Esther Information

Founded in 2004 as an interfaith social justice organization, ESTHER works in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley to, in the words of our mission statement, “develop leaders, engage people, and build collective power to address systemic economic and social injustices and work for more equitable communities that embrace diversity.” We engage hundreds of volunteers and have a mailing list of 1,500 persons. ESTHER is an affiliate of the state-wide WISDOM network (https://wisdomwisconsin.org), headquartered in Milwaukee, and participates actively in its projects and programs. Locally, our task forces and committees focus on prison reform, immigration reform, transportation equity, racial justice and equity, mental health issues, missing and murdered indigenous women, and environmental justice. ESTHER is a partner in the Native Justice Coalition (https://nativejustice.org) and collaborates with several other Indigenous and BIPOC organizations in our region. With support from a large recent grant, the ESTHER affiliate in Oshkosh is working on affordable housing issues there. Learn more about us at https://esther-foxvalley.org. We seek to: Bring healing and unity as an interfaith community that reaches beyond the divisions of race, creed, and socio-economic status Build solid relationships with one another and with community leaders Identify and address root causes of poverty, oppression, and injustice Be agents of change that unite the community and spread a message of hope Work at local, state, and national levels to promote justice Empower people to overcome injustices and respond to the social-justice concerns of people in the communities of the Fox Valley