Social Justice Summer: Religious Students Take Faith to Streets

Chicago – For the seventh year select seminary and rabbinical students are spending their summer as advocates for low wageworkers through the Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) Seminary Summer and Catholic Social Teaching internships.

The students – from diverse schools including Iliff Theological Seminary in Denver, the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, and four of the seminaries in Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union – are assigned to projects that benefit nurses, janitors, hotel workers, laundry workers, and other low wage workers.

“The programs give these future pastors, priests, rabbis and religious leaders the opportunity to put their faith to work and expand their concept of ministry,” said Regina Botterill, National Interfaith assistant director and coordinator of the Seminary Summer program. The interns are assigned to local unions and some local interfaith committees. National Interfaith has 60 affiliates around the country that defend the rights of working people.

The interns are available now for interviews and eager to share on the ground organizing experiences and the connection between their religious beliefs and advocacy for workers. Arnie Raj, a student at Iliff Seminary and future United Methodist clergy is working with SEIU Local 105 in Denver on a Justice for Janitors campaign. “This experience has shown me that building bridges between the labor and religious community is critical. I’m learning tactics for creating real change, learning the importance of being organized. The best part is seeing people stand up for themselves and their rights,” he said.

Prior to placement with union locals in Sonoma County, Calif, Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Denver, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati and New York City and with interfaith groups in Chicago, Morganton, N.C., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Washington, D.C., and Boston, the interns enjoyed a weeklong orientation that included theological discussions, labor and organizing history and other training in early June. The 24 interns will also reconvene in Chicago on Aug. 14-15 for an end of summer debriefing.

Seminary Summer is a joint program of the IWJ and the AFL-CIO. It recruits seminary and rabbinic students for a 10-week internship with local unions or Central Labor Councils. The Catholic Social Teaching Internship is a collaborative project of IWJ, Catholic colleges and universities and local interfaith committees. Sister Barbara Pfarr is coordinator of the Catholic Social Teaching program, which involves eight weeks of hands on service to others.

To arrange for interviews, contact Cynthia Brooke, IWJ Communications Director, at (773) 728-8400, x40.