FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
2023 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference Coming to Address Housing, Environmental Justice, Welcoming Refugees and more
News Brief by SpokaneFāVS
This year the annual Eastern Washington Legislative Conference will take place Jan. 21, at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N. Raymond and will also be available online.
The Rev. Gen Heywood, pastor of Veradale United Church of Christ and convener of Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience, will be the keynote speaker addressing, “Caring for Our Common Earth Now and Forever.”
The event, co-sponsored by The Fig Tree and Faith Action Network, will include three plenary sessions:
- Legislative Briefings by Advocates in Olympia
- Housing Is a Human Right
- Indigenous Voices on Environmental Justice
It will also include workshops on welcoming refugees, racial justice, food security, and faithful advocacy.
The legislative briefings will be presented by FAN Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang, Donna Christensen of the Washington State Catholic Conference, and Jessica Zimmerle of Earth Ministry/Interfaith Power and Light.
The Conference will be from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost is $32 for in person attendance, including lunch or $25 per person for a group of five or more, $20 per individual or $15 per person in a group of five or more online.
To register or find more information visit the event’s website.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
