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Justice Discussion Series
Beginning this spring, St. John’s Franklinton will host a twelve session discussion series that takes a theo-ethical look at key economic, environmental, and social justice topics relevant to inner city neighborhoods and the global community at large. This series is intended to strengthen our understanding of the connection between issues of faith and justice, enhance our capacities for critical thinking about justice issues, increase our awareness of the various injustices at hand in our neighborhoods and around the world, and identify ways that we can resist injustice and build equitable community with all of creation.
Each session will be 90 minutes in length and include a presentation, group discussion, case study review, and reflection. Participants will be required to complete a short reading or video prior to each session (electronic copies of the required materials available below). A complete bibliography will also be provided in order to encourage further engagement with the selected justice topics.
Sessions will be held in St. John’s Franklinton at 1003 West Town St Columbus from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM on the dates listed below. While participation in the full series is highly encouraged, attendance at individual sessions is welcomed. For more information, please contact Patrick Kaufman at (614) 382-2221 or patrick_kaufman@hotmail.com.
As a parishioner and mission council member at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Patrick Kaufman has long worked for food justice in the West Columbus neighborhood of Franklinton. After years of service as director of Franklinton Gardens, he now is project coordinator for the Methodist Theological School in Ohio’s Community Food and Wellness Initiative, as well as a community organizer and advocate in Franklinton.
Meeting Schedule & Readings
required readings are listed below each session and link to downloadable PDFs
Economy (Sessions 1-4)
(1) April 19: Capitalism and Economics of Compassion
Capitalism Becomes Questionable (Monthly Review)
The Economics of Compassion (Yes Magazine)
(2) May 3: Worker Exploitation and Human Trafficking
Christian Ethics and Human Trafficking Activism (Christian Ethics)
Human Trafficking Code of Conduct
(3) May 17: Wages and Income Inequality
Enough is Enough (The Other Side)
Minimum Wage (Economy and Psychology Series)
Revolution for Income Equality (Economy and Psychology Series)
(4) June 7: Urban Redevelopment and the Displacement of the Poor
Franklinton Set For Revitalization (Columbus Dispatch)
Remaking Columbus’s Most Downtrodden Neighborhood (The Atlantic)
How to Attract Artists to a Down-and-Out Neighborhood (The Atlantic)
Home No More on River’s Edge (Columbus Dispatch)
Environment (Sessions 5-8)
(5) June 21: Community of Creation: People, Nonhuman Life, and the Land
(6) July 5: Climate Change and a Culture of Doubt
(7) July 19: Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy
(8) August 16: Food and Farming
Society (Sessions 9-12)
(9) September 6: Racism
(10) September 20: Mass Incarceration
(11) October 4: Immigration
(12) October 18: Homelessness