United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
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In this 2014 photo, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell speaks at the opening of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Community and Government Center in Mashpee, Massachusetts. On March 27, the U.S. Department of the Interior ordered the removal of 321 acres of the tribe’s land out of federal trust. Photo courtesy of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. [via United Methodist News Service]
Land is Sacred: Stand With the
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the very tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims in the 1600s, is at risk of losing what is left of their homelands due to a determination made by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Why is this important?
The Mashpee Wampanoag,
the People of the First Light,
have occupied the same
region for over 12,000 years
and have faced deminishment
of their homelands since
colonization.
After an arduous process
lasting more than three decades,
the Mashpee Wampanoag were re-acknowledged as a federally recognized tribe in 2007. In 2015, the federal government declared 320 acres in Massachusetts as the Tribe’s initial reservation, where they can exercise full tribal sovereignty.
Now the Trump Administration has decertified the protected land of the indigenous Mashpee people. This is colonialism and must be stopped.The Mashpee Tribe has legislation in Congress Senate that will protect their land: the "Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act (HR.312)."
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS
See this informative article from the United Methodist News Service:
“Native caucus sounds alarm over tribal land dispute”
See this piece in The Guardian: Trump administration revokes tribe’s reservation status in ‘power grab’
The Native American International Caucus (NAIC) is one of our church's ethnic caucuses and one of UMKR's fellow members in the Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC). Download the NAIC open letter to legislators
MoveOn.org has a petition to the U.S. Congress calling for support of the tribe’s legislation. It has over 280,000 signatures. Help them get to 300,000! Sign the petition to Congress
For those in the US: Send a message directly to your legislators. Color of Change has one prepared to make that easy. Take action here
After the Israeli assault on Gaza in May 2021, thousands are injured and tens of thousands are homeless, while Gaza still struggles to cope with a huge Covid-19 surge in 2021. Even before this latest bombardment, Gaza was a humanitarian disaster with over 80% of the population dependent on aid for survival. Medical supplies and care, food and electricity are desperately needed. See six organizations that UMKR would recommend for sending help now.
Emergency Aid for Gaza
PCAP's Open Letter to Church Leaders Calls for Action
PCAP asks church leaders to press the Israeli government to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Endorsed by UMKR and many faith partners.
WE ALL CAN DO THIS!
UMKR has the link and a prepared message that you can
send directly to the Israeli Prime Minister:
See PCAP's letter and TAKE ACTION
Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP) launched an important campaign in 2019 to raise awareness of the United Nations agency UNRWA, the vital services they provide for Palestinian refugees, and the urgent need to supply funding for those services, especially in light of the Trump administration's decision in 2018 to cut funding for that humanitarian aid. The U.S. may restore some of that funding in 2021, but UNRWA will continue to need our support urgently. Learn more
ACTION / CAMPAIGNS
The United Nations has named GENERAL MILLS as one of seven U.S. businesses that are violating international law by operating in occupied Palestinian territories.
Its Pillsbury factory in the Atarot Industrial Zone, an illegal Israeli
settlement in East Jerusalem, has displaced, exploited, stifled, and otherwise harmed local Palestinian lives, livelihoods, and land. General Mills is profiting from apartheid and is complicit in Israel's occupation and annexation of the West Bank. A broad coalition including UMKR has organized a boycott of Pillsbury products until they cease doing business on stolen land.
SUCCESS! THIS CAMPAIGN HAS ENDED, BECAUSE GENERAL MILLS ENDED ITS OPERATIONS ON OCCUPIED LAND
Learn more
On this page, we have past campaigns that may or may not be current actions.
TO SEE OUR MORE RECENT CAMPAIGNS,CLICK HERE