of this, we have made Catholic Social Teaching the theme for September in our “Picks of the Month.” As we progress through the school year, let us know if there is a particular topic that you would like us to highlight.

Along with providing online resources for you on social justice issues, we begin our annual lecture series this week with a presentation at SUNY-Oneonta. Click here for our Fall 2006 calendar.

Needless to say, we are excited about the new school year and we hope that you will get involved in some way to make this year EFJ’s best programming year to date.

We hope this finds you well.

Peace,

Jim and Leslie
Co-Directors, Educating for Justice

Calling all creative types!

Would you like to design EFJ’s next sweatshop-free t-shirt?

The EFJ Clothing Company is requesting t-shirt design submissions that include the following statement:

“If you want peace, work for justice.” – Pope Paul VI

Here are the design parameters:
1. Limited to two colors.
2. Needs to fit on 8 ½ X 11 page.
3. Must be designed for a white, grey or navy t-shirt.
4. Needs to incorporate the statement above into the design.

The submission deadline is October 15th. Once we have all the submissions, we will have a panel of design professionals choose the top three designs. After the three finalists are chosen, EFJ will showcase their designs on our website and offer our supporters the chance to “vote” for their favorite design by purchasing a t-shirt. The shirt that receives the most sales will be the winner.

The designer of the winning t-shirt will get a $100 credit to the EFJ Store and the satisfaction of knowing that their design helped support EFJ’s educational programming. Our goal for the fall is to sell 1,000 shirts, so make your design a great one!

If you have any questions about the contest, please email Jim Keady at jim@educatingforjustice.org.

To check out our current t-shirt selection please visit the EFJ Store.

Are you ready to start educating your campus about social justice issues? Our goal is to have 10-20 active EFJ Chapters by the end of the 2006-2007 school year. Our vision is to have students across the country discussing social justice issues with their peers and leading action campaigns that will bring about justice in our world.

Is this something you want to be a part of?

Then drop us an email and we will get you started. Contact EFJ Co-Director, Leslie Kretzu at leslie@educatingforjustice.org and put “EFJ Chapter” in the subject line. Once we hear from you, we’ll send you a package on how to get your group up and running.

Here is a list of some of the books, articles, websites, and films that EFJ staff members are suggesting this month. This month’s theme is Catholic Social Teaching:

Films

• The Mission - 18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.
• Banking on Life and Debt - Changes are argued for in current world monetary policies that cause export imbalances, debt and financial instability for developing nations. Ghana, Brazil and the Philippines are examples of where the influences of the international banking community have resulted in diminished living conditions. Narrated by Martin Sheen.

Books

• Catholic Social Teaching - Our Best Kept Secret by Edward P. DeBerri, James E. Hug
  A new edition of the best-selling classic on official Catholic Social Teaching.
  
• Catholic Social Thought by David O'Brien and Thomas A. Shannon
  Encyclicals, bishops statements, and other documents on the pressing social issues of our world.
• Option for the Poor by Donal Dorr
  The preferential option for the poor revealed in both church documents and the Bible. "Indispensable"--John A Coleman SJ
• Globalization and Catholic Social Thought by John Coleman and William Ryan
  Globalization has generated heated debate: to some it stands for a new era of communication, interconnection, and greater economic efficiency. For others, it implies dislocation, marginalization, and the loss of local identity. This volume assesses globalization and the capacity of Catholic social teaching to guide and reform it.

  John Coleman, a Jesuit priest, is professor of social justice at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, California. William Ryan, a Jesuit priest, is founding director of the Center of Concern, Washington, D.C.

Websites

• USCCB: Sharing Catholic Social Teaching (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
• Network a National Catholic Social Justice Lobbying Group
• University of St. Thomas (MN) Resources on Catholic Social Teaching and Education
• Catholic Worker Movement
  The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person.

Articles and Editorials

• Alliance Pushing to Make Catholic Social Teaching Part of U.S. Policy Debates
• Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching
  America Magazine article by William Byron
• Catholic Peace Group Leaders Say Protests Not Helping Terrorists
  National Catholic Reporter article. Excerpt: "I don't like being pessimistic but it's the first time in my long life I feel like a person without a country" - Jesuit Fr. Daniel Berrigan

We are continuing to book our popular education program, Behind the Swoosh, at colleges and high schools across the country.

Here are some weeks and locations we are looking to fill out:

Week of September 25th – Massachusetts
Week of October 9th – Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire
Week of October 23rd – New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut
Week of October 30th – Virginia, D.C. area
Month of November – Open
Month of December – Open
Month of January – Open
Month of February – Open
Month of March – Open
Week of April 9th – Los Angeles, CA
Week of April 16th – San Francisco, CA
Month of May – Open

Please visit EFJ Lectures to learn more about this program and the other lecture programs that we offer.

For available dates, pricing information or to book an event, please contact Jim Keady at jim@educatingforjustice.org or call us at 732.988.7322.

If you’d like a copy of our “Behind the Swoosh” DVD please email Leslie Kretzu at leslie@educatingforjustice.org. Our new shipment will arrive this month. We ask for a $20 donation to cover production and shipping costs.

BEHIND THE SWOOSH CAMPAIGN
The National Labor Committee has been working on anti-sweatshop legislation. The legislation - The Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act - will for the first time hold corporations legally accountable to respect human and worker rights by prohibiting the import, sale, or export of sweatshop goods in the U.S. Goods made under conditions which violate the core ILO standards will be banned. Specifically, these core standards include no child labor, no forced labor, freedom of association, right to organize and bargain collectively and the right to decent working conditions.

The anti-sweatshop legislation was introduced in the Senate (S.3485) by Senator Byron Dorgan (ND) on June 8, 2006. Co-sponsors in the Senate so far include:

Senator Harry Reid (NV)
Senator Robert Byrd (WV)
Senator John D. Rockefeller (WV)

A companion bill (H.R.5635) was introduced in the House by Representative Sherrod Brown (OH-13) on June 16, 2006. There are currently 24 House sponsors:

Rep. Julia Carson (IN-7)
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3)
Rep. Michael F. Doyle (PA-14)
Rep. Al Green (TX-9)
Rep. Gene Green (TX-29)
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-7)
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18)
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11)
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9)
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (OH-10)
Rep. Michael R. McNulty (NY-21)
Rep. Michael H. Michaud (ME-2)
Rep. George Miller (CA-7)
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (WV-1)
Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-8)
Rep. Ed Pastor (AZ-4)
Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II (WV-3)
Rep. Mike Ross (AR-4)
Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17)
Rep. Bernard Sanders (VT)
Rep. Hilda L. Solis (CA-32)
Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (CA-13)
Rep. Ted Strickland (OH-6)
Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (IN-1)

More House and Senate co-sponsors are expected when Congress returns this month.

YOU CAN HELP by contacting your congressional representatives to let them know how you feel about the importance of protecting the human rights of workers around the world. To find your congressional representative, click here

EFJ PARTNER CAMPAIGNS
Immersion Experience: Bolivia
Witness for Peace is offering an immersion experience in Bolivia from November 9-17, 2006. Meet with Bolivians firsthand and see for yourself the rebirth of this nation and the evolution of a society. There will be a special focus on indigenous rights, natural gas and drug policies. For more information, visit Witness for Peace's website.

Social Justice Campaigns
The following is a list of campaigns being conducted by EFJ's colleagues in the social justice field.  We encourage you to check them out and to get involved.

• National Union of Food Industry Workers: Killer Coke Campaign
• United Students Against Sweatshops: Sweatfree Campus Campaign
• South Central Farmers: Save the Farm Campaign
• Global Exchange: Stop the U.S. Occupation of Iraq Campaign
• SOA Watch: Close the School of the Americas Campaign
• Wal-Mart Watch: Battlemart Campaign

If you know of a campaign that EFJ could feature in our "Partner Campaigns" section please send it to Jim Keady at jim@educatingforjustice.org.