[foodjustice-steering] PLEASE READ: Resolution to vote on solidarity with Palestinians

Tue Apr 15 15:37:37 CDT 2025

 Preety,I'm glad you're on the Food Policy Council, and that you'll be in Lansing to advocate for healthy school meals.I won't be free that day, but I hope there's a good turnout.
Cathy
    On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 12:44:11 PM EDT, Preety Gadhoke <drgadhoke at gmail.com> wrote:  

 Advocacy Day - May 6th - Healthy Schools Meals for All Michigan -
On May 6th, there will be a legislation day in Lansing for Healthy School Meals for All Michigan. I will be in attendance as a WC Food Policy Council Board Member and welcome anyone interested in engaging with legislators about Food Justice. Here’s an opportunity to make real-time policy impact in our State. Please spread the word!
Information on the event:
The American Heart Association (AHA) will be hosting an advocacy/lobby day for Healthy School Meals for All on Tuesday, May 6th in Lansing. Please consider joining or sharing with your networks (especially parents, school staff, etc.). AHA will provide talking points and host a meeting prior to May 6th so everyone attending feels comfortable talking with legislators. Here's the registration link: https://midwestregion.quorum.us/event/21025/

If you or your organization are interested in signing on as a supporter of Healthy School Meals for All, please fill out this form. 

Amanda Klein from the American Heart Association has been hosting monthly coalition meetings for Healthy School Meals for All, if you'd like to join please reach out to her at: Amanda.Klein at heart.org

Regards,Preety ———————————-Preety Gadhoke, PhD, MPHWashtenaw County DOH Food Policy Council2025-2026, Board Member - Public Health Sector

On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 09:59 Preety Gadhoke <drgadhoke at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi everyone,
I agree. We need to have a process in place to evaluate our mission, vision, and goals first and, next, how our imperative applies to such broader initiatives. 
I have updates on local food Justice needs, based on my board position at the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council and 2025 priorities for our local communities. It would be useful to talk about what we can do to address local community needs. 
Thanks,Preety 
On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 09:46 Cathy Muha <cathymuha at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

 Food Justice folks,Connie and I discussed this. We don't have a process in place to co-sponsor or support any initiative as a team at this time. This is something we will need to discuss at our upcoming Visioning session on Saturday, August 23.Because we are unprepared to deal with this issue, we will not be co-sponsoring or have a member of UUJME present at our next meeting.
It's up to each of us to vote our conscience on this resolution when it comes to a vote within the congregation as a whole. 
Thanks for your input on this issue. 
Cathy and Connie
    On Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 07:37:55 PM EDT, Cathy Muha <cathymuha at sbcglobal.net> wrote:  

  Food Justice folks,Please read this below. Would you consider co-sponsoring? If so, I will invite them to come to our April meeting.
Thanks,Cathy

Dear UUAA Group Leader,
I am writing from the now-combined Social Justice Council and Vision Support Committee - joined beginning in April in the pursuit of both Vision 2050 and our collective social justice efforts.  
One of those efforts - our UUs for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) - is working on a Resolution to bring to the full congregation for a vote in June.  This resolution would align UUAA with the UUA's "Solidarity With Palestinians: Action for Immediate Witness."   The proposed Resolution is attached below.  
The UUJME group has two invitations for all groups across UUAA.  The first invitation is to join them in co-sponsoring this Resolution, because of it's many links to the work of this congregation, as Mark Jagner explains below. If you might consider co-sponsoring, UUJME representatives would welcome the opportunity to meet with your group at your April or May meeting to discuss the Resolution in more detail.   
The second invitation is for groups that may not be considering co-sponsoring.  For you, the UUJME team appreciates if you can share the Resolution with your members and invite feedback for the UUJME team, who would be glad to attend a meeting to discuss in more detail.  
You can get in touch with UUJME at uujme at uuaa.org, or reach out to Mark directly (mjagner at yahoo.com).  And they invite everyone to attend this Sunday's event (April 13, 1:00pm), the film "Roadmap to Apartheid." The Weekly News has more information.  
***  Examples of UUAA Group connections to the Palestine situation from Mark: 
Palestine is a Food Justice issue: Israel is using mass starvation as a weapon of war. Since breaking the ceasefire a month ago, Israel has not allowed any food, medicine or humanitarian aid to enter Gaza! In the West Bank, agricultural land where the native population has practiced sustainable farming for centuries is being destroyed.
Habitat for Humanity: Every individual and every family deserve a home that is safe and secure with access to water, electricity and sewage. Since October, 2023, Israel has destroyed the homes of 2 million people in Gaza and 40,000 people in the West Bank.
Restorative Justice: Peace will come to Palestine/Israel when there is a process of reconciliation in which both peoples see and affirm the the humanity in the other.
Community of Writers: There is a group of young people in Gaza called We Are Not Numbers who write in English about theirs lives under a 2 decades-long military siege and never ending war. They have just published a book!
Palestine is a Climate Justice/Environmental Justice issue: The dumping of chemicals near poor communities and unequal water distribution is common practice in the West Bank. War and conflict have a devastating impact on ecosystems, poison the soil and release huge amounts of carbon and toxic gases into the atmosphere. 
Palestine is a Racial Justice issue: Anytime people are excluded, discriminated against, denied basic human rights and oppressed because of their ethnic identity or religion, that is racism and it is morally wrong.
Thanks to the UUJME team for educating and engaging all of us in this important matter.
Regards from your Vision Support Committee/Social Justice Council

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