Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

Description

We are an interfaith association of over 600 religious leaders throughout Los Angeles County who come together to respond to the crisis of the working poor.

CLUE's Unique Contribution

The religious community brings three essential assets to the broad-based collaborations which advance economic justice.

• Our Religious Constituency: The religious community includes some of the largest organized institutions in our society. In depressed areas, we are often the only functioning institutions. We also bring together people across racial, cultural and class lines as peers - and we create opportunities for dialogue about our deepest values and decisions. Individuals with every form of societal power belong to religious institutions and can be reached through their congregation. As companies increasingly function on a national and international basis, the religious communities' international scope becomes a crucial asset.

• Our Capacity to Inspire and Support: To continue fighting for justice in the face of harassment, intimidation and loss, workers must successfully overcome their own fear and grief. Religious leaders can act as "chaplains on the field of battle", encouraging workers to remember their deepest values and providing emotional/spiritual support. When workers suffer severe financial loss for their commitment to justice, we also have structures in place for providing direct assistance and relief.

• Our Capacity Build Community Support: Workers need community support in order to create change. Corporations can effectively discourage community involvement by portraying the struggle as a private competition between economic interests. Religious leaders, standing on centuries-old traditions of moral and ethic discussion, break down the barrier to community involvement by asserting that these struggles raise questions of justice that impact the quality of our community and concern us all. Religious leaders' integrity (in the sense of acting apart from or against our financial interests) also enables us to unveil the lies of the powerful and communicate the truth to the general community.