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In front of 400 leaders assembled at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Together Louisiana leader Rev. Theron Jackson of Shreveport laid out the source of the state's budget shortfall (corporate exemptions and lower income taxes on the wealthy), referred to the reliance on sales taxes as "the big swap" and bluntly stated, "This calls for righteous indignation."

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Veteran leaders, funders, religious judicatories and Texas IAF organizational co-founders convened at the Whitley Center of the Oblate School of Theology to celebrate 40+ years of the network of Texas IAF organizations standing with families.

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"When the Industrial Areas Foundation first came to Texas four decades ago, the organization was met with derision and hostility in many quarters. That certainly was true with the creation of the El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring organization in 1981.

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Noting that for "more than 40 years, the network's organizing efforts have had a profound impact on the lives of countless families" and that it is "truly fitting that its exceptional achievements receive special recognition" the Texas Senate issued Proclamation No. 332 to "commend the Network of Texas Industrial Areas Foundation Organizations on its commitment to helping families, developing leadership, and promoting conversation on the issues facing our state."

Proclamation No. 332, Texas Senate

IAF Celebrates 40 Years Making Texas Better, El Paso Times [pdf]

Grassroots Grows Up, Texas Observer [pdf]

Ordinary People Acting Extraordinarily, San Antonio Express News [pdf]

Austin Interfaith, COPS and the Big Bang, Austin American Statesman [pdf]

Austin Interfaith Celebrates 30 Years of Building Power, Austin American Statesman [pdf]

De los Santos: My Life-Changing Work with Valley Interfaith, Rio Grande Guardian [pdf]

Organizacion Que Ayuda a la Comunidad Inmigrante en Texas Cumple 40 Anos y se  Marca Nuevos Objetivos, La Voz [pdf]

Interfaith Dialogue: Austin Group Celebrates 30 Years of Faith in Action, Catholic Spirit

TMO Focuses on ‘People Power’, Houston Chronicle

Faith Groups Joining in Larger Networks Celebrate 40 Years of Reducing Poverty in Texas, National Catholic Reporter

Grassroots Grows Up by the Texas Observer, Quorum Report

As the 40+ anniversary of the Texas IAF approaches, religious judicatories have begun congratulating the network for over four decades of leadership development and transformation. Descriptions of the work of the network range from "virtuous" to "transformative" and "a force for change."

Click below to read letters from:

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Valley Interfaith celebrated the construction of a new library they had fought for, marking the first time in 20 years that "we feel, as citizens, as a community that we belong to the City of Pharr...it is an historic day." The library is the result of a protracted fight between Valley Interfaith leaders and the City of Pharr; the fight included success in signing up and turning out more than 1,000 new voters from Las Milpas.

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