Dear ,

This coming Labor Day weekend, a month from now, VICPP is joining The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis in releasing a report on the State of Working Virginia – highlighting the need to do more to support workers in low-wage jobs and their families. It is a good time to lift worker concerns in your religious services or perhaps to plan an entire service honoring workers.

We regularly hear that you need resources provided more ahead of time to be able to get them included in your congregation’s service or bulletin. We heard you! 

Here are two resources for use over Labor Day weekend. Just click the links to access: 

• A litany – feel free to adapt. 
• A bulletin insert that can be reprinted or excerpted in other ways.
  

We will also be releasing the State of Working Virginia Report over Labor Day weekend. If you would like to write and submit an op-ed for your local newspaper based on the report, we are happy to share a draft version and assist in editing the op-ed. Email VICPP Communications Director, Ayesha Gilani Taylor (AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org) if you are interested in working on an op-ed.

Workers in low-wage jobs struggle every week to make ends meet and provide for their families. Labor Day weekend is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about the policy changes needed to support these workers. 

Thank you for your advocacy. 

In labor solidarity, 

Kim Bobo 
Executive Director 

Join a Religious Fact-Finding Delegation (Listening Session) on August 11 from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m.at Dulles International Airport to learn more about working conditions for airport workers. Approximately 2,000 essential airport workers at IAD (Dulles) and DCA (Reagan National) airports – including wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers, terminal cleaners, cabin cleaners, and non-TSA security – have no paid sick days or employer-provided health insurance. This creates a crisis for the largely Black, brown, and immigrant workers performing critical jobs who must choose between taking care of themselves or their children and getting paid. Workers who go to work sick endanger their co-workers, the public, and passengers. Many workers have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and/or the lack of access to health care.  

VICPP is working with SEIU 32 BJ to get these essential workers the protections they deserve. On August 11 at Dulles International Airport, we will be hosting a religious fact-finding delegation. The delegation will learn directly from impacted workers and make plans for encouraging the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to set a standard for how workers at the airport are treated.

Email VICPP Economic Justice Program Manager Jase Hatcher (Jase@virginiainterfaithcenter.org) with any questions. 

Click HERE to read our Fact Sheet to learn more!

We are pleased to announce that the JAB Initiative has received funding to advance its aims statewide! Standing for Justice, Autonomy, and Beneficence, our JAB vaccine equity initiative worked diligently this past year to produce resources that addressed one of the core reasons for vaccine hesitancy and resistance in communities of color. We will now be able to broaden our vaccine equity initiative to long-term health equity. Our priority for the next year is working to create more trustworthy health care settings by amplifying the visible commitment to ethics that acknowledges the harmful past of providers and institutions that destroyed trust with patients of color. JAB resources that elevate these principles in health care are available to share far and wide for health or community service ministries within congregations, health care facilities, and community organizations hosting community events. To request your JAB commitment package, email: jab@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
To visit our dedicated JAB webpage for more information, click the button below!

Our chapters have been busy holding their summer engagement meetings! Did you miss your meeting? Or do you want to find out more about what's happening around Virginia? We've got you covered! Click the links listed here to watch the recordings on our YouTube channel: 

• James River Chapter Meeting (CLICK HERE to watch)
• Northern Virginia Chapter Meeting (CLICK HERE to watch)

More videos coming soon and are added daily. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and share the good word, because sharing is caring! 

Join the Virginia Chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus -- a member of the PUSH maternal health coalition -- for a conversation about improving Virginia's care of Black mothers to ensure a healthy pregnancy and childhood for their babies. Featured speakers include Delegates Jackie Glass, Sally Hudson, and Shelly Simonds, and Birth in Color's Executive Director Kenda Sutton-El. Click the button below to register!

The program is final! Speakers are excited to convene for this critical presentation. Don’t delay in registering to attend this virtual event marking the 5th anniversary of the attacks in Charlottesville that shook the country. The “Together in Faith” symposium is set to pivot the conversation to a collective positive work of ending acts of hate in our communities. Registration deadline extended to Wednesday, August 10, since everything is virtual but don’t delay! CLICK HERE to view the event program. Click the button below to sign up today!

On Monday, August 15, in Blacksburg, the PUSH Coalition will convene the first in a series of roundtables focused on addressing the maternal health care deserts across Virginia. Health care professionals serving New River Valley and the surrounding southwestern counties will be invited to join faith and community leaders seeking solutions to help stem the region’s rising maternal mortality rates, the second highest in the Commonwealth. Lunch will be provided. If you are interested or would like to suggest someone essential to add to the invite list, please email VICPP Health Equity Program Manager, Dora Muhammad, at dora@virginiainterfaithcenter.org or click the button below.

The mobilization tour organized by the Right to Vote Coalition will make its next stop at the Simms Auditorium in Harrisonburg. This community-led event will provide support and resources to educate those who have had or are eligible to have their voting rights restored, the families of individuals currently incarcerated, and those who don’t realize the power of their vote. Mark your calendars!

In late August/early September, join a Solidarity with Farmworkers opportunity to hear from farmworkers and join a farmworker mass in the fields. This opportunity is on the Eastern Shore. The date is not yet finalized but you can click the button below to express your interest and be the first to learn of the date when it's announced. For more information, email VICPP Faith Organizer, Sheila Herlihy, at: Sheila@virginiainterfaithcenter.org