Civic Engagement
WHY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT? Many principles and teachings in the Bible emphasize the importance of caring for one's neighbor, seeking justice, and being a responsible steward of the world. For instance, Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39) is an inherit call to actively engage in the well-being of one's community and society as a whole. Additionally, passages such as Micah 6:8, instructs believers to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God," underscore the value of pursuing justice and compassion in one's civic actions. Thus, civic engagement is not only a duty but also a way to demonstrate the heart of God fulfilling a higher moral and ethical purpose as outlined in the Bible.
We know there are so many civic engagement opportunities in the world. We know that many of you are fully engaged in them. Below are just a mighty few that our family have connected with, amongst others not listed, that we thought to share. We hope this will keep encouraging all of us to stay in the alignment of God's desire for healing and wholeness in the unity of Christ.
Empowering Black women, birthing persons, and their families to feel safe, respected, and informed through their entire pregnancy journey. The idea for the Black Maternal Health Center Of Excellence (BMHCE) was born in 2017 by the Charles Drew University (CDU) Department of Urban Public Health (DUPH), in partnership with the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM). These organizations partner with BMHCE to prevent infant and maternal mortality in LA County and the broader U.S.
Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice focuses on developing, implementing and teaching sustainable and regenerative earth practices.
The mission of the AddiEun Foundation is to fund, in the form of small micro-grants, the creation of primarily black and indigenous women led reprieve spaces and infrastructure building and strengthening for black and indigenous people, families, and communities confronting and enduring the persistent historical intergenerational and institutional effects of White Body Supremacy.
These spaces will be the cultural and philosophical foundation for healing and economic development for the next nine generations.
The NAACP or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established in 1909 and is America's oldest and largest civil rights organization. It was formed in New York City by white and Black activists, partially in response to the ongoing violence against Black Americans around the country.
Imagine Abolition
Watch to hear former executive director Patrisse Cullors’ vision of abolition, and how Black Lives Matter was birthed from a passion to set us all free.
OUR MISSION: Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.
The Foundation’s mission is to strengthen families and communities through a focus on education and community revitalization. Our five-pronged approach empowers Black male pre-service teachers through: education, housing, financial literacy, job training and advocacy.
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities.
The mission of LARRP is to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive, culturally competent, and effective community reentry system, by providing a strong community voice in public policy and funding decisions; by serving as a convener of reentry service providers, advocates, and other stakeholders; and by building capacity across the county to meet the needs of the reentry community.
Breaking Barriers, Building Belonging
Anti-Ableism Resources Across Faith & Advocacy
The California Black Power Network is a united ecosystem of Black grassroots organizations working together to change the lived conditions of Black Californians by dismantling systemic and anti-Black racism.
See how FACE is bringing together the Black and AAPI community to bring racial healing and unity to fight for a more equitable world.
We are a community compelled by the hope of Christ to participate in transformation and healing among people in L.A. involved in all aspects of the cycle of sexual exploitation. We do this by building community, aligning resources, and fostering healthy relationships.
In 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They sought to build a broad, fusion movement that could unite poor and impacted communities across the country. Their name was a direct cry from the underside of history: The Poor People’s Campaign. Today, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up this unfinished work. From Alaska to Arkansas, the Bronx to the border, people are coming together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. We understand that as a nation we are at a critical juncture — that we need a movement that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people.
The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. EJI challenges poverty and racial injustice, advocates for equal treatment in the criminal justice system, and creates hope for marginalized communities. Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me." In light of ongoing debates about immigration, this call from Matthew 25:35 remains as relevant as ever. Immigration is a key issue in the U.S. and globally, involving not only legal and policy complexities but also significant social and ethical concerns. For over 30 years, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) has defended immigrant families' legal rights and upheld their dignity, grounded in the Catholic tradition of welcoming the stranger. CLINIC trains and supports a network of 400+ Catholic and community-based immigration law providers across 49 states, helping nearly 500,000 immigrants annually. As the largest nonprofit immigration law organization in the country, CLINIC offers specialized legal services, training, and updates on best practices. It also supports immigrant defenders in court and provides expertise in religious immigration law for religious workers coming to the U.S.
Supporting Immigrants: A Call to Action
Race Equity & Justice Ministries by
As an ethnic group who has received an apology and reparations from the federal government for wrongs committed against us, Japanese Americans have a moral imperative to support Black people seeking a past due similar path for a structural remedy. We also have moral authority to stand in solidarity with other communities: especially a community targeted by historic racism seeking accountability and a process for redress and reparations.
Chasing Justice will equip and inspire you in new ways. The invitation to live justly can often feel overwhelming with all the darkness in the world, but we believe that God cares about the injustice and pain in the world and has designed us to make a difference. Being led by people of color, we are forming a community of people that will journey together. This journey will provoke a social imagination that centers the voices of those most impacted by injustice. Chasing Justice will guide you to live justly and see God’s goodness for the world. Let’s rebuild a just world.
Rooted in Christ, transforming community, located in the heart of Northwest Pasadena, Harambee Ministries is a Christ-centered, justice-driven organization committed to developing a thriving community through discipleship, education, and leadership development. With a legacy of empowering youth and families, Harambee works to cultivate hope, academic excellence, and spiritual formation, ensuring every individual is seen, supported, and equipped to lead. From after-school programs to mentorship and neighborhood engagement, Harambee lives out the Gospel through holistic love, action, and presence.
PSV is a unique community of support, created for Black families by Black families. A highly collaborative organization, PSV brings together families and students from across private schools to share resources, centralize offerings, and truly build community. We believe that a healthy education includes a community where students, parents, and schools are in partnership to ensure all students thrive fully. Together we are working to increase racial literacy, racial socialization, representation and support related research.
