Tag: Conference

Celebrating 50 Years

Celebrating 50 Years

Natalie Wasek

SGI began in 1973 when our founders, Fr. Michael Crosby, O.F.M, Cap., Sr. Alphonsa Puls S.S.S.F., and Sr. Charlita Foxhoven, S.S.S.F developed principles to align the stewardship of their financial assets with Catholic Social Teaching. Now, 50 years later, SGI has grown to more than 30 member organizations and members currently engage over 60 companies, leading and participating in over 100 different engagements on issues ranging from climate change, corporate governance, food sustainability, water stewardship, health equity, and human rights.

We are excited to celebrate the work done by those before us and aim to steward the work now entrusted to us. With this, we have revamped the SGI logo to better reflect our name, the circularity of nature, and the evolution of being a catalyst for change. 

In 2015, our coalition’s name changed to Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment. The name, Seventh Generation, is derived from the Great Law of the Iroquois to reflect the Native Americans’ love of Mother Earth and all creation. The Iroquois leaders considered the impact of their decisions on the current generation as well as for seven generations into the future. The Constitution of the Iroquois Nation contains the Great Binding Law:

In all of your deliberations in the Confederate Council, in your efforts at law making, in all your official acts, self-interest shall be cast into oblivion. Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right. Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground – the unborn of the future Nation. 

Given the proud history and presence of Native Americans in our Midwestern region and their love of Mother Earth and all creation, we felt this name spoke to our Mission.

Historically Catholic, Interfaith was added to welcome institutions of all faith traditions and secular values-driven investors to be more inclusive and collaborative. By intentionally reaching out and creating opportunities for partnership, we strengthen our Mission to collectively build  just and right relationships in our community.

As SGI is celebrating its 50th anniversary, we celebrate the origin of our name which is at the heart of our Mission. Given our primarily Catholic membership, we acknowledge the deep rooted injustices which the Catholic Church and many Catholic orders have inflicted upon Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge, in Milwaukee, that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menomonie homeland, and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present. There is much more work to do to repair relationships and give back what was unjustly taken. We recommit ourselves to our work and Mission:

Through the lens of faith and the promotion of human rights, Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment builds a more just and sustainable world for those most vulnerable by integrating social and environmental values into corporate and investor actions.

Please join us in celebrating, now, throughout the year, and  especially on September 12th, 2023 at our annual conference.

Resilience: Building A Just and Equitable Economy for All – A Virtual Conference

Resilience: Building A Just and Equitable Economy for All – A Virtual Conference

Natalie Wasek

The world looks different today than it did ten years ago, than it did five years ago, and even different than it looked just last year. Like many conferences, we were forced to move our 2020 conference to a virtual format as we dealt with the effects of the pandemic. This year is no different.

We are still grappling with the “new normal” and the remnants of an out of date structure which put those who are most vulnerable, last. COVID-19 surfaced other issues that, while crucial, have previously been neglected. The exacerbation of economic and racial inequities demonstrated and accentuated the fragility of our systems, structures, and policies. The pandemic shifted the narrative around “non-essential” employees and raised awareness of the critical importance of frontline workers, such as: grocery clerks, meat processing and farmworkers, delivery drivers, and many more in maintaining business operations and in ensuring the functioning of our global economic system. Many of these workers are women and people of color and this public health crisis has demonstrated their vulnerability and the disproportionate economic and health impacts they experience.

In one week, on October 12, 2021, Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment (SGI-CRI) will hold its annual conference, aptly titled Resilience: Building a Just & Equitable Economy for All, virtually, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

As we begin the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic, we see a need and an opportunity to build a resilient society with systems and structures that are just and equitable for all. Our panel of company, investor, and labor representatives will offer their perspectives on how we can implement positive change from the learnings and challenges of 2020, dismantle systems that perpetuate gender and racial inequities, and build an economy that serves all people and ensures the dignity of all workers.

Our keynote address will be from Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Our panel, moderated by Caroline Boden of Mercy Investment Services, will include lively discussion with a diverse group of experts:   

If you are interested in attending, and haven’t previously registered, please do so here

The webinar link and information will be sent out prior to the conference date. We hope to see you there.