Dear ,

I love the holiday season – from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. It is a period of extended time with family and extra yummy foods. I can’t imagine how hard it is to be incarcerated or have a close loved one incarcerated over the holiday season.  

We are preparing for our priorities around criminal justice reform. In the upcoming General Assembly, we will be advocating: 

• Limiting the use of solitary confinement.
  We are active members of the Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement. See fact sheet by clicking here.  
  
  
• Stopping profiteering in Virginia’s jails and prisons.
  A practice that forces many families into debt to communicate with their loved ones. See fact sheet by clicking here.

We’ve developed a profiteering quiz you can take to learn more about the issue. Take the quiz and share with friends (or put in your congregation’s bulletin). Click here to access the profiteering quiz. 

Last week I shared about our affordable housing priorities and this week about our criminal justice reform priorities. A few more to come! 

 

Remembering our neighbors,

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

P.S. You should have recently received our year-end financial appeal. If you are able, I hope you can respond generously. It is with your support that we're able to continue to do the important work we do together. Thank you.

Subcontracted Dulles (IAD) and National (DCA) airport workers are living in one of the most expensive areas in the nation while making less than the Washington, D.C. minimum wage. Many have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and/or the lack of access to health care.

VICPP's report, 'Subcontracted, Not Second Class' (click HERE to read it) further highlights the need for workers to have affordable employer-provided healthcare, paid sick leave, and livable wages.

The Metro Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) has the ability to set a standard that would allow workers to protect themselves, their families, and airline passengers. VICPP has sent this report and recommendations to MWAA but has yet to receive a response.

It is time for action. Join members of SEIU 32BJ, elected officials, and people of faith on December 8 for a rally to support subcontracted workers' demands.

Where: US Capitol Grounds, First St. SE, Washington D.C. 20004 (exact meeting location to come)
When: Thursday, December 8 @ 3:30 pm

Click the button below to register!

We are bringing back our Social Media Team this year. We are asking for volunteers who will agree to post daily (Monday through Friday) during the General Assembly using a draft posting we will send you. This is very effective so rally up everyone you can and sign up! A massive thank you to those of you who have already signed up! If you can help with the Social Media Team, email Director of Communications, Ayesha Taylor, at: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
You can also click the button below to do so.

Join VICPP at the General Assembly to advocate social justice on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023! We're so excited to be back in-person for our flagship advocacy day in 2023! 
 
Register before December 31 to receive early bird pricing ($30)! The price for tickets purchased after January 1, 2023 will automatically go up to $40.

Find more information and all updates at:
tinyurl.com/dfap2023

Or click the button below.

Questions? Email: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Students of Virginia -- Join us to learn the legislative process in Virginia and how to advocate with your elected representatives! Come into Richmond Thursday evening (Feb. 2) for dinner with legislators, an overview of how to lobby, and a social time. Friday morning (Feb. 3), we will start the day with an opportunity to meet with your representatives in the General Assembly. Afterwards, we will have lunch and workshops on how to bring advocacy to campus, and standing up for justice in various spheres. Keep an eye out for workshop registrations coming soon! 

* Bonus: We're working with some universities for professors to offer class credit when you attend this event! Check with your professor to find out if you qualify*

Questions? Email VICPP New Leadership Development Organizer Dr. Terri Erwin at: Terri@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Click the button below for event info and to register!

This prison is such a mess! Virginia can do better. We urge Secretary of Homeland Security Bob Mosier and Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) Director Harold Clarke to cancel the contract with The GEO Group and return management of this prison to the Department of Corrections. Click the button below to use our simple automated system to email VADOC Director Clarke. Use our template message or write your own.

Now that our elections are over, VICPP is joining some of its national and state partners in encouraging people to vote during Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election on December 6th! Georgians showed up and showed out in the general election, and now it’s time to get voters to the polls again.

African Methodist Episcopal Church, New Georgia Project and NAACP are asking for volunteers to make at least 60,000 calls to Georgia voters to get them out to vote on December 6. Georgia needs your help! Sign up to phone bank from the comfort of your own home. They will convene on Zoom, train you, and get you going on the phone.

The stakes are high. Sign up now to make history in Georgia and in our country. 

You must register by clicking the button below to receive information on how to join the shifts. 

* All calls are nonpartisan – simply encouraging people to vote and vote their values.

The 2022-2023 Holiday Advocacy Calendar is ready for sharing! Our team has put together an interfaith calendar marking the festivities of the next few months, along with a series of actions you can take to make sure justice plays a role in your celebrations. Please share widely, in your congregation’s newsletter or bulletin boards, and with friends. Check it out and enjoy the festivities! Simply click the button below and be sure to share the link!

VICPP's Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to review the organization's accomplishments, its finances, its staff and board members, and its future directions. All members are invited to participate. The meeting will be held virtually, via Zoom, so people from all over the Commonwealth can participate.

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.