Organizing for Action
by Rev. Dr. Harold Kidd, Senior Pastor,
First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood
ON SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019, clergy, church leaders and residents in the City of Inglewood are being invited to attend an organizing meeting for an Inglewood LA Voice Home Team. We care about our community and see the need for continued involvement in the public square, resulting in a better quality of life for our citizens when it comes to issues such as housing, public education, immigration, public safety, employment and more. We recognize that we live in a time in which one church, nor organization, can do it alone, but we must work together in creating positive change in our communities for the benefit of all.
Clergy and leaders from First United Methodist Church of Inglewood, Holy Faith Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood in partnership with many local residents and the Social Justice Learning Center of of the Uplift Inglewood Coalition have invested almost two years in community organizing related to the affordable housing rental crisis in the City of Inglewood which has included:
- Speaking at City Council Meetings related to the need for an Inglewood Rent Stabilization Ordinance with a Just Eviction Clause
- Community Canvassing related to Prop 10 and Voter registration
- Giving Testimony on the housing crisis at the L.A. County Board of Supervisors
- Voter Registration campaign
- Phone Banking related to supporting Prop 10
- Inglewood Mayoral Candidates Night
- Ecumenical Worship Services related to issues of Social Justice
We see the need to continue our community organizing actions under one Ecumenical/Interfaith group which we are calling Inglewood Home Team, which will become a local organizing committee of LA Voice. LA Voice is one of many federations under the banner of PICO California.
The mission of PICO California is:
Building a world where everyone belongs, everyone thrives, and has agency over their lives. PICO California supports grassroots organizing which enables people of faith to build power to reshape their lives and their communities. Our network of organizations trains leaders and equips them with tools to fight racism and build a more equitable and just society.
LA Voice, of which our Inglewood Home Team will become a member, has been active throughout Los Angeles County on several issues related to social justice including: Housing for All, Immigration-Citizenship for all, Criminal Justice Reform (LiveFree). Our Pastor, Dr. Kidd has attended trainings in Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles as a Clergy member of LA Voice. (Pastor Victor Cyrus-Franklin has participated in trainings in Sacramento and represented LA Voice advocating interfaith clergy for fair housing and criminal justice policy at the Governor’s office.) Several members of First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood (Holy Faith Episcopal and First UMC) have been involved in local actions over the past several months including ecumenical worship services, community canvassing, phone banking, voter registration, and appearing at Inglewood City Council meetings in support of a Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Our LA Voice organizer, Ms. Yvonne Figueroa has been instrumental in guiding us through this community organizing process over the past two years.
Please mark your calendar for March 23rd from 10:00 am – 12 Noon to represent our church at this initial organizing meeting for the Inglewood Home Team. It will be hosted by the First United Methodist Church of Inglewood at 304 Spruce Avenue, Inglewood. Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin, Pastor. For more information please contact Pastor Kidd, Pastor Victor, Father Francisco Garcia (Holy Faith) or Yvonne Figueroa by e-mail or phone at 661.992.8020.
In His Service,
Rev. Dr. Harold E. Kidd
Senior Pastor
First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood