A Cross-Country Bus Journey to Build a Better Future

Last week, FCNL's Amelia Kegan joined the "Nuns on the Bus and Friends " bus tour to mobilize voters across the country to support inclusive democracy and help build a better, more just future.

The nonpartisan voter education tour was organized by NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice to call on all people of faith and good will to "Vote Our Future."

"So much is at stake in this election," Amelia said. "We need everyone, building community, to help build this vision of the country where every person is free to fulfill their potential and truly flourish."

Calls for Welcome and Refuge at the Border

Amelia joined the group for the final leg of the journey, stopping across Arizona, Nevada, and California to engage with community members, organizers, and a range of inspiring groups.

On Oct. 13, the group toured the U.S. Mexico border with the Kino Border Initiative in Arizona.

"Our pilgrimage lasted only a few hours, yet we wondered about the pilgrimages of those seeking asylum in this country, a journey that could take days, weeks, or months," Sr. Janet Kinney, CSJ wrote.

Speaking to reporters, the group called on voters and officials to support pathways to citizenship, protect asylum rights, and "resist measures that are antithetical to the values and freedoms we hold sacred."

A Message of Hope and Resilience

In Pheonix, riders were inspired to meet with Alicia Contreras, a young Latina organizer working with Corazon Arizona to bring people together across race, faiths, and generations to advocate together for justice.

"On the bus tour, it was simply impossible not to feel hopeful," Sarah Christopherson wrote of her experience. "Everywhere we went, people were doing incredible work to make their communities better, to stand up for each other, to take care of each other, and to keep up the excitement and the energy around voting."

Yet still, from the threats of authoritarianism and white Christian nationalism to ever-rising extremism, polarization, and bigotry, the challenges we face in this election are frightening. Many believe democracy itself is under threat.

With so much on the line, we know it's easy to feel powerless and overwhelmed. But as many in power stoke fear and division, we must not give way to despair. Instead, as Amelia said in Pheonix, "we must open our eyes to this election moment before us."

"We are being called in this moment to lose the bonds of injustice and 'run with perseverance the race that is set before us,'" she said, citing scripture. "We may have some hard days in front of us, but let us 'not grow weary or lose heart.'"

What's at Stake

In Nevada, the group held a community town hall event in Las Vegas, discussing the "six freedoms" driving NETWORK's advocacy. One speaker honed in on the "Freedom to be Healthy," explaining how policy issues like health care and hunger are tied to that fundamental value. The group also visited Three Square, an organization that's protecting that freedom in their community by working to eliminate food insecurity.

The final stops of the journey in California included a visit to the St. Francis Center, a group dedicated to supporting families and fostering belonging in Redwood City.

The bus tour featured many such examples of "ordinary people doing the extraordinary," Amelia wrote. But no one organization can do it all. "We need to address the underlying structural barriers" at the root of these injustices, she explained, "and that requires public policy."

"Who we elect matters because the policies they enact and the public investments they make matter," Amelia continued, urging voters to support candidates who will help pass critical policies like expanding the Child Tax Credit and investing in nutrition programs, affordable housing, education, and more.

Ultimately, voting our future this year is about "daring to pursue a society with equity and justice for all," Amelia concluded, even in the face of so much division and despair. "To lend witness and prophetic action towards that bold vision of a society where everyone flourishes, no exceptions."

After all, as Pope Francis has said, "the only future worth building includes everyone."

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