Imagine if every department in local government was regularly asking, “How can we advance racial equity in our work?”

The seeds of that vision are starting here in Washtenaw County.

As part of the One Community initiative, leaders in Washtenaw County government and the City of Ann Arbor have gone through an extensive training process to understand structural racism, to see how even race-neutral and well-intentioned efforts can result in racially disparate outcomes, and to practice using tools to develop sound equity-focused policies and practices. Check out the One Community video to learn more.
Continue Reading »

Do you have experience teaching or training?  Would you like to use your skills to help people learn to intervene when they see harassment, discrimination or prejudice?  ICPJ is offering Bystander Intervention Training for Trainers.  Following the training, you will have the opportunity to work toward ICPJ trainer certification by presenting with experienced trainers, and to be paid as a trainer.  To apply for Bystander Intervention Training for Trainers, please complete the application.  Please note: you must have attended a Bystander Intervention Training to attend the Training for Trainers program.  Also, you will need several hours of preparation time prior to the September 29 training.  The fee for this 8-hour training is $100.  You will be notified of your acceptance for the Training for Trainers program no later than August 1.

Who could not be heartbroken to see the pictures of children separated from their families by the Trump administration’s immigration policies?

The executive order that Donald Trump signed last week is not a solution to the crisis created by his administration; it keeps kids imprisoned indefinitely, and doesn’t reunite thousands of separated families. But it does show the administration is reacting to public pressure, so we will continue to increase our pressure for justice at hundreds of events on Saturday, June 30, to say that families belong together—and free.

Join us on June 30 to send a clear message to Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress: Families Belong Together!

When: Saturday, June 30 at 11 a.m. (local time)
Where: The Diag, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Co-Sponsored by WICIR: Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights and the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice. Visit the event page or Facebook event.

Join ICPJ to continue the conversation from Connect & Act 2018 (the ICPJ conference held in March in Ypsilanti). We are introducing a monthly meetup series to address the work of mobilizing for change between now and the November election and beyond. In this time of great danger, we believe that this is a unique opportunity to help build the momentum to clarify the intersections of our social justice challenges. Join us to know each other and learn about concrete ways to plug into the movement. Hear from others! Bring your ideas!

Our kickoff meeting will be Thursday, May 31 at 4:00 pm at Cultivate Coffee and Tap House. Exploring the connections between the different concerns and issues we are working on will strengthen the movement toward change. To that end, for our first meeting we will be focusing on the Michigan Poor People’s Campaign (PPC). The PPC is in the middle of a campaign of 40 days of action. Nationally, demonstrators are meeting at state capitols for 6 weeks in a row.  By this first Thursday meeting, there will have been three demonstrations in Lansing, to lay the foundation for an ongoing Poor People’s Campaign in Michigan. Learn more about this campaign at our first meeting!

When: Thursday Evenings- 5/31, 6/21, 7/19, 8/16, 9/20, 10/18, 11/15

What time: 4:00-6:00 PM

Where: Cultivate Coffee and Tap House – 307 North River Street in Ypsilanti

Cost: Free and open to the public!

For more information, call 734-663-1870 or email [email protected].

Please join Michigan Friends Center and ICPJ for an upcoming Northwest Earth Institute course titled “Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice & sustainability” to improve your advocacy! This course helps participants to recognize how climate change produces conflicts and to respond to the structural violence that can

 result. The course introduces two important tools that we can all use in our peace and justice work — systems thinking and nonviolent communication skills.

Participants in this Six-Session Discussion Course Will:

• Be introduced to values, visions, and practical actions they can take toward a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
• Become aware of entrenched values and assumptions that reinforce destructive practices and unhealthy systems.
• Develop systems thinking skills, which allow them to see the connections between and promote peace, justice and sustainability.
• Be inspired to become leaders toward peace, justice and sustainability in their own communities and spheres of influence.

When: Monday Evenings Beginning June 25, 7-8:30 PM

Where: Michigan Friends Center, 7748 Clark Lake Rd, Chelsea, MI 48118

Cost: $30-60 to cover the course book (as able), which is yours to keep and other costs. Full or partial scholarships are available.  If you might benefit from a scholarship, please contact Carolyn Holland at [email protected], or call 734-475-1892.

Register: HERE

For more information, call (734)-475-1892 or email Carolyn Holland at [email protected]

 The Education/Outreach team of Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary (WCS)- a county wide coalition of congregations and unaffiliated individuals, founded and led by the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice (ICPJ) and Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR) – will present a 90 minute information session. This is a free, public meeting open to all individuals and community members looking to gain a better understanding of immigration issues, resources available in our community, and ways to support friends and neighbors who may be affected by the intensified and increasingly unjust activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We hope you can join us to hear Washtenaw County stories and directly from WCS member congregations – St. Barnabas Episcopal Church of Chelsea and First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor – as they share what it means for their communities to support the congregational sanctuary movement.

WHEN: Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Chelsea First United Methodist Church, 128 Park Street, Chelsea, MI 48118

Free, public meeting open to all!