Faith Action Network Spring Summits and Faith Community support for COVID resilience

 

Dear Advocates, Our Spring Summits begin this weekend! We want to hear from you, so please don't miss the opportunity to attend one of them. Each spring, FAN gathers advocates from across the state to reflect on the past legislative session, discuss the issues you want to work on together in the future, and get to know our neighbors. This year we will again be meeting virtually, and each of our two summits will be statewide with breakout groups by location and by issue interest group. We hope you can join us this Sunday, May 23 from 2-4 PM, or Sunday, June 6 from 2-4 PM - register using the buttons below. We will share the same content at each summit, so you only need to choose one! After you register, we will send you the Zoom link. Make sure your Zoom is updated to the latest version so you can fully participate. Here is the direct link to download the latest update, or you can read more here. Faiths in Action for Vaccines This week, FAN was able to meet with Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary of the WA State Dept. of Health, to discuss the critical role faith communities statewide continue to play during COVID-19, in conjunction with our host, Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal and the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches. You’ll be hearing more about this at our Summits. In the meantime, we wanted to highlight the wonderful efforts of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Kent to provide a vaccine clinic weekly for the community, in this Seattle Times article.  Nationally: Faiths4Vaccines is hosting a National Summit on Wednesday, May 26 from 1-4PM Eastern (10AM - 1 PM Pacific). Faith leaders, faith communities, and medical professionals are leading efforts to respond, recover from the unprecedented health crises facing our nation and the world. Now, equipped with a life-saving vaccine, we have the chance to bring this devastating virus, and all the suffering it has caused, to an end.   Join us at the National Summit for the largest multi-faith gathering to support equitable and far-reaching vaccine distribution in the United States. Faith leaders and faith-based organizations in attendance will receive training, resources and empowerment to engage their communities to ensure equitable vaccine access and potentially use their houses of worship as vaccination sites. Click here to register for the event. In Washington State: The American Lung Association and Washington Thoracic Society have teamed up to offer the “COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in BIPOC Communities” speaker series. Partners will provide culturally relevant, science-based, factual information about the COVID-19 vaccination. These conversations also will explore vaccine hesitancy and the role of systemic racism. Please see this informational flyer for more information. May 18th | 12-1pm: Vaccine Hesitancy- Laboratory Safety, Production and Distribution and the Role of Systemic Racism Speakers: Dr. Stephaun Wallace, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center COVID-19 Prevention Network, and Courtney Christian, PhRMA. May 25th | 12-1pm: Vaccine Hesitancy in the Black/African American Community Speakers: Dr. Ben Danielson, University of Washington June 3rd | 12-1pm: Vaccine Hesitancy in the Native American, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native American Communities Speakers: Dr. Dakota Lane, Lummi Nation, and Dr. Bonnie Duran, University of Washington Schools of Social Work and Public Health June 8th | 12-1pm: Vaccine Hesitancy in the Hispanic Community RSVP HERE. Please feel to share with community partners and networks. This event is open to the public and free of charge.