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Happy Hanukkah! Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend, tune in to State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, for a discussion of how one professor thinks our public policies and private values are misaligned when it comes to immigration. Also, on this week’s episode hear about initiatives to assist those less fortunate, both domestically and through foreign aid – and the need for your voice to be heard.
An Unsure Future Without Immigration Reform
An estimated 11 million people will head into this holiday season unsure of their futures due to the unsettled status of immigration reform. Following a year defined by widespread activism surrounding fixing the system, legislation has yet to be passed. Joining State of Belief this week is Dr. Miguel de la Torre to discuss the frustrating Congressional inaction on immigration, and the misalignment of our public policies and private values. Dr. de la Torre is a professor of social ethics and Latino/a studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver and the author of many books, including his latest: Liberation Theology for Armchair Theologians.
Food Insecurity at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a holiday long associated with food – too much food in some cases – but millions of Americans living with food insecurity are unable to mark the holiday with the traditional feast, especially after drastic cuts to US food aid programs at the beginning of the month. An increase in demand for public aid and the untimely cut in government programs has created a dire food situation in the country. On this week’s State of Belief, Jennifer Bailey, a food stamp outreach specialist at Community Food Advocates in Nashville, joins Welton to talk about this issue and what her organization is doing about it.
Foreign Aid in a Budget-Cutting Environment
At a time when the federal budget has become a national obsession and essential domestic aid programs are under attack, it might be easy to dismiss foreign aid as being beyond our means. However, as debates around budget and deficits continue, it’s important to not lose sight of the whole story and the initiatives that do the most good. One of those true success stories has been the remarkable impact of childhood health programs. The Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, is on State of Belief this week to help dispel myths around foreign aid and to shed light on the importance of foreign aid programs.