| |
Dear Friend, Thank you for joining other Unitarian Universalists to make a difference in our nation’s well-being and what our Federal Government does. Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) works to help our Government adhere to the principles of democracy and the dignity of all people—and other values that we UUs hold dear. We aim to be inclusive by extending a one-year membership to anyone who donates or buys a ticket to a UUSJ event. (If you do not wish to remain a member, please see the instructions at the bottom of this email.) UUSJ works to disrupt the interlocking injustices of federal policy. We strive to make our government more responsive to all citizens and residents of this nation, propelling us towards beloved community with the following actions: - Selecting issues strategically that are moving in Congress and making it easy for UUs to express their views to Congress on those issues. Our letter-writing campaign is called Write Here! Write Now! (WHWN). Typically UUSJ organizes a campaign six times a year. Email anna@uusj.org to be informed of upcoming WHWNs.
- Arranging meetings with Congressional staff so UU’s can talk to Congress. Now with COVID, these meetings have become virtual so that anyone across the nation can meet with Congress! The meetings typically happen in the second half of a Write Here! Write Now! Month, and are usually aimed at the same topic. Email anna@uusj.org to be informed of upcoming meetings. If you are already signed up to be notified about WHWNs, you will be alerted about upcoming meetings.
- Publicizing Action Alerts, where individual UU’s may send messages to their Congressional representatives voicing a principled concern, applying public pressure, or advocating for a solution to a particular injustice. These differ from WHWN letters, in that they arise quickly and no customization is required. Just enter name/address and send. Look on the uusj.org home page for current action alerts.
- Maintaining engagement on our priority issues–currently the Immigration Action Team, the Environmental Action Team (including Climate Change), the Democracy Action Team, and the Economic Justice priority. The priority issues can change every two years and are scheduled for review during 2021. Any member can join an Issue Action Team. Email info@uusj.org to indicate interest in joining a team.
- Building understanding by conducting workshops and webinars to educate members on emerging issues and how to advocate more effectively, including periodic meetings for social justice ministers and committee chairs. For example, UUSJ recently offered an excellent virtual workshop on Storytelling for Advocacy, demonstrating stories that have been effective in meetings with legislators and providing practice sessions. Find out information about near-term webinars at uusj.org.
- Organizing or supporting witness, especially at events of national import to UUs. For example, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) rallies, the PPC’s 40 Days of Action, End GerryMandering, and the Climate Strike. These are often timely, life changing events to join with other UUs when writing is not enough, and to let our voices be heard, our faces seen. UUSJ recognizes that policy change occurs from a push pull dynamic between street work and meeting work. Check out uusj.org to find out about any current witnessing opportunities.
UUSJ is positioning itself to realize its potential through our strategic planning initiative. We have identified our moral owners to include not only UUs and UU congregations, but also impacted communities and organizations that represent those communities. We will engage with the moral owners to focus our advocacy, increase the diversity of our Board of Trustees, and partner with UU and non-UU organizations to become more effective at moving our Government to better laws and practices for social justice. Thank you for being a part of this progress! If you do not wish to remain a member, please email info@uusj.org. | |
