Speaking Events Between Now and the Elections
With the midterm elections approaching, the two topics in Poverty Abolitionists are especially urgent now. I’m scheduled to speak at a series of events around the country, and I’m stressing what we can do to influence elections and protect democracy.
I’m speaking on Thursday, September 17, at the Episcopal cathedral in Portland, Maine. Several local leaders will be on the program with me. Two of Maine’s races for Congress are competitive —one of Maine’s seats in the Senate and one in the House. The program is free and open to the public. It starts at 6 pm.
On September 28, I’ll be speaking to the annual meeting of the National Head Start Association. Five hundred Head Start parents, teachers, and staff are coming to Washington to learn and lobby Congress. I’ll celebrate their legislative advocacy and urge them to be active in the upcoming elections too. I’ll also discuss President Trump’s ongoing interference in this election, what he and his allies might do after the voting is over, and ways we can prepare to defend our democracy.
On September 30, I’ll join a Zoom call with a book study group at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska—organized by a high school friend.
I’ll fly to Orlando, Florida, in the first days of October. I’ve been invited to speak to 500 pastors from across the country at the annual meeting of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NALEC). Evangelical Latinos include both conservative and progressive people. I’ll talk about current policy setbacks for people in poverty, including brutal immigration policies and deep cuts in health and food assistance. This conference will also be a good opportunity for me to brush up on my Spanish.
This year’s G20 Interfaith Forum meets October 15-16. Faith leaders from around the world and different religions gather each fall to discuss the issues that heads of state will consider—or should consider—at that year’s Group of 20 summit. I’ve spoken at the last two meetings of the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia and Cape Town. This year President Trump is chairing the G20 Summit (at Mar a Lago). The Interfaith Forum will gather in Salt Lake City, and I’ve been asked to speak again. These forums inform faith-based advocacy around the world and sometimes what happens at the G20 Summit
Latter-day Saints have played a leadership role in these forums for many years, and I expect a crowd of Latter-day Saints (including lots of students) at this year’s Forum. Their church is now playing a stronger role in humanitarian assistance, and there seems to be growing interest among their leadership in advocacy for people in need. Our Forum will be in the news in Utah two weeks before the midterm elections..
I’ll fly from Salt Lake City to Des Moines for the World Food Prize Foundation’s annual Borlaug Forum. It also brings people from around the world together, mainly people involved in agriculture and food security issues. After decades of celebrating reductions in world hunger, the theme of this year’s Borlaug Forum is “Before Hunger Wins.”
I’ve been invited to be a main stage speaker at the Borlaug Forum, too. I intend to help make the case that world hunger is now on the increase and that people who care about food security and agriculture —in Iowa and all around the world —need to double down on efforts to restore political will on hunger issues. Iowa is a swing state in this year’s elections, with competitive races for governor, senator, and three of their four representatives in the House.
I expect President Trump, his administration, and his allies to interfere in this year’s elections, at some polling places and in the certification process. If so, November and December will still be intense. Organizations that are designed to Protect Democracy will be calling on the courts and convening demonstrations to curtail abuse.
I’ll be a speaker at the annual meeting of the Alliance to End Hunger on November 5. It will be an opportunity to gather information and develop strategies to defend the choices that voters will have made. Leaders from the church bodies and organizations will meet on November 9.
