By Jeffery Odell Korgen
The book’s theme: transform social structures so that they promote
human dignity
The U.S. Catholic
Bishops founded Catholic Campaign for Human Development, CCHD to help “people
who are poor speak and act for themselves.”
Empowerment is one tool CCHD promotes toward that end, but empowerment
is a word that many people define differently.
Empowerment is beyond a simple interpretation of giving power. It is enabling people a means to find
dignity in their lives. In many ways, Catholic
social teaching principles expressed in the popular catechetical tool follow
this principle: “The Two Feet of Love in Action.” One foot represents “social justice and the
other stands for charitable works. Both
feet are needed to move toward the Kingdom of God and their relationship is
complementary. Before I lose a large
percentage of readers that were able to get beyond the word catholic at the beginning
of this review, let me share my view of the three words, “Kingdom of God.” In one word: reality. Expanded: ‘things as there are by themselves
by themselves.’ Metaphorically, ‘a rose
is itself by itself, it just wants to bloom.
So let it bloom.’
This book sets out six different stories spanning various scenarios
where a group of people have climbed out of systematic social injustice brought
upon them. The process is largely the same that begins with a solidarity around common cause. Band as a group, identify the social
injustice and the root causes, and more than anything else; set a strategy to
climb your way out ON YOUR OWN. This is
a brand solidarity that does more than achieve a fair arrangement on a social ladder
that allows for improved living conditions.
It brings a sustainable solution that is founded in human dignity which
is the bedrock for world peace. No man of
dignity would find it in his conscious to wage war against another man, but
would rather look at his fellow man and ask, “How can I help you?”
The social groups written about in this book begin with
people on the fringe in the Bayou, who are simply seeking a place at the table. The folks there are from many social reasons
not endeared with the same skills as a person from say suburban Midwest America. In Meat Linderesesas: Women’s Justice
Circles you read about women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment
and violence, since they are frequently less able to defend their rights. In
Voices of Solidarity: Workers Centers
and Social Enterprises; you read about systematic injustices stemmed from
employment law loopholes that socially corrupt entrepreneurs exploit. In Who’s Got the Tickets”: Progress Center
for Independent Living; you read about activism in Chicago focused on people who
overcome physical disabilities, and the social disentrancement that comes with them.
In the Power of Himdag; you read about
an Arizona Indian tribe suffering from poverty and obesity at the hands of the
U. S. government, reclaim along with their dignity and empowerment, their
heritage. And finally in Jobs not Jails:
you read about how ex cons have organized
to change a system that does nothing to move past their crime and punishment.
Himdag is my favorite chapter because it speaks to a phrase
that goes like this ‘be careful how you help as you may make the problem worse.’ In this chapter the O’odham tribe had been
living on the dole of the U.S. government in retribution for their relegation to
a reservation. This U.S. crime is not to
be taken lightly. The O’odam reclaimed
their heritage by reconnecting to their tribal food source. They turned away the government supply line
of processed food that did not fit with their DNA base metabolism. In the process they found their health in
body, and soul. They also organized an
economic revival based on their reclaimed food source that was in tune with
their desert environment. The theme here
is through ever so small investment from CCHD and coaching through the process,
the O’odham charted their way back to who they once were. They did this just in time, because while the
movement required the energy of the youth, they were able to reach back to
their elders the last remaining generation for council before they became mere legends. I encourage the readers of this review to
spend time to read and dwell on my bibliography notes on this chapter. If you don’t read the book, at least you have
a ‘cliff notes’ synopsis (beginning at location 1736), of a lesson on taking responsibility
for taking back what is yours………dignity.
Bibliography Notes:
1.
Location 74: Who
are the excluded among us in the United States?
Some are hidden, some hidden in plain sight. Maybe they are disabled; maybe they live in a
Native American Indian nation. Perhaps
they were raised in a “no-parent” family, or they are unauthorized migrants or
ex-prisoners. Pope Francis calls us to
be a church of and for these excluded people.
Isn’t it time we got to know them better?
2.
Location 76:
This book is a faith journey with the excluded, guided by the Catholic
Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), which funds economic development and
organizing among the poorest communities in the United States.
3.
Location 120: We
are each made in the image and likeness of God and therefore possess an
inherent dignity. Dignity given by God
4.
Location 144: Each November, in parishes throughout the United States, Catholics contribute to an annual collection supporting CCHD’s grant making to community organizing and economic development organizations led by people living in poverty. Local bishops send three-fourths of the collection to the national CCHD office, and one-fourth stays in their diocese to be used for local poverty alleviation efforts. In 2013, the CCHD national office received almost $10 million in contributions, distributing about $7million to 157 organizing projects and close to $2 million to 37economic ventures.
Location 144: Each November, in parishes throughout the United States, Catholics contribute to an annual collection supporting CCHD’s grant making to community organizing and economic development organizations led by people living in poverty. Local bishops send three-fourths of the collection to the national CCHD office, and one-fourth stays in their diocese to be used for local poverty alleviation efforts. In 2013, the CCHD national office received almost $10 million in contributions, distributing about $7million to 157 organizing projects and close to $2 million to 37economic ventures.
5.
Many in Louisiana….organizing themselves in
Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)-funded economic development and
organizing projects, some of these leaders have responded not with bitterness
or the language of victimhood . They have
instead called for a place at the table of public life where decisions are
made.
a.
My Comment: this approach is exactly what I saw
missing in the book ‘The Covenant’.
6.
Location 220: At
Café Reconcile….all students take a drug test upon acceptance, but failing it
does not disqualify them from participation; it is for diagnostic purposes – to
assess their baseline issues. When it
comes time for their internships to begin, nine weeks later, they must be
clean.
7.
Location 257:
Ernetts described some of the changes she made as result of the training
– including how she spoke. “I learned
how to talk with inside people,” she said, “instead of how I talk to my
friends.” At Café Reconcile, this is
called “code switching,” changing ones speech based on immediate social context. Street slang is for the streets; polite
standard English is for the workplace.
“Some customers,” she said,
“they’d be like, ‘How are you doing?’ And I’m like ‘Fine you? But to my
friends, I’d say ,’Hey girl!”
8.
Location 550:
Preservation of the land, it is without question the greatest challenge
the organization has ever faced.
9.
Location 951: at Workers Centers and Social Enterprises
Esmeralda’s tirades: “you guys are
undocumented. You come here to
clean. And you come to clean the
mierda!” She felt a familiar flush of
anger. “Yes.” She thought. “I am undocumented. Bt that didn’t give you the right to steal
our wages.”
a.
My Comment: If she is undocumented both parties
are at risk. Esmeralda for employing
undocumented immigrants. The workers for
being here illegally. Under the law
neither has rights. There is a social
justice question, but our legal system is designed for legal justice that is
logical, where social justice comes from a place of compassion, the heart. If a
person follows his heart, if all persons followed their hearts there would be
little need for a legal system that is essentially blind to social justice.
1
Location 972:
“Because we taught our employer that even though we don’t have legal
status, we do have rights.
1
Location 983: In
September 2009, a nationally recognized team of scholars working on behalf of
three research organizations released the largest study ever undertaken on wage
theft. Over 4,300 low-wage workers were
interviewed in 13 languages by 62 field staff, throughout New York, Chicago and
Los Angeles. 1.) In all unauthorized
migrants made up 38.8 percent of the workers, 2.) a representative sample of
the urban low-wage work force revealed wide spread and systematic wage
violations across many sectors of the low-wage urban economy.
1
Location 1029:
If you haven’t already guessed it, the WHD has a serious backlog of
cases, which precludes initiating investigations within six months. GAO investigators found backlogs of seven to
eight months at one regional office and thirteen in another. These backlogs are troubling because the federal
statute of limitations to collect back wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act
is “two years from the date of the employer’s failure to pay correct
wages. However unfair this provision may
sound, given the backlog of cases, federal courts still enforce the statute of
limitations
a.
My comment:
All this points to MORE failure of government programs.
1
Location 1195:
the NWAEJC has launched a campaign against the Obama Administration’
Department of Agriculture’s USDA proposed new “Poultry Modernization”
rules. These regulations would allow
increased line speeds in poultry processing, raising the likelihood of worker
injuries and inspectors missing more feces, bile, and scabs on chickens passing
through the line. The poultry industry,
for its part, promises to treat chicken products with an additional
antibacterial bleach solution to compensate.
Although the health risks to consumers have been noted by the industry,
poultry companies have said relatively little about worker safety.
Location 1199:
Modernization line speed changes dropped, NWAWJC leaders would like to
see safety committees convened in each plant, to identify ways to prevent injuries
and health problems. If such committees
existed, Mercedes Rodriguez might have found and exit sooner when an ammonia
explosion rocked the Tyson Foods poultry plant in which she worked, there was
no exist sign,” she explained, “and no trainings on how to evacuate the
building whatsoever!” Since her
exposure, Mercedes has been diagnosed with asthma, and she suffers from chronic
nasal congestion as well as acid reflux.
Her workers compensation case is proceeding, but her main interest is
making sure other workers are not exposed to chemicals simply because they do
not know the exit route.
1
Location 1373:
Henry approaches his advocacy work first with an attempt to establish
rapport – with legislators, legislative staff, and consumers. He has found public officials generally
responsive to that style. “But what we
need is for them to respond to what we see the issues are and what we need, and
to understand that we vote. The vote is
our power,” he said. “We are not asking for anything that everybody else is not getting.
We want to be able to go into a restaurant and sit down at the table with everybody else, and not have a table in
the closet where people with disabilities eat.”
a.
My Comment:
The essential difference between this quote and the quotes coming from
the book The Covenant, and the voice of protests like Black Lives Matter, is
this person is simply asking government assistance that everybody else would want.
He doesn’t want anything special, but just to sit at the same table as
the rest of the world
b.
I need to do a search on the demographics of the
gay-v-disabled population and draw a measured comparison of the
Issue/voice. The question that needs to
be addressed, is why to you hear so much from one group and not enough from the
other? Is it the press? Or is the disabled working on the wrong
strategy?
c.
Later in the book we read that disabled
Americans are 20%, the largest minority with a very meek voice.
1
Location 1388:
Saint John Paul II once observed’ “human works is a key, probably the
essential key, to the whole social question.”
By extension, work is also the key to Integral Human Development. Work helps people feel worthwhile; it is a
creative outlet. Work provides
remuneration to attend a host of personal needs and to invest in one’s
continued development. John Paul didn’t
stop there, noting that through work humans participate in God’s ongoing
creation of the universe. Helping
disabled people find meaningful work is therefore an essential part of Progress
Center’s mission, an element that brings staff like Horacio face-to-face with
employment discrimination.
1
Location 1416:
In many ways, Progress Center embodies the Catholic social teaching
principles expressed in the popular catechetical tool “The Two Feet of Love in
Action.” One foot represents “social
justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people).
And the other stands for charitable works. (Short-term, emergency assistance
for individuals. Bothe feet are needed
to move toward the Kingdom of God and their relationship is complementary.
1
Location 1440:
Growing in confidence, Ernesto began to take long walks, simply for the
fitness benefits. Fluent in Braille, he
studied to become a Braille instructor for undocumented immigrants ineligible
for government services. He distributes
canes obtained by Progress Center to sight-impaired Latinos living in the
shadows, “excluded” from the social safety net.
In a sense Ernesto became a volunteer emissary for Progress Center,
helping Latinos move toward independence.
a.
Helping undocumented immigrants without
government participation can only be done through NGO/NPOs. This is as it should be and the conscious of
ONE People under God should require no boarders and no One Nation Under God,
but simply the Holy Spirit of mankind.
1
Location 1451:
As a group, people with disabilities now comprise over 54M people, almost
20 percent of the population. “We are
the biggest minority group in the country.
a.
And the quietest group in going about achieving
their own social justice
2 Location 1456:
Today Progress Center seeks to increase disabled consumer’s ability to
act, to bring power to the table of public life.
2
Location 1486:
NIMBY means “Not In My Back Yard.”
The term emerged in the 1970s withing the hazardous waste industry to
describe residents who opposed local toxic waste disposal projects. NIMBY has since become much more broadly used
to describe groups of typically middle-class neighbors who band together to
oppose any number of developments, such as affordable housing for people living
in poverty, housing for people with disabilities, infrastructure development
like airports, commuter rail lines… etc.
a.
My comment is this is the concept of
zoning. I see little wrong with zoning,
however I take objection to those who make a living (typically government
positions) off of serving the poor while in their private lives choose to live
at a distance from those people they serve.
When they do this out of superiority it’s pungent as they are simply
making a living off of the plight of the poor.
2
L Location 1491:
Reasons for opposition typically include fears of reduced property
values, greater risk to the community members, increases in crime, loss of
small town atmosphere, and disproportionate benefit to “outsiders.” NIMBY often make fair points, but if every
community took their approach, we would have no places to process waste, and
nowhere for people with various challenges and disabilities to live. Frequently, these developments end up being
placed where poor and unorganized people live, itself an injustice.
2 Location 1515:
Over time, Loree has developed what she calls a an “intuitive gift, to
look into a person, see their gifts, and then encourage them past any
hesitancy, to let those gifts come right out.”
2 Location 1567:
Gerardo continued, identifying the personal cost of this intersection of
exclusions. “There’s adaptive technology
that Progress Center has, like computer screen readers,” he said. “But in my case, I’m not a resident alien or
a citizen. I don’t have access to
that. Agencies have the programs, the
services, bit we’re not eligible.”
Later, I mention Gerado’s point to Horacio. He is horrified.
a.
My
Comment: If they are aliens, they should pursue the NGO/NPO route of which
there are plenty. I struggle to see
where the government should come to the aid of aliens when there are suitable
alternatives. All organizations have
their missions and roles and there is no reason to mix them up.
2 Location 1659: In 2006, Cook County Commissioner Bob
Simon ordered the deportation of any unauthorized immigrants in the long-term
care facility as a means of cost cutting.
The move alarmed both the disability community and politically active
Latinos. Artemio organized a group of
protesters within the hospital. The
Progress Center sent leaders to protest throughout Cook county. Robert
Maldonado took up the cause and became the barer of Progress Center leader’s
stories to fellow commissioners.
2
Location 1736:
The Power of Himdag: Early on
in TOCA leaders who researched these programs discovered that the foundation of
the meals provided was simply put a heap of sugar. On a school cafeteria tour, they saw the
day’s breakfast: pancakes with syrup, fruit cocktail I syrup, and chocolate
milk. “Sugar upon sugar,” Tristan
described. If, as many nutritional
scientists suggest, Native American, in general have a genetic predisposition
to diabetes, this government-sponsored menu is nothing short of smallpox
blankets, however well intended.
Scientists suggest that ten thousand years of foraging, hunting and
farming in the desert switched various O’dham genes for metabolism on and off
until their bodies became particularly at tuning calories into fat. As a cactus conserves water, their bodies
conserve fat, which worked well as long as they consumed traditional high
–fiber, slow digesting foods, like tepary beans, prickly pear, and ciolim
(pronounced CHO luhm, cactus buds).
Location 1750:
Families began to center their diets around highly processed foods purchased
at stores with the men’s wages and processed commodity foods paid for by the
U.S. government and distributed through various welfare programs.
2
Location 1759:
Of the Tohono O’odham Indian nation:
But how sovereign is a nation if it is entirely dependant on outsiders
for its food supply? [the result of being conquered and then ‘compensated’] By
the same token, if a large portion of its population is unemployed and
dependent on outside welfare programs, how sovereign is that nation?
2
Location 1762:
Of those employed in the formal economy, three fourth hold public sector
positions.
3
Location 1765:
Terrol observed many basket weavers supplementing their income through
the sale of handicrafts, but they were exploited by outside traders who offered
minimal payment, then steeply marked up prices for resale.
3
Location 1779:
No support from tribal government was forthcoming, but Terrol and
Tristan nevertheless raise enough donations and grant money, including $15,000
from Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), to launch TOCA.
3
Location 1782:
the need for cultural revitalization, economic development, the
rebuilding of food systems, empowerment of youth, and the promotion of health
and wellness among all of the Tohono O’odham
Location 1826:
When his family moved to Sells, he signed up for a fifteen-month TOCA
youth internship. A dozen youth aged
fourteen to twenty-five participated, learning abouth O’odham foods; traditional
stories and songs, and games
3
Location 1835:
Juki and Jesse reflected on their Project Oidag experience, they
displayed an interest in growing produce, but and even greater passion for the
cultural dimensions of the traditional O’odham farming, learning concepts like
s-wa:gima (pronounced SWAG eh meh), which means to be industrious and
hardworking.
3
Location 1839: Project Oidag endeared Oidag gardeners
to their grandparents, the O’odham elders, who recall a time when the Tohono
Nation produced much of its own food and now play a vital role in TOCA,
teaching youth and yound adults how to prepare the traditional foods.
3
Location 1844:
Each family had their own fields that they managed. It’s pretty cool to be able to talk to him,
and they are pretty excited to hear that we’re trying to get the youth back
into it. That’s where it all lies, with
them.
3
Location 1870:
As Noland immersed himself in the work of mentoring farmers, a change
began to set in. He recalled, “I’m more
patient now. I can step back and let
ideas flow. I’m not yelling like I use
to. I’m also more outspoken. In school, I was the quiet kid in the
back. Now I’m on the district council
for the area around Cowlic and serve on several committees.” The quiet kid in the back” became Sterling’s
professor.
3
Location 1881:
But Sterling’s development did not end there. Aftera few months he came to view his
internship less as a job than a “sacred practice”
3
Location 1884:
He also began to take better care of his body and relationships,
achieving a purer mind-set as he approached his work. “You have to be pure of mind and let go of
whatever might be blocking you, so you can focus that energy within you on
prayer,” he said.
4
Location 1887:
But just as important, we’ve got to teach why we value food through the
stories and legends about why these foods were given to us.”
4
Location 1924:
With that joyful discussion of “good food.” We continued our
interview. Since 2002, opening a native
foods café had been one of Terrol’s dreams.
4
Location 1937:
bit the next step, TOCA staff believe, is changing the practices of the
major institutional food providers.
These businesses provide meals for reservation schools, in the HIS hospital,
and tribe’s Early Childhood Education program.
Location 1971:
Healthy Schools Campaign and National Farm to School Network with its
tepary bean quesadilla recipe no served in the reservation schools.
a.
My comment replacing twinkies and ho ho’s
4
Location 1987:
TOCA is not waiting for national reform of the school lunch
programs. With two farms up and running,
new farmers in training, the café doing brisk business and drawing increased
catering work, TOCA is poised to take the next step – a fully operative food
production and distribution system. To
that end TOCA founded Desert Rain Food Services, led by Brooklyn native
Stephanie Lip, a Food Crops volunteer who, like so many others, opted to stick
around after her term of service ended working with the Bureau.
4
Location 2011:
Before TOCA founded the Tohono O’odham Basket Weaver’s Organization
(TOBO). Rose used to sell small baskets
for $20. Now, she brings in percent an average of $60 per item, via the
Association’s Desert Rain Gallery.
Weavers get paid 85 percent of a basket’s sale price, with 15 percent earmarked
for the gallery’s rent and management.
TOBO launched with a$7500CCHD startup grant.
4
Location 2027:
to support this pan-tribal vision TOCA published the first issue of
Native Foodways magazine in 2013, through funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Outreach
and Advocacy for the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers. A quarterly, the magazine features articles on various tribes’
efforts to preserve traditional foodways and preservation diets.
4
Location 2034:
Profiles of award-winning Native
American chefs, several of whom bring
traditional foods to tribal casinos, add personal narratives to the metastory
of various tribes and their centuries-long relationship to local foods. Additional commentary explains the notion of
food sovereignty and provides the nutritional and cultural rationale for adopting preservation diets.
Recipes abound throughout each issue along with “serving suggestions” photography that will
make the reader want to try the foods
immediately
4
Location 2054:
…many O’odham lacked “the ability to act.”
Today, they have power to respond, but also so much more: they are
reclaiming their ‘himdag.’ In
addition, the tribe as a whole is inching toward greater sovereignty as the
traditional foods portion of the reservation economy grows.
4
Location 2129: Refusing to hire applicants with criminal
records has become de facto means of racial discrimination. Because African Americans account for 28.3
percent of all arrests in the United States while comprising 12.9 percent of
the population, ruling out such applicants means ruling out African Americans
disproportionately. That is why it is
illegal to refuse to hire someone solely on the basis of a criminal record,
when the conviction bears no relevance to the job in question
5
Location 2228:
If Jobs Not Jails is to succeed, EPOCA will need to bring in even more
faith-based and community partners. A
crowd of ten thousand is not enough to move legislation so transformative. EPOCA’s nascent partnership with the Society of
St Vincent de Paul offers some encouragement.
Nationally, the Society seeks to return with returning citizens to meet
basic needs but also to partner with them to transform social structures that promote
recidivism and the ongoing cycle of poverty
5
Location 2232:
statewide chapters who have partnered with CCHD funded organizations to
work to dismantle the Scarlet “X”.
a.
Obama signed this into law with bipartisan endorsement
of Congress.
