As we simultaneously remembered Martin Luther King Jr. and witnessed the second inauguration of President Donald Trump this week, the challenges of economic and racial inequality could not be starker or more urgent. It is up to all of us to keep building the beloved community King envisioned.
Jan Miyasaki takes a deep dive with Vanessa Schoning from the Migration and Policy Team at the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) into Trump’s long list of edicts relating to asylum, resettlement, deportation, and refugee status of migrants in the U.S. In effect, his orders have banned asylum, ended humanitarian parole programs of sponsored immigration, reinstated his “remain in Mexico” protocol, and shut down refugee admission and applications.
“The frustrating part about watching that hearing was the lack of concern for how the United States military could really impact billions of people on this planet,” said Hassan El-Tayyab of the Quaker advocacy group Friends Committee on National Legislation. “There were so many pressing issues and existential issues to the United States, our allies, and the planet at large that were not addressed.”
As the end of 2024 arrives, it may feel like we have witnessed more human suffering in the last 12 months than ever before. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. Millions of people were forced to flee their homes by war and insecurity. Climate disasters devastated communities here in the U.S. and around the world. Gun violence ripped apart lives in a slow-moving, relentless massacre. Poverty, homelessness and hunger affected millions of children and families in the world’s richest nation and beyond.
On Nov. 20, Congress held its first-ever vote to block offensive weapons sales to Israel. Senators voted on three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) Bernie Sanders had introduced to prevent the sale of specific offensive weapons used in well-documented Gaza human rights violations. While they did not pass, 19 senators voted in favor, marking a significant milestone for a growing movement to end the war in Gaza and a change in the nature of the US-Israel relationship.
Barely a month ago, more than 150 million Americans went to the polls and voted for their new leaders in Washington. No matter how you voted, the results are in and a new administration and Congress are preparing to take office next month. With that, our work at the Friends Committee on National Legislation continues.
The UN climate conference (COP29) concluded last week in Azerbaijan, and I had the privilege of attending as a member of Interfaith Power & Light (IPL). While the headlines highlighted tensions in international climate diplomacy and frustration over the final agreement on climate finance, one theme resonated with me: the vital role of people of faith in urging governments to address the climate crisis.
Hassan El-Tayyab, an advocacy organiser at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker social justice group, described the upcoming vote as “historic”. He said the resolutions send a message to President Joe Biden, his successor-in-waiting Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the “status quo is unacceptable”.
The policy, humanitarian, and faith-based organizations — which include Amnesty International, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Quincy Institute, publisher of Responsible Statecraft — expressed disappointment with Biden’s policy of “unconditional support of Israel paired with empty threats,” saying the policy has not yielded any meaningful results and serves to harm America’s global reputation.
In 2023, children accounted for almost half of all casualties from cluster munition remnants.
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