On Monday, May 20, the Ann Arbor City Council will vote on its 2014 budget. After years of cuts, this budget finally shows some increases. But while the administrator’s proposed budget calls for increases to many areas, it calls for cuts for human service funding.

The proposed cuts by the City are small ($46,8998), they are in a context of incremental erosion of local human service funding and  national-level attacks on our social safety net through sequestration:

• Local erosion of human service funding: Over the past ten years (2003-2013),  overall city General Fund expenditures declined by about 1.25% while human services funding declined by 14.32% over the same period (source).
• Sequestration cuts to human services: According to a report by the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, ”Sequestration cuts will result in nearly $1,000,000 in reductions to support for unemployed residents, nutrition assistance, affordable housing and utility assistance, and support to youth and seniors this year.”

Please  Email Mayor and Council  to restore human service funding.

Additional Resources:

• Proposed Budget FY2014
  
• Letter from ICPJ Board President Ron Gregg to Council regarding funding for Permanent Supportive Housing
• Contact information for the Mayor and City Council

The Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice is pleased to announce the publication of Closing the Gap-Community Perspectives On Educational Equity in Ann Arbor.

This report is the result of several years of study, collaboration, and consultation ICPJ’s Racial and Economic Justice Task Force to explore:

• What are the points of leverage available to promote educational equity?
• What groups are currently working in these areas?
• What gaps exist that are not being filled?

Our hope is that the findings of the report provide support for exiting AAPS efforts to promote educational equity, insights that might improve these works, and a challenge for the school district to continue to strive to create a learning and teaching environment that serves all students.

Tuesday, April 23

The penal population within the United States has consistently increased every year for nearly the past four decades. Mass incarceration is now more a concern than ever before. With the incarceration rate four times its historic average, we need to address the social, political and economic consequences of a socially unjust criminal justice system.

The free screening of the documentary “Broken On All Sides” addresses the racial inequalities of the criminal justice system within the U.S. and the disastrous social impact mass incarceration brings to individuals and communities as a consequence.

Please come, invite your family and friends, and be a part of this important conversation.

WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, April 23

WHERE: Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, 1679 Broadway, Ann Arbor

SPONSORED: Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice

DETAILS: www.icpj.net, info@icpj.net, 734-663-1870, https://www.facebook.com/events/189777064504029/

Statewide Forum on Privatization of Prisons–Saturday, April 13, 2013 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Private prisons create a cycle of criminalization that tears at the heart of our communities.  This forum will bring together local and state elected officials, civic leaders and community activists to:

1. Educate our community about private prisons and the companies that build them;
2. Examine legislation that governs policy for state prisons and our judicial system; and
3. Explore best practices to address mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, prison reform and their impact on the local community.

REGISTRATION IS FREE AND REQUIRED FOR LUNCH (Provided for all registrants with tickets). Registration and details here.

WHERE: Eastern Michigan University, Student Center Grand Ballroom, 900 Oakwood Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

WHEN: Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (EDT)

WHO: Sponsored by Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Washtenaw County Democratic Party Black Caucus, Public Action Committee for Justice, EMU Department of Diversity and Community Involvement and Michigan Black Caucus – Local Elected Officials

DETAILS: For more information, contact Lefiest H. Galimore, at lefiest@aol.com or (734) 757-5225, or Reggie Barnes, at rbarne13@emich.edu or (734) 487-6790.

One of the Country’s Leading Anti-Racist Writers and Activists, Tim Wise will be in town for an amazing discussion on Racial Inequality.

In discussing the pitfalls of “colorblindness” in the Obama era, Wise argues against colorblindness and for deeper color-consciousness in both public and private practice. We can only begin to move toward authentic social and economic equity through what he calls illuminated individualism—acknowledging the diverse identities that have shaped our perceptions and the role that race continues to play in the maintenance of disparities between whites and people of color in the United States today.

Where:  University of Michigan, Michigan League Ballroom, 911 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

When: Wednesday, April 17th, 5:oo pm

Who: Sponsored by the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice and Understanding Race Theme Semester Student Steering Committee.

Details:  www.icpj.net, info@icpj.net, 734-663-1870, https://www.facebook.com/events/510418792349113/

Leaders from different religious, racial, and ethnic groups will reflect on the high and low points of how their traditions have dealt with issues of race, racial justice, and racial healing. Speakers include:

• Mohammed Tayssir Safi, Muslim Chaplain at the University of Michigan
• Rabbi Bob Levy, Temple Beth Emeth
• Margaret Noori / Giiwedinoodin (Anishinaabe heritage, waabzheshiinh doodem), Director of the UM Comprehensive Studies Program
• Ahmad Rahman, Dept. of History, University of Michigan, Dearborn
• Pastor Victoria James, Ekklesia Fellowship Ministries
• Pastor Deborah Dean-Ware, Church of the Good Shepherd

Where: Ann Arbor District Library Downtown Branch Multipurpose Room, 343 South Fifth Avenue

When: Tuesday, April 9, 7:00 pm

Who: Sponsored by the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice and the Ann Arbor District Library. Part of the ICPJ Race and Religion Project.

Details: www.icpj.net, info@icpj.net, 734-663-1870, https://www.facebook.com/events/455729077829051/