Glimpses of a Future for Freedom

Writer: Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, Executive Director, Children’s Defense Fund

Bus riders Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson at the Nuns on the Bus & Friends kickoff rally in Philadelphia, PA on September 30, 2024.

Appropriate for the spirit of this campaign, our journey to hear the hopes and encourage votes for the future began on Monday, Sept. 30, in the City of Brotherly Love, Sisterly affection, and what Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director of Faith in Action, called “kindred kindness.”

During an energizing launch at Philadelphia’s Love Park, we heard testimony from Baylee Fingerhut, a student at St. Joseph’s University and one of NETWORK’s Coston Fellows, about activated organizing and voter registration efforts by students in the community. Later, filled with faith and anticipation, our team of women religious and other faith leaders headed to Saint Joseph’s University to hear more for ourselves.

After greetings and prayer by Rev. Dan Joyce, S.J., Vice President of Mission and Ministry at Saint Joseph’s University, in the university’s chapel, nearly 150 people across four generations gathered in one room. From the white-haired wisdom of Sisters from local communities to the articulated aspirations of local laity and extended deliberations of undergraduates (who stayed long after others left), the cries of a beautiful, red-haired baby girl in a stroller reminded us all of the stakes of our conversation.

During the Town Hall, bus riders had the opportunity to share the vision of the six freedoms NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice is advancing this season. Based upon our work at Children’s Defense Fund and long-term partnership with NETWORK, I spoke about the Freedom to Care for Ourselves and Our Families.

Being free to care means having breathing room from work obligations and stresses to experience dignity, hope, and joy with those we love. This requires livable wages, affordable housing, and family leave at crucial points in the development of our families.

In recent years, we’ve seen reason for hope in this regard. Considering our work together in the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition, I shared a story of the impact of the 2021 expanded child tax credit on the lives of Thomas and Pamela, parents caring for three children outside Pittsburgh. After the loss of Pamela’s job during the early days the COVID-19 pandemic, the $750 from the expanded child tax credit helped pay the bills. It also gave their kids a chance to exchange thrift store clothing for a few new pieces from Walmart. In this way, Thomas and Pamela shielded their children from the taunting of classmates.

With glimpses of these freedoms in mind, our neighbors in the chapel broke into small groups to begin to dream about a nation where these freedoms could be accessible to all, with no exceptions.

This is the country we are working for–riding for–on the bus. If we vote for our future, our collective expressions will build the country where our young, red-headed witness can grow and thrive with all the resources she needs.

This reflection is from the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends bus rider blog.