Month: July 2022

For Immediate Release

July 12, 2022

NEW YORK – United Women in Faith today announced a second grant in furtherance of its commitment to racial justice. After granting $250,000 to Girls Embracing Mothers last month, the organization’s executive for racial justice, Emily Jones, disclosed that United Women in Faith is also granting $250,000 over two years to the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Tia Oros Peters, chief executive officer, leads the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, which is the oldest organization of its kind and is dedicated to Indigenous peoples’ self-determination and Native nations’ sovereignty.   

“We not only want to support the leadership of women of color, but we want to encourage others to do the same,” said Harriett Jane Olson, general secretary and CEO of United Women in Faith. “We want to increasingly affirm our belief in the leadership of women of color and the critical role they play in the uplift of communities and society.”  

The gift aligns with United Women in Faith’s desire to support the leadership of Native women and capacity building for movements furthering racial and gender justice. It is also a tangible demonstration of the organization’s belief in indigenous self-determination and the importance of acts of repentance for this nation’s history of genocide toward Indigenous communities.   

“Our nation has a horrible history of genocide, erasure and violence towards Indigenous people,” Jones said. “Apologies without restorative action are short-sighted and meaningless. With this gift and our commitment to continued learning and action, we hope to be an example for what true repentance looks like.”  

The gift is unusual in its size. Typically, United Women in Faith issues grants ranging between $500 and $10,000. This is one of the largest grants the organization has issued. And it is the second grant of size that United Women in Faith has awarded in recent months. In May, it granted $250,000 to Girls Embracing Mothers, which Brittany K. Barnett founded and runs.  

“We know that structural racism is evident in every facet of life, including grant-making. As such, women of color-led organizations are not funded to the level that their white counterparts are, even though their work is no less significant and their leaders equally competent,” Jones said. “When organizations led by Black, Indigenous and Latinx women do receive funding, there are often onerous application processes and stringent reporting requirements. This limits the pool of leaders who could avail themselves of such funds and robs leaders of precious time that could be spent on service delivery.”  

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For Immediate Release 

July 1, 2022  

United Women in Faith Opposes Supreme Court EPA Ruling 

NEW YORK – After the Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 opinion, to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate emissions from power plants, which would help address the climate crisis, United Women in Faith Director of Mobilization and Advocacy Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee issued the following statement:  

“The Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA signals a major setback in the fight against the climate crisis. It limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to set effective standards needed to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from coal and gas fired power plants under the Clean Air Act.

“As women of faith called to steward the earth and care for one another, we are deeply concerned about the Court’s low regard for frontline communities. Extreme heat, wildfires, and intensifying storms are already disproportionately impacting women and girls around the world and devastating Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander and low-wealth communities in the United States. As the largest cumulative climate polluter, this is a significant blow to U.S.’s ability to reduce climate pollution and keep the fossil fuel industry in check.

“The Court’s decision raises many uncertainties and could impact more than just climate; it could threaten the government’s ability to enforce laws surrounding public health, worker’s rights, clean air and water, and much more. The decision could result in reduced funding for national clean energy transition.

“With oil and gas prices rising and climate impacts intensifying, it is even more imperative that Congress pass ambitious climate justice funding so that the nation can jump-start a clean renewable energy transition. For their part, states must redouble their efforts to drastically reduce emissions in their states. And the EPA still must exercise its authority to cut climate pollution.  

“We urge the Biden administration to use all the powers of the executive office to act quickly and address the climate crisis.” 

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