One small step to ending poverty, and the war

Tomorrow begins two days of events related to the Interfaith Peace Witness in Washington, DC, organized by the new national coalition of religious groups working to end the war in Iraq. I will be heading to DC to meet with dozens of faith community leaders tomorrow evening (facilitated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation), and will then participate with hundreds of others in a major religious gathering on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., to be held outdoors in Upper Senate Park.

In the meantime, I am going to attempt to fast today from dawn to dusk. For Christians, this is the holy period of Lent, and fasting is a common practice for many adherents. Here in my home state, the New York Labor-Religion Coalition is holding its 13th annual Fast for a Moral Solution. I am taking part in part of this 40-hour journey of personal discipline and intentionality.

Fasting for me, like many, is an incredibly difficult practice. I rely on constant infusions of food, often through snacks, to maintain my energy in doing editing and other computer work together with grassroots organizing via phone and in-person meetings. When I have attempted to fast on other occasions, I often get very tired and sometimes get irritable. In the past week, I have stopped eating sugar-based snacks and desserts, a regular part of my (otherwise-fairly healthy) diet, which has been a challenge. My body went through 48 hours of painful withdrawal, and though I now feel better, I recognize there may be other side effects. So rather than participate in the entire fast over two nights and three days, I am choosing a 12-hour slot to attempt to offer my personal witness.

The sociopolitical focus of this year's fast is the plight faced by many immigrants in today's hostile climate in the United States. Here in New York, with increasing attention by many to organic and locally-grown food, many people still fail to realize that the bounty of good food we enjoy is gathered, in large part, by undocumented workers in the farms scattered across the rural communities in our state. I am glad that the pool of leading presidential candidates, now down to three -- John McCain, Barack Obama, and a resurgent Hillary Clinton -- does not include those who had articulated the most vitriolic anti-immigrant rhetoric. Nevertheless, efforts to create massive walls between the U.S. and Mexico and other "kick-them-out" schemes continue to abound in the national political conversation.

Join me, if you can, in eliminating one meal -- or even one dish -- from your planned diet today or tomorrow.