{"id":1664,"date":"2017-01-14T17:59:48","date_gmt":"2017-01-14T17:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ncjwmaine.org\/?p=1664"},"modified":"2017-01-27T16:16:14","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T16:16:14","slug":"record-turnout-for-ncjw-equal-justice-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ncjwmaine.org\/?p=1664","title":{"rendered":"Record Turnout for NCJW Equal Justice Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"full<\/a><\/span><\/span>About 200 people crowded the Temple Beth El auditorium Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, for a public forum organized by NCJW on How to Protect Civil Liberties and Equal Justice in Maine. Attendees picked up information and signed up to volunteer at tables set up by NCJW and co-sponsors Bet Ha\u2019am, Etz Chaim, Jewish Community Alliance, Temple Beth El; the organizations represented on the speakers’ panel; and Welcoming the Stranger.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Audience anxiety about the future was eased at the outset by Martin Steingesser and Judy Tierney, who read poems by Father Daniel Berrigan and Jonathan Cohen. NCJW Board Member Barbara Peisner welcomed the crowd and reminded them that \u201can informed and active citizenry is critical to protecting our rights and compelling our elected representatives to hear us.\u201d She then passed the mic to <\/span>moderator Barbara Shaw. Shaw, NCJW member and JCA Community Relations Council Chair, explained the concept of tikkun olam, perfecting or repairing the world, which calls on each person to be an active agent for change for the good of all. Then she introduced the panel of officers from four local non-profit agencies which serve vulnerable populations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>\"TBE<\/a><\/span><\/span>Kate Brogan, Vice President for Public Affairs, Maine Family Planning<\/a>, kicked off the discussion by explaining that, as part of its mission to provide Maine women with ac<\/span><\/span>cess to reproductive healthcare, MFP is one of three abortion providers in Maine. Brogan pointed to threats to reproductive healthcare on the national level \u2013 freedom of religion bills that would allow anyone to opt out of providing services \u2013 and locally \u2013 budget proposals to eliminate state funding for family planning. She urged advocates to email their members of Congress. Better yet, to telephone. And she encouraged participation in the women’s marches (in D.C. and Augusta) on Jan. 21.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Robyn Merrill, Executive Director, Maine Equal Justice Partners<\/a>, described how her organization advocates on behalf of Maine residents, looking for solutions to poverty. She noted thousands of people in our state have lost access to health care and food benefits in the past eight years, while child poverty has soared. MEJP opposes block grants for Medicaid and SNAP benefits, which would eliminate clients entitlement to those benefits, and supports a voter referendum to expand access to health care for 70,000 people in Maine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Susan Roche, Executive Director, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project<\/a>, outlined ILAP’s work with 2,000 clients a year who are new to Maine. Volunteer attorneys help people meet legal residency requirements, and usher their asylum requests through the thicket of the courts. Her biggest concern is expedited deportation if the new administration adopts more aggressive enforcement policies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, Zachary Heiden, Legal Director, ACLU of Maine<\/a>, brought some levity to the event by referencing an optimistic song from the musical \u201cHamilton.\u201d He also took comfort in Martin Luther King Jr.’s observation that: \u201cThe arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.\u201d Meanwhile, he urged three concrete steps for attendees to take. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n