Roscoe Mapps reports from San Francisco and Berkeley; Marlaine Cover reports from San Diego; and Jim Herley Bowling reports from Ocean Park:

San Francisco Stands Up! At City Hall

[Because] “we can’t fail our conscience…”
[Because] “this is a fundamental issue along with climate change that drives the situation in the world today…”
[Because] “it’s important to note that we do have the resources to uproot poverty…”
[Because] “education is the most effective anti-poverty strategy in the world…”
[Because] “we have a President who was elected to help address the needs of the poor…”
“We are standing up today to say, ‘U.S. government, let’s address the fundamental causes, let’s address the issue of poverty…’

These were just a few powerful reasons ONE members joined the San Francisco State University International Relation Student Association, RESULTS, and the Bay Area Interfaith Millennium Development Goals Coalition to Stand Up Against Poverty on the steps of San Francisco City Hall. Standing with City Supervisors David Compos and John Avalos, those historical steps, which have often been a platform to address equality and injustices, became a background of support for those living on less than $2 a day. Check out clips from some of the passionate speakers we enjoyed during this noon event:

Berkeley Students Take Their Turn to Stand Up!

Since 2007 UC Berkeley students have had the option of pursuing a minor degree in Global Poverty and Practice. Under the Blum Center for Developing Economies, students accept the challenge of analyzing the “ethics of global citizenship” and increasing the role their generation has assumed in seeing an end to poverty in our lifetime. With their infamous passion, ONE by ONE, student leaders educated their peers on the purpose and the promise of the Millennium Development Goals. Joined by Professor Ananya Roy and CEO of Back to Earth Ari Derfel, over 130 students and community members attended. Afterward, Sara, an OCC leader, tabled for ONE next to other organizations who stood up that day. Berkeley, an institution known for its students of extraordinary leadership and conviction has once again set the bar for their community to get involved, speak out, and help make the case against poverty.

San Diego Stands Up!

On Sunday ONE San Diego hosted their fourth STAND UP San Diego event at Grape Day Park in Escondido. To underscore their theme of “Taking Humanity to Whole New Heights”, ONE organizers treated participants to kite making and music, and added 203 people to the global Stand Up total.






Church in Ocean Park Stands Up and Holds ONE Sabbath

This past Sunday in Santa Monica, the Church in Ocean Park had a wonderful ONE Sabbath and Stand Up Against Poverty event led by our congregation’s young people. We sang, danced, read the Millennium Development Goals, and announced our follow-up action to Stand Up: the Fall Fancy Dress Ball on Friday, October 30 to raise money for life-saving bednets purchased by the Against Malaria Foundation.

At the end of the service, we ended as we always do–holding hands in a circle. It was our moment to Stand Up with so many others around the globe, to be counted in the fight against global poverty.