Wednesday, September 5, 2012 , Vol. XI No.18

Race, Class, Religion, and the Law , "When race, class, religion, and the law collide…a conversation begins." So reads the tagline for Defamation, a theatrical production written by local playwright, Todd Logan. Logan's play is an old-fashioned, interactive courtroom drama based in Chicago. In the play, a South Side African-American woman sues a Jewish North Shore real estate developer for defamation. In this civil suit, the legal issue is to determine whether or not she has been falsely accused of stealing his watch. But more is at stake here than the fate of the plaintiff. Defamation presents for us a dilemma that leads to a riveting courtroom encounter that illuminates our common perceptions about race, religion and class. The audience is the jury, the conversation is heated, and despite being held in a theatrical setting, the issues are very real. There is hardly a better place to talk about the things that divide us—the things that cause us to fear, hate, and discriminate against one another—than here in the city of Chicago. A city whose neighborhoods were built along racial and ethnic lines and whose rich and poor live in completely different realities, Chicago is a pressure cooker—a place where so many of our prejudices manifest themselves in dramatic ways. While many of us may think that we have progressed beyond our prejudices, Defamation not only demonstrates the kind of ingrained racism that many of us deal with daily and that those of us in a majority culture never see, but also challenges us to examine ways in which we are in fact implicated. As the playwright suggests, discourse is the first step towards solving the racial, economic, and religious prejudices that plague our community. Race, class, religion, and the law. Each of these things is essential to the work we do at Protestants for the Common Good—the work you support through your gifts, your input, and your advocacy—the work of advancing justice in public life. Protestants for the Common Good will host a viewing of Defamation on Sunday, October 7th at Chicago Theological Seminary, and we invite you to join us—to engage as this interactive court-room drama unfolds around these issues. You will serve as the jury, deliberating together on the outcome of the play. We invite you to be a part of this event. We hope you will join the conversation. Sincerely, Betsy Neely Right or Wrong Direction? THINKING THEOLOGICALLY by: Larry Greenfield It's just speculation, but you have to wonder whether the disciples of Jesus thought he was heading in the wrong direction. Continue Reading... Blog Series on the Affordable Care Act LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS by: Betsy Neely One of the hot button topics as the election approaches is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health reform law recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Although the ACA was enacted 2 ½ years ago and implementation has begun, there still is a lot of misinformation about the ACA. Americans still are asking "What does the law mean for me?" Continue Reading... Why We Can't Ignore Racism FAITH REFLECTIONS by: Maggie Potthoff "She's such a racist." How many times have we heard that among friends, whether it describes a community leader, politician, or relative? That label lets the speaker off the hook, implying that racism is something foreign to her. Continue Reading... Letter to the Editor: South Town Star IN THE NEWS by: Protestants for the Common Good PCG supporter, The Rev. Norval Brown of Homewood, wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Forum section of the Southtown Star on August 31, 2012. Read his article, Raise minimum wage. Letter to the Editor: Lake County News-Sun IN THE NEWS by: Protestants for the Common Good PCG supporter, Roger Dart of Deerfield, wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Southtown Star on August 29, 2012. Read his article in support of raising the, Minimum wage.

PCG Theater Event: Defamation the Play Robert B. Wilcox Symposium on Criminal Justice Blog Series on the Affordable Care Act by Robin Scott Letter to the Editor in the South Town Star Letter to the Editor in the Lake County News-Sun

STUDY THE LECTIONARY Biblical scholar Jay Wilcoxen advocates for the plain and direct sense of the Lectionary readings for each week. Sep 30 The 18th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) "The spirit of God leads people across boundaries – to encounter both allies and enemies. " Sep 23 The 17th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) "The godless are ruthless toward the innocent — so Jesus especially protects the dependent ones. " Sep 16 The 16th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) "Wisdom is found in all the cosmos, but also along a road toward Jerusalem." Sep 9 The 15th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B) "Healing is promised, instead of discrimination."

TAKE ACTION PCG believes that it is imperative for people of faith to participate actively in our political democracy. Become an advocate. Stop the Cuts to SNAP The current Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2012. The version of the bill that has passed out of the House Agriculture Committee proposes cuts to nutritional programs that would impact 3 million people, leaving them without resources for food. Ask your representative in the U.S. Congress to stand up for the people in our country living with hunger, by opposing these damaging cuts. Covenant for Peace Join clergy and other faith leaders from across the Chicago area in their commitment to restoring peace in our city. Sign this covenant to put your faith into action so that Chicago might become the manifestation of the Beloved Community. Ask for a Moratorium on Fracking Inadequate regulations on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in neighboring states have left homeowners with water contamination problems that include finding in their own tap water the hazardous chemicals used in the fracking process. Illinois has a chance to prevent this harm to our land and its people. Please ask your representative to support a moratorium on high volume fracking, SB 3280, so that before the process begins here in Illinois, robust regulations can be created and implemented.

PARTICIPATE Please join in the work of PCG and our coalition partners by attending the following events. Wednesday, September 5, 2012 Women's Advocacy Training on Affordable Care Act Champaign, IL: The Campaign for Better Health Care is hosting a training for women and leaders of women organizations who support the Affordable Care Act and want to learn the most effective messages and tools to build support for health care reform in their communities. The training will include information on what's in the law for women and families, advocacy and messaging tips, and resources for taking action. The training will be held at C-U Public Health District, 201 W Kenyon Rd., from 9:00 a.m. until noon. For more information and to register, visit the CBHC event page. The training is free and open to the public. Thursday, September 6, 2012 Webinar on the New Poverty Data Statewide: The Coalition on Human Needs is holding a webinar to help interested individuals prepare for the release of new poverty, health, and income Census data on September 12th. Presenters will discuss what to expect, policy implications, and help you understand how to find the data and use it as soon as it becomes available. All are welcome to participate; you must register in advance to receive the instructions and data. The webinar will be held from 2:00 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. Monday, September 10, 2012 Fair Tax Campaign Training Rockford, IL: The Illinois League of Women Voters, in cooperation with the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability, will be hosting informational trainings on how the fair tax campaign is progressing in Illinois. Attendees will receive background information on the topic and messaging ideas for how to effectively talk about the issue. The Rockford training will be held at the IEA Offices, 4949 Harrison Ave, Suite 102, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact Claire Mcintyre at Claire.mcintyre@gmail.com. Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Judicial Selection Reform Panel Presentation Chicago, IL: The Better Government Association and the Union League Club of Chicago are hosting a panel discussion on merit selection of judges and judicial campaign finance reform. The program will include presentations from each panelist followed by discussion and Q&A from the audience. The event will be held at the Union League Club, 65 West Jackson Blvd., from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend but an RSVP is required. Register online or call 312.427.8330. Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Fair Tax Campaign Training Bloomington, IL: The Illinois League of Women Voters, in cooperation with the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability, will be hosting informational trainings on how the fair tax campaign is progressing in Illinois. Attendees will receive background information on the topic and messaging ideas for how to effectively talk about the issue. The Bloomington training will be held at 304 South Eldorado Rd., Suite 2, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact Claire Mcintyre at Claire.mcintyre@gmail.com. Sunday, October 7, 2012 Buy Tickets for PCG's Theater Event! Chicago, IL: Join PCG staff and supporters for a fall theater fundraiser event. We'll be watching (and participating) in "Defamation" a play by Todd Logan. In this court room drama the audience participates as jurors, prompting meaningful conversation on divisive social issues. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for students. The event will be held at Chicago Theological Seminary, 1407 E. 60th Street, from 6:00 until 8:30. We'll be offering light refreshments and beverages before the play, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. This should be a wonderful event filled with meaningful dialogue and we hope you will join us. Wednesday, October 10, 2012 Save the Date: PCG's Criminal Justice Symposium Chicago, IL: Hold this date for the Wilcox Symposium on Criminal Justice entitled, "Serving Our Communities: Alternatives to Incarceration". The event will bring together speakers from Seattle, Milwaukee, and Illinois to discuss best practice models for diversion. The symposium will be held at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Registration will be available soon. For more information, visit the event webpage.

CONTACT US The Common Good Network welcomes responses from readers about individual articles or the newsletter as a whole. We also welcome submissions from our readers. Take a moment to tell us what you think. Please email your suggestions, comments, and submissions to cgn@thecommongood.org. Protestants for the Common Good relies on its members and readers for much of its support. If you are able to contribute, please do so.

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