Washington E-Memo
2018 Essay contest winners announced Saige Lind, a high school sophomore who attends Seattle Mennonite Church, has earned the grand prize of $1,000 in the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S....
View ArticleThe need for generous foreign assistance
The massive displacement of farmers because of escalated conflicts and drought has contributed to the problem of food security around the world. According to the 2018 Global Report on Food Crises,...
View ArticleRemembering the legacy of war
I walked the perimeter of a small rice paddy, surrounded by a few simple houses and groupings of gravestones. The plaques nearby list the names of people who died there, but no one is exactly sure who...
View ArticlePalestinian youth in jeopardy
Many of us like to have our days planned out when we start the morning. We send our children to school, we head to the gym or to work, we meet with coworkers for lunch. At the end of the day, we expect...
View ArticlePeace quilts
As a person of faith, I feel compelled to speak out against the increasing threat of nuclear war. How can we remain silent when politicians at the highest level talk seriously about using nuclear...
View ArticleWashington E-Memo
Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula The leaders of North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) and South Korea met April 27 in a historic summit that offers hope for steps towards...
View ArticleNigeria: Rebuilding lives
Displaced from her home by Boko Haram attacks at Madagali, Nigeria and the Nigerian military’s response, Christy and her family fled to the area of Girei in Adamawa State. As the family of seven tried...
View ArticleSeparating mothers from their children at the border
On the eve of Mother’s Day, the Trump administration formalized a policy of forcibly separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, a practice that, in recent months, has...
View ArticleImmigration update
Read in Spanish. Family separation at the border “Wouldn’t you feel anguish if they took your kids? I’d be going crazy. It’s inhumane.”–Public defender in McAllen, Texas “[Attorney General Jeff]...
View ArticleWashington E-Memo
The MCC U.S. Washington Office celebrates 50 years! This summer, our office will celebrate 50 years since its founding in 1968. This spring’s special edition of our print newsletter takes a look back...
View ArticleForced to flee
Given all the rapid changes within immigration policy, much attention is rightly focused on how the U.S. treats asylum seekers and others arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Of particular concern is a...
View ArticleCriminal justice on celebrity platforms
In recent years, many celebrities have used their platforms to highlight flaws in the criminal justice system. The light shed on these important issues has encouraged others to pay more attention to...
View ArticleThe costs, and profits, of war
On a recent visit to the Middle East, I heard firsthand about the awful costs of the Syria war. A Syrian Orthodox bishop, Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh, told of the “irreversible damage” that had been done...
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A closed door to newcomers After separating more than 2,000 children from parents seeking refuge at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Trump issued an executive order to stop the separations. But...
View ArticleThe scoop on the summit
While much ink has already been spilled on the U.S.-North Korea summit of last week, it bears taking a closer look. First, let’s look at what is in the agreement between the U.S. and North Korea: A...
View ArticleWhen children can’t go to school
Before we know it, summer routines will end and children will return to school. But for more than 500,000 Palestinian children throughout the Middle East, schools may not be able to open in the fall....
View ArticleImmigration update
Read in Spanish. Family separations remain a problem – at the border and beyond After coming under intense criticism for forcibly separating more than 2,000 immigrant children from their parents at...
View ArticleCounting down in faith: Elections in DR Congo
On June 30, the Democratic Republic of the Congo celebrated its 58th anniversary of independence. Instead of celebrating landmark democratic achievements as a nation, the country faces the unpleasant...
View ArticleWashington E-Memo
Engage with candidates During the month of August, members of the House will return to their home states, with senators returning for a shorter period of time (Aug. 6-14). This is a great time to set...
View ArticleFamily separations are not only at the border
Stories of immigrant families separated at the border caught the public’s attention last month. The reports were certainly appalling: children crying after being forcibly taken from a parent, parents...
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