JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Four Ways to Support UU Involvement in Poor People’s Campaign

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Letter to UUJEC from Pablo DeJesus,
council member UUA’s PPC Leadership Council:

I’m writing to ask if UUJEC can do several things to support UU involvement in the PPC, especially in these final days leading into Sat. June 20th — a major milestone for PPC. See the UUA announcement on the formation of a UU leadership council HERE or UUSJ’s promulgation in our May eNews, of which I am a part. (Several council members are CCed here.)

As you know, this is a deeply troubling moment in our nation, rife with an unfolding national conversation about the disproportionate economic impacts of the pandemic and the cross-cutting role of systems of criminalization and racial injustice as entrenched policy and social structures.  For this reason, it feels even more deeply important for UUs to support campaigns that center the leadership of poor and low-income people, people of color, and other disenfranchised folks in our society.  The PPC is such a campaign.

So I’d ask on behalf of the UUA’s PPC Leadership Council for several steps in the assistance of the council and our UU denomination’s commitment to the PPC.

Four Asks:

  1. UUJEC Contacts: Very Timely/Urgent — Can you help connect the council with any UUs that are low-income folks, willing to speak of that experience (to witness) as part of a Church of the Larger Fellowship service on June 14, 2020, centered on PPC?  I’m thinking of folks perhaps like your brave UUJEC member who spoke directly to Sen. Portman (OH) during our joint UU conference in 2017 (Reversing Inequality: Healthcare Justice is a UU Value). Personal stories like his will help the PPC council win hearts and minds.

  2. UUJEC Promotion: Can you promulgate the special UU RSVP for June 20th and encourage UUs in the UUJEC network to register and attend several times going into June 20th in ~10 days?  In so doing you’d be joining the UUA, SideWithLove, and UUSJ.   You can see in UUSJ’s June eNews and our events list how UUSJ is striving to promote (in part). You may have seen some of our eBlasts. UUSJ is also posting events and content to Facebook as possible. Please consider closely what UUJEC can do to support the promotion of PPC. Here is the PPC’s digital toolkit that offers text & graphics to make things easier.

  3. UUJEC Connection: Rev. Robin Tanner, NJ is a UU minister from NJ and also a lead national faith organizer for the PPC. She might be able to speak to UUJEC stakeholders to explain the PPC campaign and its goals and especially its economic justice commitments. I will comment here, I can think of few national campaigns beyond the PPC that are so clearly aligned with UUJEC’s general interest in restructuring the American economy away from escalating inequality, rampant inequity, and towards justice, equity, and service to the human condition.

  4. UUJEC Follow-on: Please consider having an internal conversation during the next month or so, on if or how UUJEC can support UU mobilization and participation in the PPC heading towards November. It is my understanding after we “click” past June 20th the PPC will be more focused on Voter Mobilization and GOTV activity engaging poor and low-income participation. As you know from our two conferences together, if we can get candidates who take structural inequity and inequality seriously as a policy area, we will have more traction and support for policies in the next congress that reflect UU values and principles.  This is generally consistent with UUA’s UU the Vote campaign, and UUSJ’s joint project with Reeb Voting Rights Project (review an upcoming event June 17 HERE or RSVP). On how PPC activity dovetails with UU the Vote, Susan Leslie, UUA might offer referrals to specific staff.

It is my sincere hope that UUJEC can look at what is possible in response to this request for connection and assistance from the UUA PPC Leadership Council.

In love and for justice, 

Pablo

Opening all Hearts: A Vigil for immigrants in a time of pandemic – June 10th

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Over two days from June 9th and 10th, Jesuit Ministries in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma will host a virtual Vigil (a devotional watching or keeping awake in the Catholic tradition) calling for support of and financial relief for undocumented workers in Washington State during this time of COVID-19. This effort was initially conceived and supported by over 430 organizations across Washington State in a letter to the Governor, including several Jesuit organizations.

This vigil is in support of our collective efforts to demand dignity, justice and wellness for our immigrant & refugee communities.
FACEBOOK EVENT HERE

The Vigil will include statements from faith leaders, state representatives, undocumented workers, and service providers, along with prayers and music. Previously, these Jesuit ministries authored a letter and action alert calling for a WA State fund to support these workers.

Vigil leaders and presenters come from Jesuit works in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma, numbering almost 2,500 households, , and hundreds of their parishioners will participate online. There will also be a limited number of participants standing in vigil in person at St. Joseph Parish in Seattle. The vigil will be widely publicized in all three communities and across the state. We expect there will be at least 200 participants online.

WHO: Jesuit ministries in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma live-streaming on Zoom and providing live witness at St. Joseph in Seattle (932 18th Ave E, Seattle, WA, 98112.

WHAT: A Vigil in support of undocumented workers in Washington State.
FACEBOOK EVENT HERE
REGISTER HERE

WHEN:

  • Tuesday, June 9th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Live Streamed primarily in Spanish.
  • Wednesday, June 10th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Live Streamed primarily in English.
  • A detailed program will be provided on request.
  • Vigils can be accessed at: https://bit.ly/CorazonesAbiertos

NW Immigrant Rights Project Suggests Three Ways You Can Support Immigrants Right Now

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Tell Congress to Include Immigrants in the Next Relief Package

Congress’s COVID-19 relief efforts have excluded many immigrants from their public health and economic stimulus policies. With Congress likely to pass additional legislation as soon as next month, it is time to speak up! Our partners at Protecting Immigrant Families have put together this easy way to send an email to your congressional representatives asking them to make sure the next relief package includes everybody.

Urge Washington State Leadership to Create a Worker Relief Fund

Particularly because the federal government has so far failed to adequately protect immigrant communities from the current crisis, we need our state and local governments to step up. That’s why NWIRP was proud to join over 430 organizations across Washington State in calling on Governor Inslee and our state legislature to create a “Washington Worker Relief Fund” to provide $100 million in emergency relief to undocumented Washingtonians and to work towards a more permanent system of support for unemployed workers who do not qualify for the current system. We invite you to join us: click here to directly support our call to action.

Join Our “Immigration for Beginners” Webinar on Friday April 24th, 2020

Want to learn more about the basics of the immigration system in the United States and how NWIRP is defending and advancing the rights of immigrants? Please join us on Friday from 11:00 A.M to 12:00 Noon for this free webinar.

Thank you for your continued support. We are proud to have you standing with us during this challenging time. Together, we can continue to make this country a more welcoming place for our immigrant neighbors.

Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington Going Digital! June 20, 2020

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The Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington on June 20, 2020 will not be postponed but will be transformed! We are going digital!

We will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people and people of conscience in this nation’s history. The COVID-19 global pandemic is exposing the already existing crisis of poverty in America, and we are going to bombard every member of Congress and the White House so that we raise up the demands of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

We will not be able to gather physically in Washington DC, but it is paramount that we have a forum where poor and low-wealth people can share their truths with a nation that needs its heart broken.

If there was ever a time for a massive outcry, it’s right now. People are hungry for bold, visionary solutions, not just to this current crisis, but to systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. Poor and low-wealth people know the solutions we need.

Stay tuned for more about how we are transforming our vision to adapt to the digital space. We may be isolated, but we remain united!

Forward together,

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival