Social Justice Events and Resources
Trinity Episcopal Parish in Wilmington Delaware seeks social justice and equality where it does not exist today. Our sensitivities to the problems in our modern society were highlighted when the George Floyd protests exploded through the US and the world during the height of the pandemic lockdown. The problems can be addressed by reform in a wide range of areas: Police, Justice, Housing, Education, Employment, Voting rights and the list goes on in the City of Wilmington, the State of Delaware our region and country. Our parish members volunteer their time and get involved in order to improve our community and make positive change to help others in need. Below is a list of resources you might find helpful in order to learn more, raise your awareness and get involved in a cause that is close to your heart. This is a living document and if you have additional information to add please let us know.
UPCOMING
Team Network Delaware
Civic Action Alert: Week of February 10th
Summary
- Policy Action:Share your opinion on SB 20– begin reviving employer matches for deferred compensation (retirement) plans for state employees
- News: Wilmington could save millions with new research that investigates its lead pipe problem
- Community Engagement:2025 Citywide Black History Celebration
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ACLU
The Special Election in SD 1 and SD 5 is Saturday, February 15th!
Delaware’s election season is not over yet! Delaware will hold Special Elections in Senate District 1 (SD 1) and Senate District 5 (SD 5) to fill vacant seats in the Delaware State Senate on Saturday, February 15th.
SD 1 encompasses Bellefonte and parts of Alapocas, Edgemoor, and Wilmington. SD 5 extends from Claymont to Talleyville and covers sections of Brandywine Hundred, including the Ardens. To vote in the upcoming Special Elections, you MUST be an eligible voter and a resident of SD 1 or SD 5.
Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, legis.delaware.gov.
SD 1 and 5 Special Election
Election Day
You must vote at your designated polling place.
Saturday, February 15th
Polls are open 7:00am – 8:00pm
Early Voting
You can vote at any early voting place during the early voting period.
Wednesday, February 12th – Thursday, February 13th, 7:00am – 7:00pm
Absentee Voting
If you are unable to vote in-person on the Special Election date, you may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot.
The best way to prepare is by making a plan to vote. That’s why VoteDelaware.orgis back to ensure SD 1 and SD 5 voters are equipped with the information you need to cast your ballots confidently. In addition to information on dates, deadlines, methods of voting, and voter assistance, VoteDelaware.org also features our candidate questionnaire – an easy way for you to learn about where the candidates running in your districts land on the issues that matter to you.
To learn more and make your plan to vote, visit VoteDelaware.org.
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Westminster’s Peace & Justice Group presents –
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR WIND POWER IN DELAWARE?
Thursday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
With Sierra Club Delaware
Our local Delaware Sierra Club chapter has been on the forefront to clear a path for clean energy for our state. Tonight we will look at what’s going on with Wind power. Although Delaware’s environmental division has approved three permits needed for US Wind’s offshore wind project off of the Maryland coast, lawsuits have been filed against such projects from various entities, and a new administration in Washington has further muddied the waters. Join us as Dustyn Thompson and/or Marissa McClenton will fill us in on the latest news and their thoughts about the future.
Meeting ID 860 2752 1655 and click “Join”
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The Episcopal Church in Delaware –
Message from Bishop Brown
Beloved of God in Delaware,
Recently, in this space, I called our attention to issues of migration and immigration which once again have bubbled to the heated surface of public discourse. Of course there is nothing new about such controversies in our country. Since our founding, Americans have grappled sporadically and imperfectly to balance our responsibility to establish and maintain safe borders with the obligation and desire to welcome and protect immigrants, migrants and refugees.
The current immigration controversies are similar to those of the past, but the proposed scale and intrusiveness of “round up” enforcement is unprecedented and alarming to say the least. Common sense tells us that blunt instruments almost never solve difficult problems yet they almost always make bad situations far worse. As long as we Americans try to solve our social problems this way, the church will never be short of ministry opportunities.
What can we do? I offer three items for your immediate consideration.
- Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), org, has been at the forefront of this work for well over 100 years in partnership with faith organizations from across religions and Christian denominations. EMM is non-partisan and has worked closely with Republican and Democratic administrations for generations. I cannot say enough about the free materials you can find on their website. Invest your time, invest your energy, invest your attention here.
- In particular, we are all invited to join EMM’s weekly open webinarto learn up-to-date information on the current state of affairs. I joined yesterday, it was remarkable. Among other speakers, the chief legal officer of the Episcopal Church gave incredibly helpful insight into areas of the law (enforcement, arrest, warrants, public vs. private spaces, lack of specific legal deference for house of worship, and so on) on which I as a non-lawyer was woefully under-informed.
- From my experience with #2, I have asked our diocesan chancellor, Mr. Tim Willard, to join me on Thursday, February 13 at 3:00 p.m. for a Delaware-focused webinar on “Churches, Shelter, and the Law” (see below announcement for details). We are basing the webinar on questions specifically around how proposed new law enforcement techniques might impact a church’s ministries. If we are to provide robust, sustainable ministry to and with the hungry, homeless, and vulnerable — including immigrants and all persons in need — we are wise to do so with our eyes as wide open as our hearts.
Let us pray that our commitment to the plight of immigrants, migrants, and refugees does not wane when this issue is inevitably bumped out of the news cycle. Some other outrage will replace it on your favorite cable news show and social media feed. Don’t be distracted or led astray. These are people, not just issues. Follow the amazing, long-term work of Episcopal Migration Ministries. Donate annually to their efforts. Learn what we all can do to help even when no one else is looking. I ask us all to take this moment of renewed political sound and fury to pay close attention to these issues — never forgetting these are not merely “issues” but rather actions that profoundly affect real people, families, and communities.
Your brother in Christ,
+Kevin
Churches, Shelter, and the Law – How proposed new law enforcement techniques might impact a church’s ministries
A Delaware-focused webinar with Bishop Brown and Mr. Tim Willard, Diocesan Chancellor, Thursday, February 13, 3:00 pm
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8891132577
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MOMS DEMAND ACTION
Join us at our Volunteer Meeting for the Northern New Castle County Moms Demand Action Group, Sunday, February 16th at 2:30pm at the Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1502 W 13th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806. February is Black History Month! We will seek to amplify the voices of young advocates leading the way in the gun violence prevention movement. And we will also recognize Black heroes who have made significant contributions to our society. This month is a time of celebration and reflection, prompting us to dig deeper into our history. We will also cover legislative and Be Smart opportunities.
We will also be collecting items to donate to Network Connect. They need coats, shoes, laundry detergent, health products, socks, and baby items/food. Any donation of one of these items would be appreciated. Please bring it to the meeting. Thank you for your generosity!
Additionally, we would like to help and support any events you have coming up on the horizon. Please reply with any upcoming events and let us know how we can help. We look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Sunday, February 16th, at 2:30 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Kind regards,
Kerry Meluskey
Community Engagement
NNCC Group-Moms Demand Action
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The Wilmington Library –
The Cookout Series: Ruby Bridges
Tuesday, February 18, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, The Commons, Wilmington Public Library
Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, the first African America child to attend Williams Frantz Elementary, joins us for a powerful conversation about her life and its lasting impact. This is a unique opportunity to hear the extraordinary speaker Ruby Bridges who, as a six-year-old little girl, desegregated the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans all by herself.
Tickets for this event are available on Eventbrite. Seating is on a fist come, first served basis. Doors open at 5:00pm.
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NCC Police Accountability Board –
Public Meeting
February 2025 Meeting: Tuesday, February 18th, 2025 at 6:00 PM (General Board Meeting)
Location: Gilliam Building – Multi-Purpose Room, 77 Reads Way, New Castle, DE 19720
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ACLU
Know You Rights Training: Allies for Immigrant Communities
Wilmington – Wednesday, February 19, 10:30 – 11:30am, Community Service Building
Lewes – Tuesday, February 25, 6:00 – 7:00pm, Lewes Public Library
Everyone has basic rights under the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws. When you know what the law says, you can better protect your community.
That’s why we’re hosting a Know Your Rights training series in partnership with the Delaware Hispanic Commission, and the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) designed to empower allies with the knowledge and tools to support Delaware’s immigrant communities. This training will cover topics like:
- Interactions with ICE and law enforcement;
- Understanding warrants and search rights;
- Knowing your role as an ally and how to safely intervene; and
- Resources and support networks available for immigrant communities and allies.
This training will be offered in English and will be especially helpful to people who work with immigrants, provide services to immigrant communities, are educators, healthcare workers, or others who may be wondering how they can navigate the changing environment around immigrants’ rights.
Organizing your own community outreach? If you reside or work in Delaware, please use this form to request materials for your efforts.
Visit aclu-de.org/firewall to learn more about our work to defend our fundamental freedoms, and more.
Now more than ever, we need you to step up in to help protect people who are immigrants and their families.
ACLU of Delaware
AND
Advocacy Guide
This year, Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day fell on the same day. This is an opportunity to remember that the right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy – an essential form of resistance against injustice and oppression.
We’ve put together a guide to help ACLU supporters get involved in the fight for our fundamental rights and to ensure everyone can participate in our democracy – with everything from background on what’s at stake to ways you can make an impact for the issues you care most about.
We hope you’ll join us in protecting our rights and freedoms – and fighting to create a more perfect union – in the days ahead.
Together,
The ACLU Team
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UDEL/OLLI –
Black History: The Impact of Racism, presented by Delaware Activist and Educator Bebe Coker,
Tuesday, February 22nd, 11:00am at Woodlawn Library, 2020 W 9th Street, Wilmington, DE.
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ACLU –
Leadership Forum – Building Firewalls in the States
Tuesday, February 25th, 4:00-5:00pm via Zoom
Two weeks into President Trump’s second term, the ACLU has successfully used litigation to stop and stall some of the worst federal offenses, like his attack on birthright citizenship. But we don’t just play defense – we go on the offense, too.
Join us to hear about the ACLU’s parallel strategy to build safe havens at the state and local levels. These critical firewalls will create safe communities for immigrants, regional access for abortion care, and spaces to freely assemble and protest for our freedoms. To provide a window into our state and city plans, we have assembled the ACLU’s top policy and advocacy experts.
I will moderate a discussion with:
- Amol Sinha, Executive Director, ACLU of New Jersey.
- J.J. Straight, ACLU National Campaigns Director, Reproductive Rights.
- Nahal Zamani, ACLU Director of State Campaigns, National Political Advocacy Department.
During the program, I will dedicate time for Amol, J.J., and Nahal to answer any of your questions.
Please RSVP to receive the Zoom webinar link.
In solidarity,
Deborah Archer
Pronouns: She, her, hers
ACLU President
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Network Delaware
Over the past few month, many people I’ve talked to want to improve their skills and often ask for mentors to share their experiences – no expertise! Many of them ask for someone who can share just a little of their own experiences, even if they’re not an expert themselves yet. Would you be willing to share your knowledge? Whether it’s organizing, volunteer engagement, policy, or other skills, we’re looking for folks to support Network Delaware participants on their own schedule. Even 30 minutes every few months makes a difference.
Thank you for considering helping our new change agents.
Jasmine Dixon
Network Delaware
Antiracism RESOURCES
YWCA Antiracist Resource page
Here you can find Antiracist resources such as books, movies and podcast to further your personal education. To register or find out more about our programs visit: www.ywcade.org/what-we-do/rsj/
Books
Non-fiction
Roll Jordan Roll by Eugene Genovese
Displaying keen insight into the minds of both enslaved persons and slaveholders, historian Eugene Genovese investigates the ways that enslaved persons forced their owners to acknowledge their humanity through culture, music, and religion. He covers a vast range of subjects, from slave weddings and funerals, to language, food, clothing, and labor, and places particular emphasis on religion as both a major battleground for psychological control and a paradoxical source of spiritual strength.
Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabelle Wilkerson
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.
Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two “letters,” written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism.
Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to Alex Haley
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
Malcolm X by Manning Marable
Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America. Reaching into Malcolm’s troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents’ activism as followers of Marcus Garvey through his own work with the Nation of Islam and rise in the world of black nationalism, and culminates in the never-before-told true story of his assassination.
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion.
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria and Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious.
Fiction
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings– Maya Angelou
The Underground Railroad-Colson Whitehead
The Bluest Eye-Toni Morrison
The Color Purple– Alice Walker
Anti-Racism
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness– Michelle Alexander
How to Be an Antiracist-Ibram X.Kendi
White Fragility– Robin Diangelo
So You Want to Talk About Race– Ijeoma Oluo
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Movies
Glory – R – 1989 – 2hr. 2 min – Available on Netflix
Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is offered command of the United States’ first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. With junior officer Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.
Do the Right Thing – R – 1989 ‧ Comedy-drama ‧ 2h 5m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Salvatore “Sal” Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria’s Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin’ Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
13th – 2016 ‧ Documentary/History ‧ 1h 40m – Available on Netflix
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.
Just Mercy – PG13 – 2019 – Drama – 2h 17m – Available on HBOMax, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian’s life.
Green Book – PG13 – 2018 – Comedy/Drama – 2h 10m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.
If Beale Street Could Talk – R – 2018 – Romance/Drama – 1h 59m – Available on Hulu
In early 1970s Harlem, daughter and wife-to-be Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
12 Years A Slave – R – 2013 – Drama/History – 2h 14m – Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime
In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon’s life forever.
Malcolm X – PG13 – 1992 – Drama – 3h 22m – Available on HBOMax, Amazon Prime, Vudu
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the ’50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Mississippi Burning – R – 1988 – Mystery/Drama – 2h 8m – Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime
When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities refuse to cooperate with them, and the African American community is afraid to, precipitating a clash between the two agents over strategy. As the situation becomes more volatile, the direct approach is abandoned in favor of more aggressive, hard-line tactics.
BlacKkKlansman – R – 2018 – Crime/Drama – 2h 16m – Available on YouTube, Amazon Prime
Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman, into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.
Crash – R – 2004 – Crime/Drama – 1h 55m – Available on Hulu, HBOMax, Amazon Prime
Writer-director Paul Haggis interweaves several connected stories about race, class, family and gender in Los Angeles in the aftermath of 9/11. Characters include a district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his casually prejudiced wife (Sandra Bullock), dating police detectives Graham (Don Cheadle) and Ria (Jennifer Esposito), a victimized Middle Eastern store owner and a wealthy African-American couple (Terrence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton) humiliated by a racist traffic cop (Matt Dillon).
Selma – PG13 – 2014 – Historical Drama – 2h 8m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Help – PG13 – 2011 – Drama/Romance – 2h 27m – Available on Netflix, Paramount Network
In 1960s Mississippi, Southern society girl Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns from college with dreams of being a writer. She turns her small town on its ear by choosing to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. Only Aibileen (Viola Davis), the housekeeper of Skeeter’s best friend, will talk at first. But as the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward, and as it turns out, they have quite a lot to say.