| | | | Please excuse our appearance, we are transitioning to a new system and ask for patience and forgiveness. This is our second month generating eNews with this new system. Please let us know what you think of our new look. | | | | | | Feature Advocacy Conference - Advancing Economic and Climate Justice as a Moral Issue: Building a Movement for A Green New Deal Sunday-Tuesday, Sept. 15-17 Sunday only $40 - Scholarships available Washington, DC Contact: info@uusj.org How can UUs be in solidarity and fellowship to help avert a climate crisis and be part of the larger movement to reduce inequality? Come find out and join the conversation at this conference hosted by the UUSJ and six other UU organizations. Day 1 at All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, D.C. How do UU values inform our justice work? And working with frontline communities; Day 2 St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, D.C. state-of-play on public policy and advocacy training; Day 3 Capitol Hill Advocacy Day visiting Senate offices. For conference schedule, list of speakers and details about registration link HERE.
This conference is funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility and is sponsored by a coalition of UU partners: UUs for a Just Economic Community, UUSJ, UU Ministry for Earth, All Souls Church Unitarian, the UU Service Committee, Side with Love campaign, and the UU Association. | | | | | | Can We Keep the Climate Crisis From Becoming A Climate Catastrophe? By Larry Underwood, UUSJ Board member from Bull Run Unitarian Universalists, Manassas, VA | | | | | In July I re-visited the Alaska I had lived in for 22 years, when it was largely pristine wilderness. I joined the annual summer tour of Alaska sponsored by four Alaskan UU congregations. I went seeking the beauty, excitement, and wildlife for which Alaska is famous. The tour did not disappoint. But wherever we went the specter of climate change intruded on an otherwise idyllic experience. This summer the entirety of interior Alaska was bathed in a persistent, thick cloud of smoke from hundreds of wildfires. Over 1.1 million acres had already burned by mid-July. The train from Fairbanks to Anchorage took us through untrodden miles of beautiful wilderness marred by smoke and a plethora of dead and dying trees. Warmer than normal winters have allowed the spruce bark beetle to survive and ravish the forests, setting the stage for the next round of wildfires. More... | | | | | | | | | UUSJ’s Capitol Hill Advocacy Corps had a busy summer, making visits to House members in July on immigration issues and in August on appropriations and tax policy matters. | | | July - UUSJ Advocates Keeping Families Together and the Border Crisis | |  | UUSJ Advocacy Corps volunteer Pat Behenna delivered letters from constituents to Rep. Lawrence's (MI) staff on immigration issues. | | The Advocacy Corps delivered letters from UUs and a UUSJ message asking House members to decrease spending on immigration enforcement, including ICE raids, detention, deportation and border militarization. The 24 Advocacy Corps volunteers visited 55 offices, held six scheduled meetings and delivered 169 constituent letters as well as a UUSJ message urging reducing detention in favor of equally effective, less traumatizing and less costly alternatives. More... | | August - UUSJ Advocates to Fix Safety-Net Tax Credit Gaps for Low Income Families & Fund Programs to Reduce Recidivism | |  | Advocacy Corps volunteers, including guest Rev. Walter Clark from UU Church of Arlington, delivered UUSJ's message to VA Senator Warner's staff on appropriations, tax policy issues and criminal justice reform. | | The Advocacy Corps urged senators to fully fund the new FIRST Step Act and support the REAL Act S.1074 during upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act later this year. We urged reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals. Extending the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit would address gaps and improve support for low-income families. Fourteen AC volunteers visited 31 Senate offices, held eight scheduled meetings and four additional meetings during drop-in visits. | | | | | | |  | Get jazzed about social justice. Buy tickets HERE! A team of volunteers is reviewing nominations now for the UUSJ social justice awards to be presented at our Gala event Oct. 6 at UUC Arlington, VA. Come spend the evening with new and old friends to celebrate our social justice stars. Help shower the winners with love, respect and appreciation. Flyer HERE. | | UUSJ Board Retreat on Organizational Strategy | | On September 7 and 8, the UUSJ Board will discuss long-term planning. Per the UUSJ bylaws, this session constitutes a meeting of the Board of Trustees. | | UUSJ Board Meeting September 21 | | Our next regular business meeting will be held via Zoom (video conference) on Saturday 9/21. UUSJ members are welcome to attend. Contact: info@uusj.org. | | UUSJ Seeks… UUSJ is looking for a new Treasurer to succeed Mike McCord. Also, we are seeking an administrative assistant. The position will be posted soon. Suggestions? Contact: info@UUSJ.org. | | | | | | Unitarian Universalist News and Event | | | | UUA President Hopes to Mobilize 500,000 Voters for 2020 | | UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray recently called on UUs not only to show up for the 2020 election but to get others to show up and reach out to 500,000 people to vote their values. She shared her vision during a webinar on Democracy & Electoral Justice 2020 that drew UUs from across the nation who shared insights and opportunities. View the recording HERE. Other webinars on related topics are being planned. More UUA context HERE. | | | | | | | | | UUSJ Defends Asylum Seekers and Migrants, Opposes the Border Wall | | During August, we joined an amicus (friend of the court) brief challenging attempts to divert funds to build a border wall. We joined 75 religious organizations that signed on to this brief —the most in any of the border wall cases. See our “Statement of Identity and Interest” (also on our website). Read the full brief HERE. | | Support for Texas Delegation visiting Capitol Hill on Sanctuary Issues | | During July, Peggy Morton of First UU Church of Austin and the Austin Sanctuary Network returned to D.C. with a group of activists -- Santuario Colectivo/New Sanctuary Collective -- for meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The group spoke out against ICE’s draconian fines on vulnerable immigrants in physical sanctuary who are seeking asylum as well as the pattern of threatening, harassing and bullying undocumented immigrants. The UUSJ immigration team helped house the activists, organized a meeting with Cedar Lane UU Church’s Sanctuary recipient, Rosa Gutierrez Lopez, suggested congressional offices to visit and joined in many of the meetings. See UUSJ’s statement on the issue of fines. | | A Vision for Comprehensive Immigration Reform | | | | 2019 Immigration Film Fest | | Main film showings September 13-14 at the Jack Morton auditorium, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Buy tickets now at www.immigrationfilmfest.org. | | Want to join UUSJ’s Immigration Task Group? | | The task group meets by Zoom on most alternate Thursdays at 4pm ET. For more information contact Charlotte Jones-Carroll at cjonescarroll@aol.com. | | | | | | Environmental and Climate Justice | | | Food & Film - “A Prayer for Compassion” | | | Saturday, September 14 6:30 PM - FREE Plant Based Appetizer & Dessert Buffet 7:00 PM - Film Showing UU Congregation of Fairfax 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA This film follows Thomas Jackson on a quest across America, to the UN Climate Conference in Morocco, and throughout the Indian Subcontinent, to ask the question, “Can compassion grow to include all beings?" The film will be followed by SKYPE Q&A with the producer, Victoria Moran, host of Main Street vegan Podcast on Unity Radio. | |  | Global Climate Strike - Week of Action | | September 20 -- three days before the United Nations’ Climate Summit in New York City -- young people and adults across the United States and the world will strike to demand transformative action to address the climate crisis. There will be actions throughout the week including the September 24 National Voter Registration Day. Learn more and sign-up HERE. The UUA, Side with Love, and UU Ministry for Earth are all partners with the Global Climate Strike campaign. An intergenerational unity event in conjunction with the Youth Strike is being organized in D.C. For details contact Doris Marlin doris@uumfe.org. | | “A Faith-Related Approach to Carbon Pricing” | | | | | | | | | | | Oppose Threats to Working Family Food Security by September 2 | | Tell the Administration – again: It’s unacceptable to take food away from working families, children, seniors and people with disabilities. Just months after Congress reauthorized SNAP through the Farm Bill, the Administration is again proposing to cut SNAP benefits, this time through executive action. UUSJ has advocated several times in the past year on this safety net issue that supports millions of low-income people. Take action to oppose a SNAP rule change no later than Sept 23. Submit your comment HERE and encourage others to comment as well. See more details HERE. | | Poor People's Congress & Next Steps for Elections 2020 (UU Debrief) | | Session Recording UUs held an inspiring webinar on our experiences with the Poor People’s Congress, led by ministers and staff engaged with this movement, “A National Call for Moral Revival.” Webinar participants learned of the PPC’s work, where the movement is headed, and how to deepen UU engagement. The webinar stressed the centrality of fusion politics in creating the beloved community. Mark your calendars for June 20, 2020 in Washington D.C. for a major national mobilization. There are expectations for delegations to attend, organize discussions at congregations, use the Moral Audit & Budget as learning tools and documents for serious spiritual reflection, offer testimonials on the PPC for your networks with plans to mobilize voters. You can view the entire Moral Action Congress hearing HERE. | | | | | | | | | | | The task group held its first Zoom teleconference meeting on August 15 with 16 participants. The group’s purpose is to prioritize focus areas and align them with legislation in Congress. The next meeting will be September 8, 7:30 -9:00 pm. Interested in joining or getting on the GoogleGroup discussion mailing list? Interested in joining the task group? Contact Lavona Grow at advocacy@uusj.org. | | | | | |  | Participants at General Assembly in Spokane, WA in June voted in favor of the new Statement of Conscience, Our Democracy Uncorrupted. | | This statment of conscience was approved at General Assembly in June. It includes many actions that individuals, congregations, clusters, districts or state legislative ministries, and the UUA can undertake to help save our democracy. | | | | Mobilizing for 2020 Elections | | | | On August 14, UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray launched a nationwide initiative on Democracy and Electoral Justice 2020. She is urging all congregations to get involved to “UU the Vote” in this critically important 2020 election. She believes UUs can mobilize 500,000 voters, and perhaps more if we partner with other groups. | | | | | | | | Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ)
7750 16th St NW, | Washington, District of Columbia 20012
202-600-9132 | info@uusj.org | | | | | | | | | |
