BRIDGES for Just Community - Advocacy & Issues


	*Bringing People Together*

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	Advocacy & Issues
	Current Issues: Immigration Reform Disparities in Access to Healthcare Economic Justice Interfaith Relations and Church-State issues Police/Community Relations Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes – including public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic and social systems and institutions – that directly affect people’s lives. Advocacy consists of organized efforts and actions based on the reality of "what is." These actions seek to highlight critical issues that have been ignored and submerged, to influence public attitudes, and to enact and implement laws and public policies so that visions of “what should be” in an equitable and just society, become reality. Human rights – political, economic and social – are the over arching framework for these visions. Advocacy groups draw their strength from and are accountable to people – there members, constituents and/or members of affected groups. Advocacy has purposeful results: to enable social justice advocates to gain access and voice in the decision making of relevant institutions; to change the power relationships between these institutions and the people affected by their decisions, thereby changing the institutions themselves; and to bring a clear improvement in people’s lives.
	Speaking Out: In the course of its year-round work to achieve inclusion, equity and justice for all, BRIDGES will on occasion find it necessary to comment on public policy and social justice issues that are within its mission. Whether commenting on large-scale social ills or particular controversies, BRIDGES endeavors to contribute to the public's discourse a well-reasoned, fair, and constructive viewpoint, reflecting a consensus position of its dynamically diverse board of directors. In reading the following comments authored by various leaders of BRIDGES, you will come to know the character and values of BRIDGES, for each public comment, we believe, further defines who we are and what we stand for. In the spirit of open dialogue, we welcome any and all feedback from readers. Thank you for your interest in the opinions of BRIDGES. BRIDGES Position Statements Statement on the City of Cincinnati’s Hiring Policy of Ex-Offenders Statement on Immigration Reform and National Origin Discrimination Guest Columns Statement on Ohio Immigration Enforcement Bill "Without Sanctuary" bears witness BRIDGES cautions against Obsession DVD Mumbai Tragedy Expanded definition of hate crime needed Hispanic Heritage Month the focus of BRIDGES media work - 2009 Holocaust Memorial Shooting Serve America Act BRIDGES: An Organization You Should Know About And The Lawyers and Judges Who Have Helped To Make This "A Just Community" Three Abrahamic Traditions Find Common Ground Great Oaks Support Hispanic Heritage Month the focus of BRIDGES media work - 2008 Letter to the Editor - Hispanic Immigration WLW and Bill Cunningham Hate Groups Measuring Our Progress: The 2008 Bridges for a Just Community Human Relations Indicator Survey Denying the Deniers NCCJ now "BRIDGES" The Danish Cartoons: Refrain or Publish?