Today is Election Day. That means today, Tuesday, November 5, is the last day to cast our votes for a host of political offices that have the power to determine the course of the future for our individual and communal lives. CRS encourages all who read this to make that choice.

CRS and our member congregation, Urban Village Church, Wicker Park, co-hosted a virtual gathering on October 23. This online meeting set out to educate our network on the battle to end pretextual traffic stops in Chicago and empower folks to mobilize because, as asserted before, when we fight, we win.

CRS co-hosted a prayer vigil with our member congregation, Urban Village Church, at Grace Church of Logan Square for our “We Won’t Bury the Slain: Day of Action” on September 18. Together with site pastors and Black, Brown, white, and LGBTQIA+ communities in Chicago, we embodied the longstanding tradition of acting in solidarity in the pursuit of justice.  

Our voices will resound stronger, louder, and unbroken in unison and Beloved Community. Our foreparents faced setbacks and obstacles. Still, they rose to the occasion for us and generations yet born. We will carry that spirited fire because it is perpetual and vibrantly inextinguishable through the persistence of our prayers, our protests, and our policies.

CRS rang in Freedom Day early and boosted backing for the Free2Move Coalition’s campaign and their petition to end pretextual stops by canvassing at the June 15 Juneteenth Village Fest hosted by It Takes A Village Family of Schools. Check out photos from the fest here!

On this Juneteenth, let’s honor our history by continuing our ancestors’ fight for freedom. Read our statement as we celebrate and build political power to ensure that Black liberation is a reality.

This Memorial Day holiday, as CRS reflects on lives dedicated to service, moral courage, and the principles of justice, sacrifice, and human dignity, we do so against the backdrop of present-day wars, genocide, and a culture of violence that includes poverty and racism. We are beckoned to memorialize the peacekeepers of our past by being the change agents in this very hour of world suffering and unrest.

As CRS calls on transparent conversations about the Chicago Police Department’s use of excessive force in relationship to Black, Brown, and Indigenous people of our Beloved city, we share a list of traffic stop resources in partnership with the ACLU of Illinois.

In America, policing has almost become synonymous with Black death. The March 21 killing of Dexter Reed (26) in Chicago is yet another horrific example of the ways in which Black bodies are violently and fatally endangered when they come in contact with law enforcement. They can’t keep killing us. The excessive use of force must stop!

As April ushers in the change of spring, CRS proudly joins the nation in acknowledging Second Chance Month! This designation holds profound significance for us as we champion just reentry and equitable opportunities for all. 

Find articles recapping how the end of money bail began in courtrooms across communities, moving us toward racial, economic and social justice.

CRS believes that the significance of accountability cannot be overstated. As people of faith advocating for racial, economic and social justice, it is critical that we always hold our leaders accountable.

Once implemented on September 18, 2023, the Pretrial Fairness Act will end money bond. Read this blog article to learn ways you can get involved in making the justice system safer and more equitable.

On August 9, CRS and other community organizations and members shared powerful testimonies at the Public Hearing on Chicago’s Consent Decree policy on “stop and frisks.”

Mayor Johnson’s request to not dehumanize our youth challenges us to consider the language we use when speaking about our communities. We thank Mayor Johnson for lifting the humanity of our children.

On April 7, 2023, Sheriff Dart enacted a policy that limits incarcerated people to three books per person (including magazines but excluding religious texts). Read our blog to learn how you can take action against the book ban.

Fair Housing Month is observed annually in April to commemorate the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, which prohibits discrimination in housing. CRS fights for fair and equitable housing opportunities through advocacy, education, and resources. Discrimination and inequality still exist in housing, and the fight for fair housing continues.

April is Second Chance Month. Learn more about how this initiative gives hope to those re-entering society from the criminal justice system.

Arguments against voting rights restoration have no merit. I hear all the time that incarcerated Americans don’t deserve to have a voice in their community. As a mother, you always deserve a voice to advocate for your children and the community they call home.

During the last day of the recent veto sessions, Springfield legislators finally approved changes to the Pretrial Fairness Act that were intensely debated by lawmakers in order relieve the public’s concerns of this controversial bill. Learn about the amendment and ways to advance the Pretrial Fairness Act here.