<p>In a new column, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good offer us three examples of how the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is so compellingly true in our 2013 economy and justice system.&nbsp; <a href="http://catholicsinalliance.org/palumbocgf100913.php">The column by Ben Palumbo,</a> board member, is good reading for fall break for students and faculty and beyond.</p>

<p>On August 29, 2013, the Jesuit Social Research Institute held a press conference to mark the eighth anniversary of Katrina Hurricane and call for reform of the U.S. immigration system by highlighting the role immigrant laborers played in rebuilding New Orleans. Area homeowners, assisted by immigrant workers in rebuilding after Katrina, shared their experiences and spoke about why they believe our country needs compassionate and common-sense immigration reform.</p>
<p>These testimonies come at a time where the <img alt="" src="/jsri/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/images/Katrina%20Homeowners.JPG" style="width: 314px; height: 250px; float: right;" />U.S. Senate bi-partisan bill for comprehensive immigration reform and the debate on immigration shifts to the House of Representatives. The Senate bill, passed in June, includes measures which would further strengthen the border, revamp our out-dated and inefficient visa processing system, protect the rights of American workers, and create a road map for earned citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jmcv1wvg0kndah/08-29-2013%20Presser-Loyola.mp3?n=76725538 https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jmcv1wvg0kndah/08-29-2013%20Presser-Loyola.mp3?n=76725538">To listen to audio of the press conference click here.</a></p>

<p>On September 2, 2013 the <em>Washington Post</em> published a reflection by Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ on the dignity and right to just wages for fast-food restaurant workers in the United States. In &quot;Labor Day justice: What&rsquo;s the real cost of your cheap, fast food?&quot;, Fr. Kammer notes the growing economic inequality across the nation and the stagnation of wages and salaries, especially for those at the bottom of the income scale. Due to this, Fr. Kammer echoes the call of other religious leaders for an increase in the minimum wage to a just wage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/09/02/labor-day-justice-whats-the-real-cost-of-your-cheap-fast-food/">Click here to read Fr. Kammer&#39;s article at the <em>Washington Post</em>.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/labor-day-statement-2013.cfm">Click here to read the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops&#39; Labor Day statement.</a></p>

<p>The July 2013 edition of the JustSouth E-newsletter examines the moral imperative of raising the minimum wage, the Supreme Court&#39;s ruling on the Voting Rights Act, and reasons to support the Senate&#39;s recent comprehensive immigration reform bill.</p>
<p><a href="http://e2.ma/webview/vbocd/b28e1bf777d43cf62aef0b2965979c6c">Read the full edition of the March E-newsletter here.</a></p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/minimum-wage-gateway-worker-dignity">Minimum Wage: Gateway to Worker Dignity</a>--Kammer</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/1965-voting-rights-act">Gutting the Voting Rights Act: U.S. Supreme Court Removes Key Enforcement Provision</a>--Mikulich</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/senate-bill-744">Let Us Count the Reasons: Why Support the Senate&rsquo;s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill</a>--Weishar</li>
</ul>

<p>On June 5, the Archdiocese of New Orleans held a prayer service in support of comprehensive immigration reform, as Congress works to fix our nation&rsquo;s broken system. During the service, a number of immigrant families told their stories and Archbishop Aymond called on all Catholics to work seek reform that protects families and the common good. The service was sponsored by the Archidiocese of New Orleans, Catholic Charities New Orleans, and the Jesuit Social Research Institute.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/churchteachingonimmigrationreform.cfm">Learn more about the Church&#39;s position on immigration reform&gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=62312721&amp;type=CO"><span class="xc_maintext">Send an electronic postcard your U.S. Senators and Representatives asking that they pass just and compassionate immigration reform legislation in the 113th Congress&gt;&gt;</span></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The May 13th edition of America Magazine included a review by Nathan Schneider of Dr. Alex Mikulich&#39;s latest book The Scandal of White Complicity in U.S. Hyper-Incarceration.</p>
<p><a href="http://americamagazine.org/issue/culture/criminal-injustice-system">Click here to read the review&gt;&gt;</a></p>

<p>The April 2013 edition of the JustSouth E-Newsletter commemorates the 50th anniversary of MLK&#39;s <em>Letter from Birmingham Jail</em>, gives an overview of recent efforts at immigration reform, and explores the impact of state Medicaid decisions on people of color.</p>
<p><a href="http://e2.ma/message/jmw4c/vfr11c">Read the full edition of the March E-newsletter here.</a></p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/troublemakers-beloved-community">Troublemakers of the Beloved Community: The 50th Anniversary of the <em>Letter from Birmingham Jail</em></a>--Mikulich</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/new-hope-immigrants">New Hope for Immigrants: A Way Forward for Immigration Reform</a>--Weishar</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/their-stake-medicaid-expansion">Their Stake in Medicaid Expansion: State Medicaid Decisions Impact People of Color</a>--Kammer</li>
</ul>

<p>The Spring 2013 edition of the JustSouth Quarterly focuses on lives changed by the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, Catholic Social Thought and Subsidiarity, W.E.B Du Bois gift of &quot;double-consciousness,&quot; and proposed changes to state-local tax systems.</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSQ_Spring_2013.pdf">Click here to read the latest edition of the JustSouth Quarterly.</a></p>
<p>Articles include:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/immigration-reform-retrospect">Immigration Reform in Retrospect: Lessons Learned, Lives Changed</a>--Weishar</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/catholic-social-thought-cst-and-subsidiarity">Catholic Social Thought (CST) and Subsidiarity</a>--Kammer</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/gift-web-du-bois-and-double-consciousness">The Gift of W.E.B. Du Bois and Double-Consciousness</a>--Mikulich</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/taxing-poor">Taxing the Poor: The Regressive Nature of State-Local Tax System</a>s--Kammer</li>
</ul>

<p>The March 2013 edition of the JustSouth E-Newsletter highlights Pope Benedict XVI&#39;s commitment to environmental justice, looks at new estimates of the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., and explores reasons why now is the time to end the death penalty in the U.S.</p>
<p><a href="http://e2.ma/message/74qvc/vfr11c">Read the full edition of the March E-newsletter here.</a></p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/covenant-creation?utm_campaign=March%202013%20E-news%20%28staff%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_content=[u%27read%27%2C%20u%27more%27%2C%20u%27%5Cxbb%27]">A Covenant with Creation: Pope Benedict&#39;s Teaching on the Environment</a>--Kammer</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/refining-numbers?utm_campaign=March%202013%20E-news%20%28staff%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_content=[u%27read%27%2C%20u%27more%27%2C%20u%27%5Cxbb%27]">Refining the Numbers: New Estimates of Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S.</a>--Weishar</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/christopher-sepulvado%E2%80%99s-execution-halted?utm_campaign=March%202013%20E-news%20%28staff%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_content=[u%27read%27%2C%20u%27more%27%2C%20u%27%5Cxbb%27]">Execution Halted: Time to End the Death Penalty</a>--Mikulich</li>
</ul>

<p>The January 2013 edition of the JustSouth E-Newsletter calls for a stop to an execution in Louisiana scheduled for Ash Wednesday, looks at Catholic teaching on immigration reform, and provides an analysis of the tax deal passed by Congress earlier this month.</p>
<p><a href="http://e2.ma/message/vjypc/vfr11c">Read the full edition of the January E-newsletter here.</a><a href="http://e2.ma/message/rovjc/r8611c"> </a></p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/executing-life-and-human-dignity">Ash Wednesday Execution: Executing a Life and Human Dignity</a>--Mikulich</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/strangers-no-longer">Strangers No Longer: Catholic Teachings on Immigration Refor</a>m--Weishar</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/tax-deal">The Tax Deal&hellip;and More Coming Horrors</a>--Kammer</li>
</ul>