Month: August 2021

Traditionally, the harvest is a time of intense labor, gathering the final yield of the year’s labors, followed by a celebration. We had hoped to gather together in person this year to celebrate and honor the amazing work that has been done, however with ongoing high transmission of the delta variant, we have decided to make this year’s Harvest Dinner an online gathering. 

We rely on this major fundraiser to support ICPJ with $20,000 in donations, and so we are asking that you give at the same level that you would have if we had gathered in person and enjoyed a good meal together. We also ask that you approach any congregation or organization you are a part of to ask them to consider sponsoring our gathering.  Addressing racial and economic inequality and climate justice has never been more important. Together we can make a difference through our financial support of ICPJ. 

We look forward to seeing you online on Monday October 4^th as we honor some of those in our community who have been leading us in this struggle. Please register for the gathering here: https://2021-icpj-harvest-dinner.eventbrite.com

Thank you,
The ICPJ Board of Directors

We will be honoring activists who embody the values of ICPJ:

2021 Peace & Justice Honoree: Natalie Holbrook

Peace and Justice Network Organization: We The People Michigan

Emergent Leader: Student Advocacy Center

Anti-Racist Advocate: Trische Duckworth

Network Weaver: Gail Summerhill

ICPJ centers racial and economic justice as we address the root causes of violence from oppression, poverty, environmental devastation, patriarchy, and war. We wage love and practice nonviolence in all its forms through education, community organizing, advocacy, and direct action. We unite across our differences and empower leadership in people to create the change we need for a more peaceful and just world.

Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice is committed to healing as a diverse community by dismantling systems of violence and building our collective capacity to live our shared values of peace, justice, and ecological sustainability. We believe that relationships that individuals and communities build through learning, mobilizing, organizing, and growing together create the foundation for co-liberation, abundance, and dignity of all life and our planet.

Background article in Politico, “How a Liberal Michigan Town Is Putting Mental Illness at the Center of Police Reform” by Lynette Clemetson about Anthony Hamilton and his contact with the criminal legal system in Washtenaw County. https://www.politico.com/…/police-reform-mental-health…

Here are four things we can do to offer support to Anthony:

1.) Send an email of encouragement to MaryAnn Sarosi at sarosia2@gmail.com. She will print the emails and deliver in person.

2.) Write County Prosecutor, Eli Savit, prosecutor@washtenaw.org, and ask for diversion instead of jail time for Anthony given his well-established mental health struggles.

3.) If you live in Ann Arbor, write your City Council Member and ask for changes in how AAPD interacts with minors, all of this could have been avoided had 17-year old Anthony been diverted to a restorative justice program instead of being arrested. Council needs to hear from the community that we want a different approach, one that is centered in restoration & wholeness, not in punishment and detainment.

4.) Watch the court proceedings on Wednesday, August 4th when Anthony appears before Judge Archie C. Brown. The docket starts at 1:30pm and his court is available via YouTube. Start here to find the link to his court: https://www.youtube.com/…/WashtenawCountyTrialCo…/videos