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UUJEC at General Assembly 2023

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UUJEC Action of Immediate Witness

The UUJEC is pleased to endorse the 3 Actions of Immediate Witness (AsIW) that were approved at GA 2023. We regret that our own proposal, CODE RED for Humanity: The Climate Impacts of Military Emissions, did not make the cut, along with 2 other important proposals, but realize that the limit of 3 means that some good ideas will not get through. Certainly individual UU groups’ work often go well beyond the 3 chosen subjects. Read our statements of support for this years AsIW: https://uujec.net/ga-2023/uujec-endorses-2023-asiw/  

 

Code Red for Humanity: The Climate Impacts of Military Emissions

 

US military spending is nearly half the world total, even without war, making it the world’s largest institutional emitter of Green House Gases. Therefore, UUs are urged to demand better monitoring and reporting of these emissions and to join coalitions to reduce, not just warfare, but US military activities, bases, and production, both in the US and abroad.

View our draft AIW language here

Workshops On Demand

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On-Demand Workshops available before and during GA using the WHOVA app

 

Gray Panthers & Raging Grannies

It’s focused on senior citizen radicals. Emphasis on UU elders who are working on the programs that interest the UUJEC. The list includes antimilitary campaigns, antiracism, and the Green New Deal. Encourage multigenerational understanding as your congregation works for justice. In this program, young adults meet with radical elders who are active in Unitarian Universalist programs for social justice. Attention focuses on anti-racism work, economic justice, climate change, and LGBTQ concerns. How can young and old help each other?  This workshop is sponsored by UUJEC. Details here.  View the recording here. 


Speakers: Randy Block, Rev. Barbara Meyers, Cindy Piester, and Sally Jane Gellert

Moderator: Terry Lowman

Next Steps into Anti-Racism and Reparations

We will explore our society’s isms: such as, racism, sexism, classism, etc. These are mere symptoms of our culture’s real pathology: refusal to face its legacy of chattel enslavement. We will show individuals, congregations, and anti-racism teams, healthy concepts and strategies in our 6-part workshop which begins the healing from that past legacy of crimes against humanity. Our team hopes you will join us at GA, and beyond, to come to the rescue of our ailing culture. Details here. View the recording here. 

Speakers: UUJEC Board Member Carl W. McCargo (M.S.), Rev Dr. Kristen L. Harper and Nina Kavin.

Wellness & Mutual Aid

Congregations are organizing for personal, social, and environmental wellness. Mutual aid moves congregations beyond paternalism and charity and towards partnership, empowerment, and political change. The wellness concept encourages healthy relationships. Be the change that you want to see in the world. This program provides helpful resources.  This workshop is sponsored by UUJEC. Learn more here. View the recording here. 

Speakers: Astoria Nickerson, Nancy Hoffman, Rev. Barbara Meyers, and Rachel Myslivy

Moderator: Rev. Robert Murphy

Working with Labor

Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a longstanding constituency group of the AFL-CIO, will be interviewed by Unitarian Universalist leaders who are active in human rights work.  The discussion will include LGBTQ+ rights, antiracism, climate change ,and how labor and organized religion can work together for justice.  This workshop is sponsored by UUJEC. Learn more here. View the recording here. 

Speakers: Clayola Brown, Denise Moorehead and Carlos Jimenez

Moderator: Terry Lowman

2022 General Assembly Reporting

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UUJEC Sponsored On-Demand Workshops at GA for 2022


Ecological Civilization: Earth, Religion, and the Human Future. #617 Recording available to watch here.
The On-Demand workshop “Ecological Civilization: Earth, Religion, and the Human Future” features speakers David Korten, Aly Tharp, Michael Cox and UUJEC Board member Lucy Hitchcock.  

On a path to self-extinction, humans face a defining choice. Transition to a civilization dedicated to care for one another and the living Earth or bear the consequences. What might that future look like? How might we get there? And what might be the role of the institutions of religion? View the workshop and use our discussion guide for follow up webinars/conversations.  

 

Faith Calls Us On: Faith, Religion, and Reparations  

#619 Recording available here. 


On-Demand Workshop at GA:  Faith, Religion and Reparations.  Join Connie Simon, Bruce Pollack-Johnson and UUJEC Board members Carl McCargo and Jane Bannor.  We discuss how our liberal faith demands we champion Reparations and repair the damage caused by an American system that condoned slavery and continues to de-value the descendants of the enslaved. We use an historical and multi-faith lens to describe what congregations can do to work toward repair.  




2022 UUJEC Poster Session  view our poster here. 


2022 Actions of Immediate Witness

[To get the  latest edits, please refer to the UUA General Assembly page on AIWs here.]

 

UUJEC board members have been working on all of the AIW  proposals below.  We know only three will be accepted to be voted on by the General Assembly, however part of the reason for AIWs is to raise the issue's visibility. 

 

  • "Act for a Livable Climate" See Cindy Piester's webinar explaining this Action of Immediate Witness.  Here's the slide show that goes with the webinar.  Here's a list of supporters.


  • "Stop Privatization of Medicare", with Rev. Judy Deutsch taking the lead.  Here's a copy of the AIW that was passed.      

                                                                      

  • "Anti-Racism and Reparations via Restorative Justice" with Carl McCargo taking the lead.

 

  • "Support for Starbucks' workers" proposal by UU Democratic Socialists and helped by UU Board Member Rev. Robert Murphy. 

    

  • "Education: Meet the Moment" with Rev. Robert Murphy taking the lead and endorsed by UUJEC and United UU Fellowship of St. Petersburg, FL

 

2021 General Assembly Reporting

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UUs for a Just Economic Community at virtual GA!

2021 Meet & Greet with UUJEC

Honoring the myriad of communities within Unitarian Universalism, Virtual GA 2021 will offer more time for networking, meetups and caucusing over the span of GA.  See our YouTube recording of the event here. 


Action of Immediate Witness, AIW 

UUJEC's AIW The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage. was passed!  Read the final approved AIW and please send comments to UUJEC@UUJEC.org.  Watch the video created by the Commission on Social Witness on this AIW. Here's a thank you letter from AFL-CIO President Shuler to UUA President Frederick-Gray for support of the AIW.

 

UUJEC Sponsored Workshops


 “Reparations: Rooted in Repair” Workshop #309 

To view the recording, click here. 

Reparations Rooted in Repair:  The doctrine of discovery removed African peoples from their lands, their culture & nationhood and from the cover of GOD. Learn about the five major areas of injuries and strategies for repair of damages wrought by African Chattel Slavery. In this presentation, we expound on those injury areas and discuss local, state and national strategies, including N’COBRA, to repair individuals and culture and reshape institutions that financed the chattel slavery institutions. 

Featuring: Ari Merretazon, Woullard Lett and UUJEC Board members Carl McCargo and Jane Bannor. 

 

 

"Mutual Aid, Congregations & Communities" Workshop # 410 

To watch the recording,  click here.

"Nomadland" is the award-winning movie that has introduced millions of Americans to mutual aid practice.  Many of us have learned about mutual aid work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change, poverty and neglect, and other economic problems.  Mutual aid is a form of social insurance in which everybody gives and everybody receives in voluntary and reciprocal arrangements.  This workshop will explain the importance of mutual aid work for today's Unitarian Universalist congregations.  It's information that your congregation can use for economic justice.

Featuring: Nancy Hoffman, Astoria Nickerson, Jimmy Dunson, , Artemis Joukowsky and UUJEC Board Member Rev. Robert Murphy. 

 

"Socialism and Religion" Workshop # 655

To watch the recording, click here. 

Socialism is back in the news and religious people are involved.  This workshop focuses attention on the story of religious socialism in the United States with special attention given to the Unitarian Universalists.  We'll examine our past, we'll look at race/class solidarity possibilities, and we'll conclude with some thoughts about liberal religion's future.  How do we accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in America's institutions?  Liberation theology, environmental justice, and support for multigenerational cooperation and labor union organizing, are the topics discussed by the speakers.

Featuring Rev. Kimberly Q. Johnson and Dr. Daniel  McKanan and UUJEC Board Members Rev. Judy Deutsch and Rev. Robert Murphy.


                   

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