Rhode Island Faith Leaders Call for Renewed Commitment to Fight Poverty
Prayer Vigil Held As the 2015 Legislative Session Begins
PROVIDENCE–On January 7, 2015, faith leaders representing virtually every faith in the statemarched from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on Frances Street to the State House. The uphill march, to the beat of drums in cold weather, was symbolic of Rhode Islanders strugglingto get by day-to-day.
Once at the State House, the loud, powerful sound of four shofars was a call to organize the faith community and our elected officials to work together to reduce poverty. This was the seventh year the sound of the shofar has been heard at the State House. Since the first vigil much has been done to help Rhode Islanders living at or below the safety net. Yet, organizers of the vigil, the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, said there is still much more that has to be done in our state and implored legislators to renew the state’s commitment to fighting poverty here in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Interfaith Coalitionand its supporters turned out in strength, with hundreds in attendance, to issue a prayer for the legislators that asked for leaders to govern with wisdom and compassion,as they make decisions in the New Year, and to remember those most vulnerable. During the vigil,more than 40 faith leaders called out the names of all elected officials including President Obama, the Rhode Island congressional delegation, the governor, members of the executive offices, the general assembly as well as city and town mayors.
Governor Gina Raimondo, in her first full day in office, spoke about the hard work Rhode Islanders and our state government must do to assist the needy. This included areas of human services and jobs. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed and House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello also spoke.
The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island gave the keynote and spoke about the promise to eradicate poverty and the challenges in such an endeavor. “Jesus once said ‘the poor will always be with you.’ That is a challenge, and it is a promise. It is a challenge because we know that there will always be more to do in finding the causes of poverty in this state and eliminating them. It is a promise because, as all people of faith recognize, we can only truly serve God by serving the weakest and the most vulnerable.”
Maxine Richman, Board Member of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs and Co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition applauded comments made by the Governor, senate president and house speaker. Richman, however, asked the state legislators to answer questions concerning the earned income tax credit rate being the lowest in New England and why so many Rhode Islanders are waiting for foundational workforce programs.
“How can it be,” said Richman, “that Rhode island, with a very large service sector and struggling middle class, has only a 10% earned income tax credit while our neighbors in Massachusetts earned income tax credit is 15%, and Connecticut’s is 20%? And how can it be that 1,300 people are on a waiting list for foundational workforce programs?”
The Interfaith Coalition wants to make sure that every Rhode Islander is given the same basic rights regardless of their race, religion, or economic status. The annual vigil is meant to raise awareness among legislators that every Rhode Islander shall have:
- A decent, safe and affordable home
- Adequate food and nutrition
- Equal access to affordable and quality health care
- Equal and quality education for all children
- Decent work with adequate income
The Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty was formed in the summer of 2008 as part of a national effort, "Fighting Poverty with Faith," endorsed by 40 national faith-based organizations and co-chaired by Catholic Charities USA, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the National Council of Churches. The goal of the national project is to elevate the issue of poverty. The premise of the national effort is based on the belief that poverty can be solved with political leadership powered by a citizen movement.
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