General Assembly

Taking Justice General Assembly Home

On Sunday afternoon at Justice General Assembly, UUA vice-presidents Kay Montgomery and Rev. Harlan Limpert reported on resources you might use to help you bring your experiences and learnings from Justice GA back to your congregations. Included was information about witness and action initiatives, curricula for all ages, Beacon press books, discussion guides, and other resources to support your congregation or group as you faithfully consider your response to the related calls for immigration justice, racial justice, justice for indigenous people, and economic justice.

Watch video of the report, view the slide presentation, and read the transcript. Let us know about the conversations you are having in your congregation or group, actions you are taking, and resources that have been helpful. We are looking forward to sharing wisdom and experiences one with another as we move forward from Justice GA as Unitarian Universalist people of faith. -Ed.

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

July 5th, 2012

Education, Reflection, Witness and Action

Call to Arms

Our experiences at Justice General Assembly and in our own communities have taught us that the work of justice making is long haul work, work for our arms, our feet, our voices, and our hearts. Rev. Marta I. Valentín offered us this prayer as we awaited the Supreme Court decision, and it is just as pertinent now as it was before General Assembly -Ed.

Spirit of Truth and Justice

Hear us as we ask that you

hold the collective anxiety

that permeates this fear-filled situation.

This is a call to arms.

Arms that will hold broken hearts,

and elated hearts

arms that wrap themselves around

a body, beaten and disfigured

in truth and metaphorically…

Arms that provide a strength

neither giver nor receiver

knew they possessed…

Arms that hold up

the sky of misplaced authority

and righteousness

from crashing down upon heads

struggling to be held high

as each shred of dignity is yanked

from their tired, over-used,

under-appreciated bodies.

This is a call for committed arms

to continue leading heads

and hearts

to know the facts

but feel the truth,

a call to remember

that the freedom we’ve been given

to swing our arms as wide and open

to the sun as we like

has come on the backs of humans

others wish were invisible.

This is a call to arm

ourselves with the facts

but feel the truth

borne out of the power of our

Unitarian Universalist love

and the balance of justice.

Marta I. Valentín

March 29, 2012

Rev. Marta I. Valentín is the minister at First Church Unitarian in Littleton, Massachusetts

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

July 3rd, 2012

Education, Reflection, Witness and Action, Worship, Your Recipes

Help Us Amplify Our Efforts in Arizona

This post, written by the Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, was published last week in the Standing on the Side of Love blog.- Ed.

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

June 13th, 2012

Witness and Action, Your Recipes

Going to Phoenix? Some Helpful Information

Rob Molla, the UUA Director of Human Resources, contributed this post- Ed.

With our attention turned toward the upcoming Justice General Assembly and the strong Phoenix sun, the UUA’s Office of Human Resources invited Howard L. Kramer, MD, PhD to meet with UUA staff recently to share some wisdom on staying safe in the heat, recognizing symptoms of sun- and heat-related illness, and basic first aid.

Dr. Kramer suggested a number of good ideas—here are the top ten—that we can bring with us to Phoenix:

To prevent sunburn, use a sunscreen lotion with an SPF of at least 15. An SPF of 50 is better. Reapply the sunscreen frequently to slow skin damage from the sun.
Wear a hat and long sleeves when you’re outdoors for protection from the sun.
To cool your body more efficiently, choose light colored, loose-fitting clothing made of natural fabrics, which will encourage the movement of air around your skin and will encourage the evaporation of sweat.
Drink 3-4 cups of liquid per hour when you’re active in moderate heat to prevent dehydration. Dr. Kramer suggests drinking both water and a sports drink such as Gatorade. Many sports drinks contains electrolytes, which will help replace the salt your body loses through perspiration.
Heat rash results from blocked sweat glands. The best treatment is to keep your skin cool and dry, and to apply calamine lotion to relieve the itching.
Heat stroke is a potentially deadly reaction to a dangerous rise in the body’s core temperature. Symptoms include a high body temperature, confusion, loss of coordination, and hot, dry skin. Seek immediate medical treatment right away by calling 911 and by moving the person to a cool, shaded or air conditioned location.
Listen to what your body tells you: It’s a natural reaction to feel weaker and more tired in the heat. It’s your body’s way of saying slow down, cool off.
Don’t be afraid to move into air conditioned spaces frequently. It’s a good way to lower your body temperature quickly to a more normal range, especially after being outside or after engaging in physical activities.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sweet sodas in a hot climate. These can impair your body’s naturally efficient cooling systems.
Keep an eye on your friends and colleagues! We’re all healthier when we take care of each other.

And…Sandy Weir of the Arizona Immigration ministry reminded us this week that although there is much to be critical of in the government of Arizona, the state is home to many creative and wonderful people, and has extraordinary natural beauty. You can find much information about Arizona human and natural history, geography, arts and culture, and innovation at the Arizona Centennial Website. Check it out! –Ed.

Rob Molla is the UUA’s Director of Human Resources.

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

June 8th, 2012

Education

Standing with Families on the Side of Love

This week’s post, written by Susan Lawrence of the UUA Resource Development Office, lifts up the four-page immigration justice resource for families found in the summer issue of UU World.-Ed.

“What’s an appropriate, effective way to engage children in immigration justice?”

For a religious professional, an RE volunteer, or any adult involved with raising a child, that question comes up right alongside our own call to immigration justice—because any call to justice we hear is a call we want our children to hear, too, as they grow in faith. We want to spark a child’s empathy. We want to create a sense of urgency, but without creating a heightened sense of fear. Most important, we want to invite children to see themselves as agents of change—people who can help.

The Family pages insert in the new UU World magazine (Summer 2012) offers a carefully crafted approach, with a set of real-life stories, exploration activities, and justice actions for all ages you can use to lift up immigration issues with children and multi-age groups. Because this pull-out section comes with UU World magazine directly to your home—the true cradle of faith development!—parents, caregivers, and religious educators are probably accustomed to using it to create family conversations, games, and reflection. But you can also share components of the Family pages in other contexts, and this issue’s insert, titled “Standing with Families on the Side of Love,” makes an especially timely pairing with Justice GA. (more…)

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

May 30th, 2012

Education, Reflection

How Shall We Approach Justice General Assembly?

A the request of a number of my colleagues, this week’s blog post is adapted from reflections I offered at the UUA staff chapel several weeks ago. -Ed.

Two summers ago, on July 29 2010, I was restless, pacing, watching Facebook for word from Phoenix as one by one Unitarian Universalist leaders were arrested in an act of civil disobedience. The discussion prior to this had been riveting; some people were saying that the call that had come from our partners to protest SB 1070 was another call to Selma. At the recent General Assembly the vote was to go to Phoenix in 2012 at the request of our partners and hold a justice GA. Immigration justice had jumped from something I was generally aware of to something on the front burner of my professional life. I was paying attention. (more…)

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

May 23rd, 2012

Reflection, Worship

“Smuggle” a Banned Book to GA!

In this post, Roger Brewin of the Unitarian Universalist HUUmanists invites your participation in a project that unites UU humanists despite political differences of opinion, reflecting both humanist and UU values.- Ed.

An informal survey of humanists attending the 2011 GA, along with the previous debate among HUUmanist Board members over supporting a boycott of Phoenix, revealed deep divisions over a range of immigration related issues. When GA delegates voted to put together a Justice GA presence in Arizona, the HUUmanists Board chose to participate as fully as our differences would allow, which meant blending humanist values into the struggle for justice. We chose to focus our efforts on economic justice issues, where we have more unanimity.

But we cannot be in Arizona without confronting the oppression felt by Latino/a people in that state, both those who are recent immigrants and those who are long time US residents and citizens. This oppression was brought home to us when Arizona outlawed “ethnic studies” courses in public schools and removed nearly 100 books that were used as texts or supplemental reading in these courses from classrooms in Tucson. We cheered the efforts of Tony Diaz, the so-called “librotraficante” who smuggled nearly 1,000 copies of these books in a caravan from Houston to Tucson, setting up “underground libraries” to house the books and make them widely available to children and adults.

We determined to ask our members, indeed all Unitarian Universalists going to Phoenix, to join us as SmUUgglers of these books. We were initially hoping that 100 people would each buy one of the books and carry it in their suitcase to GA. To date, more than150 people have agreed to do just that and we now will be able, with your help, to display and then donate at least two full sets of the banned books, during GA.

The right to read, to explore, to discuss new, different and even conflicting ideas – nothing could be more central to the humanist enterprise, nor more ingrained in Unitarian Universalist history. The decision by Arizona political leaders to deny such opportunities, and the attempt to thoroughly control education and intellectual freedom of the school children of Arizona is an affront to all free people. No one need agree with the ideas in these books to know instinctively that to take them off classroom shelves is a bad idea. (more…)

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

April 18th, 2012

Education, Your Recipes

Screen “Lost in Detention” for Your Congregation!

Newsflash!!!

The UUA has received permission from Frontline for Unitarian Universalist Congregations to show “Lost in Detention,” provided no admission is charged. This permission means that individual congregations do not have to request public performance permission to screen this film. The documentary examines current US immigration policy and the enforcement system, including stories of hidden abuse in detention centers. View or purchase the documentary at Frontline’s website, or check the public library.

Unitarian Universalists have an extra reason to watch this compelling documentary. The Frontline documentary’s correspondent is Maria Hinojosa, who will deliver this year’s Ware Lecture at General Assembly in Phoenix. From NPR:

For 25 years, Maria Hinojosa has helped tell America’s untold stories and brought to light unsung heroes in America and abroad. She is the anchor and managing editor of NPR’s Latino USA.

Throughout her career Hinojosa has helped define the conversation about our times and our society with one of the most authentic voices in broadcast. As a reporter for NPR, Hinojosa told groundbreaking stories about youth and violence and immigrant communities. During her eight years as a CNN correspondent Hinojosa took viewers into communities that had never been shown on television. Her investigative journalism presses the powerful for the truth while giving voice to lives and stories that illuminate the world we live in.

Gather a group to screen Lost in Detention at your congregation and let us know about your event. Plan to hear Maria Hinojosa’s June 23 lecture either in person at Phoenix or via uua.org! – Ed.

Posted by:
Gail Forsyth-Vail

March 26th, 2012

Education, Witness and Action

The Spiritual Practice of Being in Partnership

As we prepare for Justice GA in Phoenix, Unitarian Universalists need to attend to how we engage as partners with those whose lives are most impacted by the social and legal effects of U.S. policy, law, and attitudes regarding migrants. This week, Janice Marie Johnson, UUA Multicultural Growth Director, offers her reflection on partnership.-Ed.

The Latin American Theology of Accompaniment offers an important glimpse into the spiritual practice of being in partnership. I first heard this term just a couple of days ago when I participated in worship led by Rev. Jackie Clements at Finding Our Way Home 2012, the annual gathering for religious professionals of color.

We learned that the idea of accompaniment was put forth by Roberto S. Goizueta in the book Caminemos con Jesus: Toward a Hispanic/Latino Theology of Accompaniment (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Press, 1995). We considered how the verb ‘acompañar’ in Spanish is different in complexity, texture and weight from the verb ‘to accompany’ in English which can be used to refer to going to the grocery store with someone. At our retreat someone said, “’it’s like being joined at the hip.” (more…)