Interfaith Community Organizing: Working for Justice
Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA)
While much of the work of the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry involves acts of charity, we are also called to work to create a more just society for many people who find themselves pushed to society’s margins. We realize that alone we are only one voice for systemic change, but can make a real difference when we partner in a broad-based justice initiative with other churches, synagogues, mosques, meeting houses and organizations.
Together, we have built a diverse organization of lay leaders and clergy unbound from constraints of race, class, gender identity, religion, and geography, to build relational power to address justice issues in local communities and beyond.
These partner faith communities and organizations who share our values have the ability and the resources to demand a place at the table to make our concerns known. For that reason, the Franciscan Center joined the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance.
GHIAA made the choice to focus its energies on five issues or campaigns: Education, Gun Violence, Healthcare, Housing, and Criminal Justice Reform. Each of these campaigns has a group of people who have committed to focusing on legislative and community actions pertaining to those issues.
Successful campaigns last year included the repeal of welfare liens and Clean Slate legislation that will expunge the records of over 300,000 Connecticut residents who committed a crime years ago but have been successful for years in not making that mistake again. GHIAA was also successful in having Racism declared a public health crisis.
How you can get involved
Each congregation involved forms a trained core team of lay leaders who go through leadership training provided by GHIAA. The role of the Core Team is to engage in meetings of the congregation, host house meetings to learn of congregants’ justice concerns, participate with other GHIAA members in determining the organizational priorities, and represent the congregation during key decisions.
If you are interested in joining our Core Team, please contact Fr. Mike Johnson ofm.
Greater Hartford Immigration Coalition (GHIC)
A sub committee of the Committee for Social Justice, the GHIC grew out of forums on immigration that were held and sponsored by SPSA. Out of those sessions, a group of interested people developed GHIC. They work with legal counsel to assist immigrants interested in attaining permanent residency in the US.
The Greater Hartford Immigration Coalition (GHIC) is dedicated to helping refugees and asylum seekers who are fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. We assist them in the application for legal status in the United States in order to gain safety and the opportunity for a better life. GHIC is focused on humanizing the immigration system through participation in advocacy, rule-making and reform.
GHIC was formed in 2018. The coalition is comprised of a diverse community of volunteers. They work with immigration attorneys to help their clients navigate the immigration process by:
- Engage in client interviews.
- Research background information and country conditions.
- Assist clients in gathering information necessary for an attorney’s preparation of required court documents such as I-589s, Affidavits, and supplemental evidentiary/background documentation.
- Attend court appearances.
- Accompany clients to local, state and federal offices; and
- Identify service providers for clients to cover specific needs such as psychological/trauma evaluations, housing and/or medical services.
Additionally, GHIC participates in advocacy at the local, state and federal levels, including monitoring federal immigration legislation; providing commentary to federally proposed immigration rules during public comment periods; and connecting with other Connecticut advocacy groups in our common mission.
If you are interested in getting involved with GHIC through the Franciscan Center, please contact Fr. Mike Johnson ofm.