Faith in the Public Square

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition has re-scheduled its annual Moral Fusion Leadership Awards for May 24 at First Lutheran Church in Albany from 6-8 p.m. The event, originally scheduled for last October, marks a return to an in-person dinner and program, with the option to join virtually.   The honorees are:   St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church, which has “powerfully engaged its members and partner congregations in study, action and public witness through the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival and other justice ministries. ” ​ Rabbi Matt Cutler, who has been a leader in interfaith and justice work in the Capital Region for over 25 years, including as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady, board member of United Way of the Greater Capital Region, and co-founder of Schenectady Clergy Against Hate.   The Fair Pay for Home Care Campaign, “which has been an amazing example of bringing people and organizat...

City & State magazine , which describes itself as “the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy,” offers a regular feature called The Power List. In its inaugural Faith Power 100 , which is tilted heavily toward the New York City region, there are three individuals might be familiar to people in the Capital District who are involved in the connection between religion and politics. Their ranking and description are as follows:  48. Rev. Peter Cook Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches The Rev. Peter Cook, who represents 7,000 congregations across the state, has pushed Gov. Kathy Hochul to transfer incarcerated people out of Rikers and rallied with home care workers to boost their wages in the state budget. Cook rose to national prominence by using his platform to drive a wedge between gun ownership and Christianity after a gunman killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May. Cook argued for stricte...

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition -- in conjunction with the Capital Region Poor People’s Campaign, FOCUS Churches of Albany, and Schenectady Community Ministries -- will sponsor a Truth Commission on December 7 to highlight “the continuing crisis of poverty, amplify the demands put forward by directly impacted communities, and help connect leaders and groups representing different identities, issues and regions of New York.”   According to an announcement for the virtual event, it will “gather testimony from directly impacted leaders, learn about ways communities are organizing in response, and build solidarity among the poor and dispossessed.”   Here is more: In 2017, the  Labor-Religion Coalition  organized a  Truth Commission on Poverty in New York State  that collected testimony from directly impacted New Yorkers, advocates, direct service providers, faith leaders and policy experts. The Truth Commission showed the prevalence and systemic nat...

The Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State will hold its Virtual Moral Fusion Leadership Awards on November 17 to “honor leaders who were on the front lines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting critical needs in our communities and fighting for justice, equity, and protection for workers.”     The recipients this year are:   Mark Emanatian (Capital District Area Labor Federation) and Sister Betsy VanDeusen (Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany), who partnered with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to coordinate hundreds of drive-through mass food distributions throughout the Capital Region during the pandemic.   Workers at Pindar Vineyards (RWDSU/UFCW Local 338), who this year became the first group of farmworkers in the state to unionize under the 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act.   Albany Medical Center Nurses (NYSNA), who won a fair first contract that offers them a stronger voice in patient care, as well as...