Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community > Resources > Conference Reports

You are here: » »

Reversing Inequality Conference April 3-5 2017 in Washington DC

Healthcare Justice is a UU Value.

The Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) and the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) hosted a three-day conference for UUs to learn and share best practices for healthcare justice and advocacy in Washington DC. Our partnership enabled UU’s to get involved with the latest campaigns against inequality, and visit lawmakers to influence positive change. UU’s from 16 different states traveled to DC to gather in solidarity and defense of disenfranchised and marginalized members of our national community. We challenged lawmakers on the pernicious impacts healthcare repeal would have for America’s most vulnerable populations.

Dynamic speakers joined us to share the latest policy initiatives and grassroots efforts, including Chuck Collins, Sister Simone Campbell, Bishop Douglas Miles and Reverend Graylan Hagler. The attack on healthcare accessibility by the Trump administration is an economic issue AND a health issue, and would weaken our communities, especially those already marginalized by discrimination in education, housing, and employment. We learned from National Nurses United, Americans for Tax Fairness, the United Steelworkers, NETWORK and FCNL how important the voice of the faith community is to have in this conversation, as Congress considers a policy decision with devastating consequences, financially and morally.

Ami Bera, the lone UU in Congress, shared his perspective with us, as a UU, as a doctor and as a Member of Congress. He ran an exercise to demonstrate the relationship between healthcare affordability and resource allocation in our economy. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal offered her insight on healthcare activism and the road ahead. She underscored the societal impacts of having a large population of underinsured and uninsured Americans.

UUSJ 's Pablo DeJesus, Rep. Bera and UUJEC's Rachel Bennett Steury.

More photos on

UU’s spent Wednesday in the halls of Congress, meeting with elected officials as the Trump Administration worked to bring new life to repealing and replacing the ACA. Those who were unable to attend, shared their feelings on the healthcare debate by writing letters to their Senators, which were hand delivered by participants of this conference. Twenty-one congregations from across the country helped to amplify the voices of UU’s by participating in letter writing campaigns back home.

For UUJEC and UUSJ there's too much at stake for us to remain on the sidelines. Silence perpetuates and exacerbates unneeded inequalities in our society, the brunt of which are born by underemployed and struggling households, but whose ill effects touch every American. Our partnership and advocacy will continue as we find it necessary to be that strong, collective voice in inequality discussions at the national level.

Thank you to UUJEC/UUSJ staff and volunteers who helped make this conference possible and our participants, for their energy, their know-how and their commitment to social justice. Thank you to the UU Funding Panel, UU Fellowship of Door County, Wisconsin (UUFDC) and our Faithify donors for their generosity. #ReversingInequality would not have been possible otherwise.

You can review our agenda highlights here and our speaker bios here.

Resource Guide for Activism at Home available here.

Thank you for helping us reach our Faithify Campaign goal!

Why Focus on Healthcare Justice?

Repeal of the ACA and affordable access to healthcare will put many low income Americans at risk and make healthcare for middle income Americans much less affordable. Our Reversing Inequality Conference will focus on access to healthcare as an economic justice issue. We regard the Trump administration attack on affordable health care as a contradiction to our core UU values that we must defend.

Weakening healthcare access and affordability magnifies economic inequality and discriminates against disenfranchised and marginalized communities. The expansion of Medicaid provides coverage for roughly 13 million low-income adults, with close to a third of those covered afflicted with a mental disorder or a substance addiction. The healthcare safety net many families rely on ensures a sickness won’t result in bankruptcy and parents won’t have to choose between a doctor’s visit for a sick child or paying the rent. For many people, an illness or injury left untreated due to costs can result in a job loss which in turn could lead to family disruption, homelessness and economic ruin.

The attack on the Affordable Care Act -- if successful -- will shred the social safety net for millions of people and will endanger their economic well-being as well as their health care. There's so much at stake we cannot remain silent in our efforts to seek economic and social justice." Affordable Care Act provisions in danger of elimination protect a wide range of people:

People with a history of cancer, diabetes and other illnesses cannot be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition.
Lifetime caps have been eliminated to ensure the sickest among us are not turned away from coverage because their care costs too much.
Young people, beginning adulthood with little money and big dreams can remain on their parents plans until they reach 26.
Women have access to no-cost contraception and preventive services, allowing women of all income levels to control when or if they have a child.
Mental health and substance use disorders, often stigmatized and left untreated, receive the same level of coverage as physical illnesses.
Healthcare subsidies provided for low-income people have resulted in a dramatic increase of insured working families and people of color, making care more equitable for everyone.
Anti-discrimination language prevents providers from discriminating against the LGBTQ community, allowing same-sex families to benefit from joint coverage.

Losing care puts the prosperity of our families and our neighbors at risk but it also raises a question about our own conscience. Can we take a back seat in this crises? For UUJEC and UUSJ, we recognize the inherent worth and dignity of every person and as advocates for economic justice, we cannot allow the healthcare debate to continue on without us. As This is as much of an economic issue as it is a health issue. The ability to attend to one’s well-being is fully connected to the ability to access and afford it.

Twenty million Americans may lose their ability to receive care if the Trump Administration follows through on its promise to repeal the ACA. Connect with us to share our UU values for healthcare justice.

Washington DC Lodging: UUJEC Tips

Below is a list of lodging options in Washington, DC. They are organized in order of proximity to the conference location at

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (118 3rd Street Southeast,

Washington, DC 20003).

Please secure your lodging as soon as possible since rooms fill up quickly this time of the year.

Want to arrange room-sharing with other UUs?

Visit our Facebook Event Page and make connections.

Under 10min (walk)

HOTELS, INNS, BED & BREAKFASTS

· East Capitol Street Guest House, 6^th St. and East Capitol St., SE, bedandbreakfastdc.com

· William Penn House (run by the Society of Friends), 515 East Capitol St., SE, http://williampennhouse.org

HOSTEL

· Washington Seminar Center, 201 Fourth Street SE, www.washingtonseminarcenter.org

Less than 30min (public transit)

HOTELS, INNS, BED & BREAKFASTS

· Harrington Hotel, 11 and E St., NW, www.hotel-harrington.com

· Hilton Garden Inn, 815 14^th St., NW (between H. & I. Sts.), 202-783-7800

· Holiday Inn on the Hill, 415 New Jersey Ave., NW, 800-638-1116 or 202-638-1616

· Hotel Harrington, 436 11th Street NW, https://www.hotel-harrington.com/

HOSTEL

· American Youth Hostel International, 1009 11^th St., NW, hiwashingtondc.org

· First Trinity Lutheran, 4^th and E St., NW, http://www.ftdchostel.org/

~30min (public transit)

HOTELS, INNS, BED & BREAKFASTS

· Allen Lee Hotel, 2224 F St. NW, http://www.theallenleehotel.com/

· Julie Billiart Residence, Dupont Circle, 202-232-3300

· Red Roof Inn, 500 H St., NW, www.redroofinn.com

· Simpkins’ Bed and Breakfast, 1601 19^th St NW, 800-6 HOST 93 or (202) 387-1328

· The Tabard Inn, 1739 N St., NW, http://www.tabardinn.com/

HOSTEL

· Centro Maria Residence, 650 Jackson St., NE, (202) 635-1697

· Hilltop Hostel, 300 Carroll St., NW, www.hosteldc.com

· Steinbruck Center, 1226 Vermont Ave NW, http://steinbruckcenter.org/hostel

· The Pilgrimage, 2201 P Street, NW, http://www.thepilgrimage.org/

~45min (public transit)

HOTELS, INNS, BED & BREAKFASTS

· American Guest House Bed and Breakfast, 2005 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC, www.americanguesthouse.com/

· Carlyle Suites Hotel, 1731 New Hampshire Ave., NW, carlylesuites.com

· Woodley Park Guest House, 2647 Woodley Rd, NW, www.woodleyparkguesthouse.com

· Days Inn, 4400 Connecticut Ave., NW, https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/days-inn/washington-district-of-columbia/days-inn-washington-dc-connecticut-avenue/overview?CID=LC:DI:20160927:RIO:Local:SM-disatl

· The Embassy Inn, 1627 16^th St., NW, http://embassy-dc-hotels.com/

· Kalorama Guest House (2 locations), 1854 Mintwood Place and 2700 Cathedral Ave., NW, kaloramaguesthouse.com

· Motel 6, 6711 Georgia Ave. NW, (202) 722-1600

· Windsor Inn, 1842 16^th Street, NW (at T St.), http://www.windsor-inn-hotel-dc.com/

· Windsor Park, 2116 Kalorama Rd., www.windsorparkhotel.com

HOSTEL

· Columbia Guest House, Adams Morgan Neighborhood, 202-265-4006

St Stephens, 1525 Newton St NW, http://www.saintstephensdc.org/meeting-or-sleeping-at-st-stephens-church/information-on-sleeping/

~1hr (public transit)

HOTELS, INNS, BED & BREAKFASTS

· Adams Inn, 1746 Lanier Pl., NW, http://www.adamsinn.com

· Grace Lutheran Church, 16^th & Varnum St, (202) 726-6014 or (202) 829-9400/9405

HOSTELS

· Andrews Guest House, 2708 Ontario Rd., NW, (202) 483-0799

· Shalom Place, Saint Lukes Methodist Church, 3655 Calvert St, NW, http://shalomplacedc.org

· National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle, NW, http://www.nationalcitycc.org/bunkhouse-ministry/

· International Guest House, 1441 Kennedy St., NW, (202) 726-5808

· Washington International Student Center, 2451 18^th Street N.W., www.washingtondchostel.com

Also helpful:

· Lodging Website for Washington DC

· http://www.washingtondchotels.com/

· Airbnb rentals near the conference. https://www.airbnb.com/s/Washington-DC?neighborhoods%5B%5D=Capitol%20Hill&page=1&s_tag=FL-qCbFj&allow_override%5B%5D=

· Vacation Rentals near the conference, https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/district-of-columbia-dc/district-of-columbia/capitol-hill?from-date=2017-04-02&to-date=2017-04-06

· UU Bed & Breakfast Directory ($10 registration fee), https://uurehome.com/joomla/

Contact US: uujec@uujec.org Webmaster: webmaster@uujec.org By Mail: UUJEC-Bannor 2701 West Fitch Ave. Chicago IL 60645

UUJEC Privacy Policy - Our subscriber and membership information remains confidential. We use your information to send you news of events and updates that we think would interest you. We also use it to contact you for financial support during our fundraising campaigns. UUJEC does not sell our mailing list to any organization or company. If you are receiving mail from UUJEC and would prefer not to, please notify us by email (uujec@uujec.org) to have your information removed from our mailing lists. If you would like to sign up for our email list and have not done so already, please sign up here.