“Being Counted”
God blesses us with so many ways to
help one another.
Some are simple and yet meaningful:
praying for the many people on our prayer list, those who are suffering in
mind, body, or spirit; picking up the phone and calling someone who is lonely
or having a hard time; running errands or giving a ride; donating to
organizations that are doing good.
Some ways of helping others are more
complex, requiring ingenuity, collaboration, and creativity. I’m still kind of obsessed
with the West Side Community Fridge and the other similar operations that are
popping up around Jersey City and elsewhere, providing fresh food and other
necessities to neighbors in need. I know the hard work and coordination that Monica
Shaw puts into running our Triangle Park Community Center, where so many people
receive a warm welcome, good food, diapers and formula, essential information,
and sometimes even bicycles and scooters! Deacon Jill and her band of
volunteers continue to expand DJ’s Free Market, making it easy for those who
have much to share with those who have little. And, I’m forever in awe of Carol
Mori and her team at Garden State Episcopal CDC, somehow managing to operate a
homeless shelter and a drop-in center, plus rehabilitate and build affordable
housing, and much more. Truly amazing!
There are so many ways to help one
another, sometimes simply by being counted.
Being counted.
When it comes to the Census we
literally need to be counted! It is discouraging but not surprising that so few
people in Jersey City have completed the Census, for whatever reasons choosing
not to be counted. An undercount can mean we’ll have a smaller voice in
Congress and that the poorest and most vulnerable among us will not receive needed
assistance, always important but especially vital these days. I urge you to
take just a few minutes and complete the Census right away. More information
can be found here: www.2020census.gov
We live in a state with one of the
starkest racial wealth gaps in the country. The median net worth for New
Jersey’s white families is $352,000, the highest in the nation. But, for our
Black and Latino families it’s just $6,100 and $7,300, respectively. Stop for a
moment and look at those numbers, and think how they translate into wildly
different lives and opportunities for the people of our state, including many
of our parishioners. Years of racist policies and practices (especially around
homeownership) have gotten us to this dismal and disgraceful point and it’s
going to take a lot of effort to make the changes necessary to build a more
equitable society. For us, this long overdue effort begins by getting the
attention of politicians who are always good at counting heads. So, let’s be
counted at the New Jersey Together statewide action on August 31, on Zoom. At
this action, NJT will be pressing our leaders for change on a variety of racial
equity and criminal justice issues in our state.
You can learn more about driver’s
license suspension reform here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWznD7bAlnM
And, you can learn about sentencing
reform here:
My hope is that we will all
participate in this action (after all, we don’t have to worry about directions
or parking or getting a seat – this time we can be counted from the comfort of
our home!). Click here to learn more about the agenda and to register: www.njtogether.org/action2020
God blesses us with so many ways to
help one another, especially during this time of pandemic and economic distress.
Over these past few months, it has been inspiring to see lots of people
stepping up - calling and checking on others, running a refrigerator on the
sidewalk outside their house, supporting and leading organizations that find
creative ways to care for people. We all have different gifts and abilities to
share, but together we must stand up for justice and equality. Now is the time
when we must all be counted.
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