Good morning bread friends!
Last week I shared that we would be donating to Operation Fresh Start this month. This is an attempt to fill the gap left by Trump/Elonβs decision to abruptly stop funding the AmeriCorps program that our federal government maintains. You might wonder, what is AmeriCorps exactly?
In this video from just 10 months ago, former President & First Lady Bush answered this with: βAmeriCorps is addressing many challenges that affect the most vulnerable among us. AmeriCorps members support veterans and military families, they help children and adults learn to read and find a good education, and they provide a source of hope for families and communities recovering from disasters.β
You should watch it yourself, but Laura Bush goes on in this video to say, βGeorge and I believe that to whom much is given, much is required.β
As the most recent Republican elected to the office of the President prior to Donald Trump, they seem confident in advocating for our countryβs prioritization of investment back into our communities in this wayβ¦ so much so that they would directly reference the teaching of Jesus Christ as they articulate why this program matters.
And yetβ¦ this current Republican President not only disagrees, but disagrees so strongly with the premise of AmeriCorps that heβs unlawfully terminated the contracts that Congress has already appropriated. Grant recipients and also States are suing the federal government over thisβ¦ but I canβt stop thinking about how insane it is that anyone wants it this way.
And yet⦠you can expect that a ton of organizations who promote volunteerism and caring for your neighbors will remain silent about this active harm being done to our country.
Why? For fear of ruffling feathers?!?
I donβt know the total number of AmeriCorps members who live in Madison, but dozens of people were fired a week ago with no notice, no unemployment, no health insurance. And the most vulnerable in our communities will get less support as a result of their absence.
Because thats the way that Trump & Musk want America to work.
Weβre past ruffling feathers.
β¦
Sometimes making bread feels inadequate to the scale of the problem in this nation. But together I know that we wonβt be silent about the injustices of this administration. And weβll keep finding ways to not only shine a light on injustice, but weβll take small steps towards loving our neighbors well.
Cheers,
Mo