What's Happening

October 5, 2021, New York, New York – Fifteen members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) drew support from 43.9% of the shareholders of Smith & Wesson for a proposal that the gun manufacturer adopt a comprehensive human rights policy in light of rising gun violence in the United States.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters, represented by Sister Judy Byron, OP, were the primary filers of the proposal. Fourteen faith-based organizations from ICCR co-filed.

In a press release, ICCR noted that this amount of support from shareholders – compared to 39% support for a similar proposal in 2019 – “demonstrates shareholders’ mounting concern with the company’s lack of attention to the growing risks of gun violence.” The proposal calls on Smith & Wesson to include in the policy “a description of the processes the company will use to identify, assess, prevent, and mitigate adverse human rights impacts.”  

“Undisputedly, something must be done about the misuse of guns in our country,” Sister Judy said in her September 27, 2021, Shareholder Statement. “As a leading firearms manufacturer we genuinely believe Smith & Wesson has the knowledge and the expertise to engineer the solutions we need to reduce gun violence and save lives.” 

A consultant to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board, Sister Judy went on to note that the intention of the proposal is not to put Smith & Wesson out of business or to abolish the Second Amendment. “We seek to make the business, the products, and the consumers who buy them, safer,” she said. “We seek – as everyone here must surely do – to save lives.” 

September 13, 2021, Albuquerque, New Mexico — When everyday people and their families prosper, we all succeed. Our neighbors are the drivers and the foundation of their communities. It is clear that everyday New Mexicans are the true experts when it comes to knowing what they and their families need to thrive. Still, families and the voices of everyday New Mexicans all too often go unheard in the conversations that affect them the most.


For 30 years, the Partnership for Community Action (PCA), based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has helped develop strong community leaders and advocates by investing in people and creating a strong voice in the communities they call home. Understanding that people know their own communities best, we encourage families to take ownership of the solutions and to lead the way. 

By connecting communities to decision makers, we can create lasting change together. PCA is actively working to fight white supremacy and the literal and figurative violence that it breeds through anti-blackness, the erasure of Indigenous peoples, and the oppression of LGBTQ+ communities.

Day one of the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors training with partners in Artesia, Roswell, Carlsbad, and Dexter, New Mexico

In 2015, PCA envisioned a redevelopment project centered on racial equity in Albuquerque’s South Valley, a community that has been divested from for generations. Through thoughtful and intentional community engagement with local residents, the idea of the Social Enterprise Center (SEC) was born. The project is an innovative approach to economic development, funded by public and private partnerships and led by PCA and the Southwest Creations Collaborative who have a combined history of more than 55 years of developing community-centered solutions. 

The SEC will immediately employ more than 50 people on a family-friendly campus that includes nearly 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Services include a manufacturing facility operated by Southwest Creations Collaborative, childcare space for the employees within the SEC, a family/community engagement and training center, and educational support services for families.  

Notwithstanding the major challenges our organizations have experienced during the pandemic, both PCA and Southwest Creations Collaborative have continued their programs and services for families. The SEC will be an innovative model that serves the economic and social needs of the community during a time when economic security and family wellbeing is at the forefront of major policy decisions. We look forward to being a part of the solution for families in our community as we rise out of this pandemic.

The Social Enterprise Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021.

 

Feature photo: Construction begins on the Social Enterprise Center, located in the heart of the South Valley in Albuquerque, New Mexico.