July News & Views
July 20, 2023
IN THIS ISSUE
Top Stories
— Members’ Mega Breakouts
— Reflecting on the New Racial Justice Program
Organizing News
News from Our Partners & Friends
— Church of England Divests from Fossil Fuels
Did You Know?
Resources
Upcoming Events
“The extreme heat that is cooking many parts of the world this summer is not a freakish event—it is another step into our burning future. The wildfires in Canada, the orange Blade Runner skies on the East Coast, the hot ocean, the rapidly melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica and the Himalayas, the high price of food, the spread of vector-borne diseases in unexpected places—it is all connected, and it is all driven by rising heat.” (Jeff Goodell, New York Times’ Guest Opinion, July 8, 2023)
TOP STORIES
Mega Breakouts Give Members a Place to Meet
By Betsy Bennett
TAF Coordinating Committee Co-Facilitator
Members of Third Act Faith have had an opportunity to connect with one another and share ideas and stories in the breakout sessions we offer as part of our Third Act Faith general meetings. These breakout sessions have been well-received. And they’ve yielded some rich ideas for action and helped to build our network of faith-based climate and democracy activists.
Now the Third Act Faith Coordinating Committee has begun hosting Mega Breakouts, hourlong conversations between Coordinating Committee members and others who want to find out more about Third Act Faith, engage in conversation with other members, share ideas, or let others know about ideas and skills they want to share.
Our initial Mega Breakout conversation took place on June 21 on Zoom. Jane Ellen Nickell, the other co-facilitator, and I shared information about the focus and parameters of Third Act Faith, how we are supporting the three current Third Act campaigns, and how members who want to get more involved with Third Act Faith as campaign liaisons or coordinating committee members can do so.
In Mega Breakouts, everyone on the call will have an opportunity to share why they signed up for Third Act and Third Act Faith, what they’d like to see Third Act Faith do in the months ahead, and what areas they want to become more involved in.
Coordinating Committee members are preparing to offer more of these Mega Breakouts beginning early this fall. Watch this newsletter for opportunities to sign up to be part of the conversation!
Reflections on Third Act’s Racial Justice Program
Editor’s Note: Third Act founder Bill McKibben and Wayne Hare, founder of The Civil Conversations Project, recently were in conversation with a group of Third Actors “to tell the story of how race, climate, housing and economic justice are tightly woven together, making clear the kinds of emancipation are still required.” The group represents our working groups, invited to participate in Third Act’s inaugural Racial Justice Program. Why is Third Act offering this training? As the website explains, “It’s work, of course, that we’re all engaged in, as we push for a stronger democracy (especially against racialized voter suppression) and a cooler planet (since climate change hurts the most vulnerable humans the hardest).” The following reflection by Jane Ellen Nickell explains why she is attending the program and why it has important lessons for all of us.
By Jane Ellen Nickell
TAF Co-facilitator
I have a confession to make. When Third Act invited its members to participate in a Racial Justice Program, I was reluctant to sign up. The program aims to provide TA leaders with the skills, confidence and practices needed “to form meaningful collaborations with youth, Indigenous, communities of color, and frontline communities and to fight for racial justice in their communities.”
As chaplain at a predominantly white college, I participated in extensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training. Twenty different people cycled through various positions in the school’s DEI office during my 16 years there (which speaks to the difficulty of this work), and each one brought a new approach that required more training. I confess that I was not eager to take part in another training about racial injustice that would leave me feeling uncomfortable and even ashamed of my white privilege.
Of course, understanding privilege is the point of such training. I may not be responsible for creating racist structures, but I benefit in every way that matters, based solely on the color of my skin. Believing in the importance of that work, I overcame my initial reluctance and signed up.
Third Act is a predominantly white group, and that privilege benefits our work. We protested at major banks on our National Day of Action with little fallout, whereas people of color are often met with force for simply venturing into the wrong neighborhood. The Racial Justice Program aims to increase our awareness of that privilege and how we can use it to support frontline communities of color working for racial justice.
In the program's first phase, we learned about how systemic racism has continued in the U.S. since the abolition of slavery, specifically through mass incarceration and housing policy. Like many Third Actors, I did not learn this history in school when I was growing up, but DEI training, such as the TA program, has taught me how deeply embedded racism is in our country’s institutions.
These institutions shape us as individuals and a society, and none more so than religion, education and government. Like many religious bodies, my own Methodist tradition is steeped in racism, where structural segregation persisted until 1968. School districts across the country want to purge curricula of any realistic teaching of U.S. history so white children won’t feel bad. The Supreme Court recently rejected affirmative action as a tool for college admissions, eliminating a landmark program that addressed systemic racism in higher education.
In the second session, TA founder Bill McKibben and Wayne Hare, founder and director of The Civil Conversations Project, explained how federal policies such as redlining codified segregated neighborhoods and denied Black Americans the opportunity to accrue home equity. You can read an edited transcript of their conversation, which includes images from their slide presentation, on the Third Act website.
The program continues through December and will include “Reflection and Skill Building” as the second phase and a final phase for “Action, Evaluation, Next Steps.” We will continue to share insights and resources with you, and those who want to know more can check out our assigned readings and viewings: the first 85 pages of Bill McKibben’s book “The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened” and Ava DuVernay’s film “13th” about how mass incarceration in this country continues the legacy of slavery. The film is available on Netflix and YouTube. I would also recommend Nikole Hannah-Jones’ acclaimed “1619 Project” for the New York Times and the documentary version available on Hulu.
ORGANIZING NEWS
Get the flier!
Many of us take part in denominational or religious group gatherings where we will encounter people of faith who share our concern for climate change and democracy and who might be interested in TAF. We have developed a Third Act Faith flier so you can let them know who we are and what we do. You can load the digital version on your phone to text or email to folks or post it on your social media. You can also print the flier in full size (8.5x11), half size (2 per page), and postcard size (4 per page). The various files will be emailed to the TAF list, and you can access them in this Google folder.
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS & FRIENDS
IPL webinar on resources for electrifying homes
Learn about the programs available under the new law for swapping out your old fossil-fueled appliances for new, clean electric ones: upfront discounts, tax credits, and low-cost financing. The Sept. 7 webinar, hosted by Interfaith Power & Light, is at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT). Learn more and register here to attend or receive the recording afterward.
Church of England divests from fossil fuels!
The Earth—and those working to mitigate climate change—got a massive support boost on June 22 when the Church of England announced it is divesting 100% from fossil fuels. The bulk of its divestment should be completed within four months, and the remaining holdings cleared by the end of the year.
Resistant to divestment for years, the financially conservative Church of England’s Pensions Board decided to take this step after Shell and BP announced they were abandoning their commitment to cut oil production for the rest of the decade, according to a story in The Guardian. In announcing the Church of England decision, Pension Board CEO John Ball said there is a “significant misalignment” between the Church’s long-term interests and its continued investment in gas and oil companies that have decided to maximize their short-term profits at the expense of the Paris climate agreement.
It is our duty to protect God’s creation, and energy companies have a special responsibility to help us achieve the just transition... The church will follow not just the science, but our faith—both of which call us to work for climate justice. — Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
The Church of England’s decision comes after church officials worked intensively for many years with oil and gas companies to develop a transition pathway to decarbonization. The decision was not made “lightly,” according to one official quoted in the media. He said the Church’s asset managers would happily reconsider any energy company that, in the future, “came into alignment” with their investment criteria.
The denomination has £10.3 billion in its endowment and pension funds (equivalent to about $13.6 billion in the U.S., depending upon the exchange rate). On June 22, the Church reportedly held £1.35 million across equity and debt in Shell and about £7 million in equity and debt across oil and gas companies in its common investment fund.
Responding to the news on June 22, Bill McKibben, Third Act’s founder and an early advocate of fossil fuels divestment, posted on Twitter: “Good heavens!!!! The Church of England divests from fossil fuels, thanks to endless campaigning from @OperationNoah and many others. I remember the first meeting with the Anglicans about this 11 years ago; it's taken a long, long time, and it truly matters!”
DID YOU KNOW?
All over the North American continent, summer wildfires have been raging off and on — and it’s only July. There's a direct connection between the increase in wildfires and fossil fuels, says the Union of Concerned Scientists. Their new report, "The Infuriating Link Between Wildfires and Fossil Fuel Companies," attributes much of the increase "to the world's 88 largest fossil fuel companies—including ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and Shell—and cement manufacturers." Read the study here, and watch this 6-minute video from Canada's CBC that explains how petroleum products added to increased CO2 in the atmosphere create today's new infernos —"why wildfire seasons are getting stronger and longer."
If that weren't bad enough, forest management practices in recent years have contributed to the increase in wildfires, says the University of California/Davis. Native American fire management practices in the past lessened wildfires, but these Indigenous practices were outlawed over a century ago. Watch this 5-minute video about the Native American practice of "good fire"— and learn how such methods can help lessen wildfire from this article from The Nature Conservancy.
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Climate lawsuit filed in Puerto Rico against big oil and gas
Sixteen municipalities in Puerto Rico have filed a lawsuit against several of the world’s largest gas and oil companies, including Exxon, Chevron and Shell, blaming them for the part fossil fuels played in causing the thousands of deaths and devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017. New York Times reporter David Gelles, editor of its “Climate Forward” newsletter, says the lawsuit is “audacious” in its claims and its future in the courts uncertain, but he also notes that the legal case, if successful, could cost these companies hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. Check out the lawsuit and Gelles’ article (“She’s on a Mission from God: Suing Big Oil to Pay for Climate Damages”) about the successful class action lawyer representing the Puerto Rican municipalities.
RESOURCES
Plastic Free July
"Imagine a school bus filled with plastic. Now multiply that by 21 million! Each year, 30 million tons of plastic are produced. Of that, 50% will be discarded after a single use," according to Plastic Free July. Take the Plastic Free July challenge, which began in 2011, and is today a global movement with 326 million participants in 177 countries. Learn more here. View this 34-minute YouTube video for common-sense alternatives to plastic that you can do at home. (Thanks to United Methodist Creation Justice Tips for this resource.)
New book on the killing heat
Environmental reporter Jeff Gooddell's book, “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet,” has just been published. Find it here. Also, check out his guest essay, “In Texas, Dead Fish and Red-Faced Desperation Are Signs of Things to Come,” published on July 8 in the New York Times.
Climate trial update
Get an update here from The Guardian on "the first constitutional climate trial in U. S. history"—the lawsuit filed by Montana youth against their state last month (see June News & Views).
Upcoming Events
July 31 & Aug. 14: Welcome to Third Act (virtual)
Join Third Act's volunteers virtually to learn about campaigns, working groups, and how you can plug into our growing network. The bi-monthly Zoom meetings, “Welcome to Third Act: Let’s Get Started,” begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. PDT) on the second and fourth Mondays. Register here for the July meeting, or sign up here for the August gathering.
Send Us Your Photos and Stories
Third Acts of Faith is published the third week of each month. Please send us your news (up to 300 words) and photos by the 7th day of each month, and help keep our members updated on what you and your faith communities are doing to safeguard our democracy and beloved Earth. Send the submission to thirdactfaith@gmail.com