Part II – 2020 Justice Summit
December 4-6, 2020
Part II of the Summit is upon us! We will re-convene and put the information we received in the October panels and armed with the hope from the November elections to good use in developing strategic plans to address the many issues for the upcoming year. Join us and help get us back on track by repairing what’s been damaged and moving forward into the future. Look for updates at our Summit pages.
Take Action
We urge you to engage in a variety of actions to move justice forward. Visit this page to discover general and specific things to take action on.
Events Calendar
Check out our Calendars! There are lots of things happening in your area or around the state – educational events, meetings, demonstrations, vigils & more. We have a master calendar where you can check on what’s going on in all justice spheres, or you can check each issue action page for their specific issue calendars.
Commitment to EDI
We are committed to incorporating and promoting equity, diversity & inclusion in all that we do & represent. Definitions, Our position and other guiding principles here.
Unitarian Universalists Denounce Complicity with Extremists,
2021- Black History Month
Theme: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.
The black family has been a topic of study in many disciplines—history, literature, the visual arts and film studies, sociology, anthropology, and social policy. Its representation, identity, and diversity have been reverenced, stereotyped, and vilified from the days of slavery to our own time. The black family knows no single location, since family reunions and genetic-ancestry searches testify to the spread of family members across states, nations, and continents. Not only are individual black families diasporic, but Africa and the diaspora itself have been long portrayed as the black family at large. While the role of the black family has been described by some as a microcosm of the entire race, its complexity as the “foundation” of African American life and history can be seen in numerous debates over how to represent its meaning and typicality from a historical perspective—as slave or free, as patriarchal or matriarchal/matrifocal, as single-headed or dual-headed household, as extended or nuclear, as fictive kin or blood lineage, as legal or common law, and as black or interracial, etc. Variation appears, as well, in discussions on the nature and impact of parenting, childhood, marriage, gender norms, sexuality, and incarceration. The family offers a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American past and present.
From the Association for the Study of African American Life and History-The Founders of Black History Month (https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/)
Action Teams
The focal point for the strength and interconnection of our justice work at JUUstice Washington are these six action teams. These action teams will offer a variety of information on what work has been and is being done, and resources for education and activism, event notices and calendars and direct one-on-one contact with an action team leader.
Participants in the action teams come from a broad spectrum of faith communities, social justice organizations, environmental organizations, other NGOs, governmental bodies and Tribes and Nations.
We recognise intersectionality and that these issues interweave and are inextricably linked. The current action teams are identified below.
First/American Indian Nations Solidarity Seeks to provide culturally appropriate and current information on the background of various Nations and the myriad issues faced by indigenous communities. We work diligently to assist in establishing meaningful relationships with First and American Indian communities. Engagement is predominantly centred in the Pacific Northwest. However, we have also become engaged with Nations and issues throughout the United States and Canada. We have an extensive network of Indian and non-Indian individuals, groups and organizations engaged in social, political, environmental and cultural activities.
Climate Justice Action Team We envision a world that approaches energy use in a sustainable manner for generations to come. We cannot continue our current patterns of consumption and production with reliance on fossil fuels for energy. We have a duty to raise our voices for the moral commitment to human survival.
Communities of color and low-income populations are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. Recognition of our common humanity is a necessary premise to all of our actions.
Criminal Justice Reform Action Team is based upon our Unitarian Universalist principles where we are called to work to make “Equal Justice for All” a reality in our country, our state, and our communities. We work with Northwest Unitarian Universalists and others in our communities to provide humane, science driven solutions to the criminal justice system. Criminal Justice Reform issues include abolishing the death penalty, eliminating cash bail, establishing restorative justice, challenging private prisons and more.
Racial Justice Action Team asks the hard questions and seeks the expose the truth of white privilege and its role in institutional and interpersonal racism. Asking critical questions, seeking answers, and taking action. What do we do in the face of systemic racism? What do we do as people of color oppressed by these systems? What do we do as white folk who are privileged by these same systems? Join us if this is your calling. We aspire to be people of all colors, all faiths and all non-faiths.
Economic Justice Action Team This area focus on economic inequality. It encompasses privation – some people’s lack of necessities for human life & well-being — food, shelter, health care. Examining alternative ways of ordering our society and economy, and looking for specific policies to support and actions to take.
This goes beyond poverty and the obvious grinding problems of the poor — to the struggles, insecurities and frustrations of the middle class — and the alienation and false consciousness of the rich. Beyond economy to the corrosive effects of extreme income and wealth disparities on the health of our entire society, our country’s political life, and our individual interpersonal relations.
Immigrant, Refugee and Migrant Solidarity Action Team From the opening words of the Declaration of Conscience, joint statement of the UUA and the UUSC “We affirm our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We will oppose any and all unjust government actions to deport, register, discriminate, or despoil. As people of conscience, we declare our commitment to translate our values into action as we stand on the side of love with the most vulnerable among us.”
Don’t see your action area of interest? We honor and acknowledge the other issues of oppression not listed in the action teams above.
Do you have a passion in an issue that is not listed? There are many justice issues out there that need action and we have the resources to help guide you. Let us know and we can connect you with other individuals who may have the same or a similar justice passion. If we can get you connected to enough people, you could ask us about creating an action team for your issue area of interest.
Coalition of UU State Action Networks
