Celebrating our Victories in 2018

In 2018, Faith in Action’s network of volunteers had one million conversations with voters to inspire them to action at the polls.

Through our courageous love, we helped restore the right to vote to 1.4 million formerly incarcerated people in Florida. Our brothers and sisters in Colorado removed slavery from the state constitution. And in Missouri, our leaders helped raise the minimum wage so that people who work tirelessly for their families are able to support their children.

In Kern County, we launched “Youth for Justice,” which is giving young people a stronger voice in shaping implementation of a lawsuit that provides funding to improve school climate and put in place reforms to end the school the prison pipeline.

We created the Valley Watch Network in the Central Valley, a new online platform that connects Rapid Response efforts across the Valley, including 250 trained volunteer Responders and Dispatchers who are working to support families in times of crisis, such as ICE raids.

The city of Fresno began implementation of the Rental Housing Inspection Act, a breakthrough program, which has already completed 500 initial inspections, all of which required corrective action for basic health and safety issues that present imminent danger. Leaders in Stanislaus County gained an initial commitment to expand a similar program to the city of Modesto.

For 2018-2019, FITV Merced recommended and secured over $1 million in funding to improve parent engagement in the areas of school climate, wellness and accountability, closing the student achievement gap for English learners, foster youth and low-income students.

In partnership with Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, FITV San Joaquin is doing community outreach around the Universal Guaranteed Basic Income experiment, provides guaranteed income to a small group of residents to test whether such an infusion on a broader scale could alter lives and boost the economy.

“What gives me hope in this moment is knowing that we are greeting these trying times with an unstoppable, prophetic resistance,” said the Rev. Alvin Herring, executive director of Faith in Action. “We are building an army of liberation that aims to spread love, equity, and a vision for a future where all people in this country can thrive.”