War/Occupation:

In the spirit of such leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatmas Gandhi, the Interfaith Justice and Peace Center advocates for non-violence and the restoration of human rights to all persons. Participating in acts of violence, war and occupation only perpetuates a culture of violation of human dignity. We view all human beings as sisters and brothers with no one type of person being more important than another.

Often times in our world today, foreign policy situations require much study and review of history. No situation comes with an easy answer, including how to handle acts of terrorism. Always check out or Upcoming Events for ways to learn more about peace. We also encourage education and awareness of legislation policies that may help or hinder the outcome for Peace. While there are many websites to refer to, we endorse the following:

www.fcnl.org Friends Committee on National Legislation
www.networklobby.org A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
www.forusa.org Fellowship of Reconciliation

Israel and Palestine

This Middle Eastern conflict is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Portrayed in a negative way in the instance of the general mass media, and therefore in the general public. We encourage fist a thorough study of the conflict's history before making any judgments. We recommend the following website to learn more about the history of the conflict :

www.ifamericansknew.org If American's Knew

IJPC has often brought in speakers who have witnessed first hand the conflict in this area of the Middle East. These speakers have worked with such groups as:

www.cpt.org Christian Peacemaker Teams
www.justicewheels.org Wheels of Justice Tour

As always, watch our Calendar and Upcoming Event to learn more!

Fair Labor

It is the belief of IJPC's mission statement that all human beings have dignity, and this includes the right to work and fair labor in the workplace. Workers should be treated fairly and have the right to a living wage, healthy working conditions, and the right to unionize. IJPC endorses and co-sponsors many events with groups working on fair labor issues including:

www.jwj.org Jobs with Justice
www.floc.com Farm Laborers Organizing Committee
www.iwj.org Interfaith Worker Justice

The Death Penalty

IJPC works to abolish the Death Penalty to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias, tainted by human error.

We recommend using Amnesty International (www.amnestyusa.org) to learn more and get involved in national campaigns. Locally, we support Ohioans to Stop Executions (www.otse.org) and will post local prayer vigils in our events calendar.

As people of faith, we believe in the process of redemption but do not forget the victim's families. IJPC is proud to promote Compassion, a newsletter written by death row inmates. The inmates' focus and ultimate objection is to genuinely foster reconciliation between prisoners and the immediate family members of murdered victims. Compassion urges prisoners to set a new standard of moral decency for themselves.

The inmates wanted to publish a newsletter that would develop healing communication between capital punishment offenders and murdered victims' families, while giving offenders a forum to express compassionate and introspective feelings. They also wanted to establish a college scholarship fund for family members of murdered victims.

"This is a story about the process of redemption. This scholarship and the magazine Compassion are remarkable examples of how every child of God has value. They show how even those who have caused great suffering and loss, and whom our society has condemned, can still offer something redemptive and worthwhile our of their lives."

Copies of Compassion can be obtained through:

St. Rose Parish/Compassion
140 S. Boundary Street
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551

(419)874-1333

Economic Justice

Today, more than ever, Globalization affects every part of our lives. We, here in America, often are not exposed to its negative side as much as our brothers and sisters from the Global South. Globalization has opened the doors to such programs as NAFTA and CAFTA but with devastating effects to the workers. Americans lose their jobs when companies outsource labor in a "race to the bottom." And NAFTA has not produced the promised good outcomes to the workers from other countries, where poverty has increased. A different option to free trade is Fair Trade. This means that the person who make or grew the item being purchased received a living wage and fair working conditions. He or she is identifiable and received benefits from the item being sold rather than a large corporation. There are many Fair Trade options available and we encourage you to explore more:

www.tenthousandvillages.com Ten Thousand Villages
www.heartbeatscatalog.org Heartbeats
www.crsfairtrade.org Catholic Relief Services

Additionally, we seek to support local businesses and giant corporations. At their best, local businesses strengthen communities by creating diversity of workplaces and an opportunity for skilled labor, living wages, and profits that remain in the community. We encourage shopping at the following local businesses in the Toledo area.

Downtown Latte
44 South Saint Clair Street
Toledo, Ohio 43602
(419)243-6032
-Fair Trade coffees, social justice programs, organic deli

People Called Women Bookstore
3153 West Central Avenue
Toledo, Ohio 43606
(419)535-6455

Georgette's/ Ten Thousand Villages
311 Conant Street
Maumee, Ohio 43537
(419)891-8888

The Original Sub Shop
402 Broadway Street
Toledo, Ohio 43602
(419)243-4857

Email us your favorite local business to add to the website!

Visiting sites like Co-op America (www.coopamerica.org) can also help you identify "green" businesses and non-sweatshop made items. We also support Working Assets (www.workingforchange.com) a phone company that employs higher business standards and donates a portion of its profits to progressive causes.

Learning more about how giant corporations work is also important in understanding economic justice. Wake Up Wal-Mart (www.wakeupwalmart.com) is a campaign to change Wal-Mart's business practices. Why Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart is the number one retailer in the world. It has more trading power than several small countries combined and imports most of its merchandise from China. The fact is that Wal-Mart denies business culture today and sets the standards. Companies are often trying to beat Wal-Mart's prices at the expense of ethical labor practices. It is for this reason, that if we can change Wal-Mart, we can change America's business standards. For more information on how Wal-Mart effects America check out PBS' FRONTLINE documentary (www.pbs/frontline/shows/walmart).

Environmental Justice

We believe in the sacredness of all creation and the interconnectedness of all living things. We seek to educate and promote sustainable ways of living and endorse the advocacy for such issues as stopping global warming, protecting and respecting all species, and caring for the Earth.

www.earthcharter.org The Earth Charter Initiative
www.environmentaldefense.org Environmental Defense
www.defendersofwildlife.org Defenders of Wildlife

Abortion

The Interfaith Justice and Peace Center recognizes that the issue of abortion is often a divisive one and not always agreed upon by the social justice community. IJPC affirms the dignity of all people, including both women and unborn children. To that end, we support addressing root causes of what drive women to choose abortion while making life choices more viable. We believe, above all, that any stance on this issue must include consideration of the intersection of other issues, such as domestic violence, rape/incest, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and media portrayal of women. We support organizations working for women's rights and encourage the exploring of the Feminists for Life website. IJPC does not take a stance on Roe vs. Wade but rather chooses to focus on addressing root causes of all aspects of this issue.

www.feministsforlife.org Feminists for Life

Racism

IJPC considers a working definition of racism to be P+P+P=R, or Prejudice plus Power plus Privelage equals racism. White Privelage must be talked about in order to bring about the elimation of racism. Racism is embedded througout our institutions in America. We encourage all people to learn more through such organizations as the YWCA. The YWCA of Greater Toledo has a Racial Justice Department that can be reached at 419-241-3235. Online resources include:

YWCA Racial Justice Link

Race: The Power of an Illusion