Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Together for Justice

International Development and Advocacy

10th Annual March to Save Oak Flat

February 15-18, 2024 The Apache Stronghold organizes a run/march every February to gather community, neighbors, and allies in prayerful action to support the protection of the sacred lands of Oak Flat and beyond. Oak Flat is at risk of destruction by Resolution Copper, a United States subsidiary of the Australian mining companies BHP and Rio… Read more »

Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis

God’s gifts of food and water are used as weapons of war in Palestine By Andrew Kang Bartlett | Presbyterian Hunger Program ‘How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a sibling in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but… Read more »

200,000 Palestinian Workers Lose Jobs in Israel

By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Israel’s war in Gaza has caused hardship for all Palestinians, including Palestinian workers. Before the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, 200,000 Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank were employed in Israel. Then Israel closed checkpoints and all 200,000 Palestinians were suspended from working in… Read more »

Advocacy: Save Oak Flat and Support a Just Energy Transition

  Chíchʼil Bił Dagoteel or Oak Flat in English, is a sacred site for the San Carlos Apache and is under threat of destruction by Resolution Copper, a United States subsidiary of the Australian mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto. Resolution Copper plans to use block cave mining techniques, which will cause Oak Flat to… Read more »

Abandoned Mining Pits Pose Risks to Families in Cameroon

The Joining Hands network in Cameroon RELUFA has produced a short documentary on the issue of abandoned mining pits in Eastern Cameroon. RELUFA is working to ensure that the mining code is being enforced and that mining companies are following through on their contractual obligations to safely close mining operations and reclaim lands that have… Read more »

U.S. trade policy threatens sovereignty, climate, and health

U.S. must ban investor-state dispute provisions in trade and investment agreements By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Staff Back in November, more than 200 labor, environment and other civil society organizations urged President Biden to “pursue an effective path to exit Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) by the U.S. and our partners in existing bilateral… Read more »

PHP joins about 150 people praying for Oak Flat in Arizona

‘It may be that we are the ones in need of saving’ By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Staff OAK FLAT, Arizona — On Nov. 4, about 150 people gathered in prayer at Chi’chil Biłdagoteel (Oak Flat) in the Tonto National Forest of Arizona, sacred land of the San Carlos Apache and other Indigenous… Read more »

Witnessing the horrors of war

PHP partners flee violence in Gaza By Valery Nodem | Associate for International Hunger Concerns, Presbyterian Hunger Program “If we get killed, tell your communities that Palestinians are peaceful humans struggling only for peace…” These are the words of our partner Rajeh Abbas, founder and Director of the Palestinian nonprofit Improvement and Development for Communities… Read more »

Scars of nuclear colonialism in the Marshall Islands

By Bedi Racule | Ecological and Climate Justice Program with the Pacific Conference of Churches A remote group of tiny islands that are isolated and sparsely populated… This is how U.S. officials viewed the Marshall Islands when they chose them as testing sites for their nuclear weapons testing programs. This perspective vastly differs from the… Read more »

New Guide Supports the Self Determination of Indigenous Peoples

On Indigenous People’s Day, we celebrate the publication of a new guide that will assist Indigenous Peoples all over the world to develop their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) priorities and secure their right to self-determination. Cultural Survival and First Peoples Worldwide have published Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-Determination: A Guide on Free,… Read more »