Social Justice Commons^™

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 5), June 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"Ordained ministers of Christian denominations" may now perform weddings in Valparaiso University's chapel according to an "interim policy" outlined in early May by the school's Chapel Council.

The council is appointed by University President Albert Huegli and he chairs the council's meetings. This student-faculty-staff group recommends policy for the University's worship life, which is then implemented by the chapel's staff

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 4), May 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The American Lutheran Church's Committee on Racism concluded its three-year assignment in late February. Less than conclusive, however, are the committee's accomplishments.

Earl McGee, IBM affirmative action manager in Rochester, Minnesota, guided the 11-member committee (9 minority persons) through its two-fold task of a) identifying instances of racism and b) developing ways to combat racism.

The Vanguard [Vol. 24, No. 3], Spring 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

This is the disturbing phrase that sticks in my mind from a late evening session of the annual meeting of the National Indian Lutheran Board (NILB) at Tempe, Arizona, February 25. These words came from NILB's director, Eugene Crawford, after we had heard first-hand reports from two young Indian men - Russell Peters of Massachusetts and Roger Gabriel of Maine.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 10), Dec 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Lutherans in the United States and Canada quickly voiced strong criticism of the Republic of South Africa's October 19 bannings and arrests of black leaders.

Several Lutheran leaders issued statements condemning the repressive actions (see page 2 for excerpts).

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 4), May 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Multi-national corporations are finding out they can't count on the church's silence. And Christians have discovered an effective way to witness to justice and compassion.

The Lutheran Church in America, for example, joined with 15 other Protestant and Roman Catholic groups in filing stockholder resolutions with five major U.S. banks.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 9), Nov 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Forrest Gerard - the new assistant secretary for Indian Affairs in the Interior Department - has urged Indian leaders to call for the Carter Administration to issue a policy statement on Indian concerns.

Gerard, himself a Blackfoot Indian, made this suggestion in his speech to the recent National Congress of American Indians - the largest and oldest Indian organization.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 2), Mar 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"I'm disappointed the President didn't go further," said Dr. Robert Marshall, president of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). He made the comment when questioned about President Carter's pardon of Vietnam draft evaders.

Dr. Marshall urged Carter to extend pardons to military deserters and to those given less than honorable discharges.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 7), Aug-Sep 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

A 70-year old woman rode a bus from Seattle, Washington. ~ young family drove from Pensacola, Florida. They were joined by almost 300 others participating in the 1977 Human Relations Institute at Valparaiso University, July 29-31. The Institute theme of "Faithful Interdependence'' encouraged participants to explore Christian ministries in the pursuit of global justice.

Dr. Elizabeth Bettenhausen, Secretary for Social Concerns in the Lutheran Church in America, addressed the Institute at a Saturday evening dinner. Dr. Bettenhausen had just returned from the Lutheran World Federation Assembly in Tanzania, Africa.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 1), Jan-Feb 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) has reported that almost 3500 American Indian women were sterilized without their proper consent between 1973 and 1976.

Senator James Abourezk, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Indian Affairs, released the GAO's report. The subcommittee had requested the GAO study because Senator Abourezk had received many complaints that Indian women were being sterilized as a birth-control method without their knowledge or consent.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 8), Oct 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"We want to sensitize all our congregations, to help them recognize all aspects of cultural diversity."

That's the task of a newly created organization, Multi-Cultural Lutheran Education, as described by Dr. Marlin Schulz. Dr. Schulz has a long title to go with his job at Missouri Synod's Board of Parish Education. But his primary responsibility is to encourage and support the development of this new organization.

The Vanguard (Vol. 24, No. 5), July 1977, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"These people have hired sophisticated ad agencies and twisted the facts. I'm concerned about their potential political impact nation-wide."

That's how Eugene Crawford, National Indian Lutheran Board Director, describes the several so-called "anti-Indian" groups springing up recently across the country.

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 7), Sep 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The Lutheran World Federation's executive committee - which includes American Lutheran Church President David Preus and Lutheran Church in America President Robert Marshall - has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Vorster of South Africa, urging him to correct injustices in South Africa and Namibia (South West Africa).

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 6), Jul-Aug 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

A resolution calling for support of American Indians as they seek treaty rights and assistance in legal action was adopted at the annual meeting of the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America. The National Indian Lutheran Board earlier had asked Lutheran churches and organizations to adopt the statement. (VANGUARD, June 1976)

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 4), May 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Dr. Robert Marshall, President of The Lutheran Church in America and Dr. David Preus, President of the American Lutheran Church were among 27 U.S. religious leaders who have urged Congress to pass the Right-to-Food resolution suggesting that such action "would be a worthy way for the nation to mark its bicentennial."

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 10), Dec 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Letters to President Gerald Ford from Lutheran leaders - along with those from other church officials - are credited with encouraging the signing into law the Indian Health Improvement Act. The new law will provide $480 million over the next three years.

The House of Representatives had passed the bill 310 to 9 in mid-summer. The Senate later approved the House version of the bill. But the Ford Administration had opposed the legislation from the beginning, primarily because it exceeded proposed budget limitations.

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 9), Nov 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Beginning November 1, some 500 people in the Summit-University area of St. Paul, Minnesota, will have a new way to put much needed food on their tables.

With the help of a $5400 grant from Missouri Synod World Relief, the LHRAA Coordinator Program in St. Paul is ready to begin its "grocery on wheels" project.

The Vanguard (Vol. 23, No. 8), Oct 1976, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The Right to Food Resolution - drafted with the help of Bread for the World - was passed by Congress just before its adjournment. The resolution spent a great deal of time in House and Senate committees, but versions of the resolution were passed by both bodies in late September.

A House-Senate conference committee resolved differences in the two versions, and the resolution then easily passed.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 5), July 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The Lutheran Human Relations Association of Los Angeles has scored another "first."

A Conference on the Vietnamese: Their Presence Among Us, held June 28 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, initially was planned by the Los Angeles LHRA and Lutheran Social Services. Co-sponsors included the Asian Studies Program of California State University at Long Beach and the Long Beach Campus Ministry.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 6), Aug-Sep 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Tuesday, Sept. 2, has come and gone. The feelings of tension and anxiety have been relaxed. After months of careful planning, desegregation of Racine's schools has gone into effect. It all was achieved with remarkable smoothness.

"To be sure, the school year has just begun and there is more that will have to be done," remarked C. Richard Nelson, superintendent of the Unified School District of Racine. "More than one person has been responsible for the gratifying way in which the new arrangement has been achieved. This entire venture represents the combined efforts of many people in the school district …

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 2), Mar 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The quality of Lutheran schools serving Black communities in the Southern District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is very poor compared to other Lutheran schools in the United States, concludes the recently released report of a study of these schools.

The study, "Teaching Assistance Project," was conducted early last year by Harold Kieschnick, principal of Trinity-Messiah Lutheran School of Houston, Tex.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 1), Jan-Feb 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Ray Belcher's television sales fell off this past Christmas. But he sees it as having been a great holiday season.

Ray, a member of the National Indian Lutheran Board and LuChiP (Lutheran Church and Indian People), had gotten word of the sobering predictions that many Indians will be facing serious cold and hunger problems this winter. (December 1974 VANGUARD)

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 4), June 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

A national coalition for the "internationalization of U.S. mission" has been organized among various national and local Lutheran ministries to help put domestic struggles in perspective to international issues.

At an organizing conference May 12-14 in Cleveland, Ohio, 16 persons from 12 organizations from as far apart as Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and Miami, Fla., met to form the new coalition. They named it the New Wine Exchange

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 10), Dec 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

While Lutheran Human Relations Association-Madison's program aims at social and spiritual support to criminal offenders and ex-offenders, at the same time it provides an integrated approach to community understanding and rehabilitation.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 9), Nov-Dec 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

State troopers for too long a time have come in only one color with little variance in size and shape. This phenomenon was finally brought to the attention of the United States Department of Justice. As a result, civil suits on behalf of Blacks, Spanish-surnamed persons, and women were filed recently against state police forces in Michigan and New Jersey.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 8), Oct-Nov 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Twenty people who serve as coordinators for the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America gathered at the Tollentine Retreat Center near Chicago on Oct. 10-12 to audit their activities and discuss their roles for the months ahead.

Coordinators are individuals or in some instances teams who, appointed by LHRAA as non-salaried, part-time extensions of its staff, give presence to LHRAA's ministry in local communities.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 3), Apr-May 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Carol Petzold of Rockville, Md., represented the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America at this year's 26th annual meeting of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.

Headquartered in New York City, the LCCR is a cooperative association of human rights organizations. Its chairman is Roy Wilkins, long-time executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The Vanguard (Vol. 22, No. 7), Sep-Oct 1975, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Church support for Indian people is decreasing, it was reported at a conference sponsored jointly by the Lutheran Church and Indian People and the National Indian Lutheran Board.

In the five years that have elapsed since NILB's inception, participants observed, funds gathered for distribution among Indian communities and agencies have been considerably reduced.

The Vanguard (Vol. 21, No. 5), June 1974, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Many of the major publications have recently taken note of the twentieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The New York Times (May 12, 1974) commented, "Despite enormous strides by blacks and other aggrieved minorities, the battle for equality is far from over . . . " On page 3 of The Vanguard there is a story about an incident in a South Dakota courtroom, illustrating the indignities and injustice with which Indian people must contend.

The Vanguard (Vol. 21, No. 4), May 1974, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Through representatives who have been appointed by the synodical Board for Social Ministry The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has contributed to shaping a process aimed at meeting human need in Appalachia.

The Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA) works directly with a variety of poor people's self-help groups, seeking to develop community organizations designed to give the people an economic, social and political voice.

The Vanguard (Vol. 21, No. 6), Jul-Aug 1974, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Two years ago, Tom and Carolyn Jackson were persuaded to attend the annual LHRAA Institute on Human Relations. They came, they got involved, and for more than a year have been working as LHRAA Coordinators in Madison, Wisconsin.