JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Report: Salmon in WA are ‘teetering on the brink of extinction’

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Washington’s salmon are “teetering on the brink of extinction,” according to a new report. It says the state must change how it’s responding to climate change and the growing number of people in Washington.

Washington’s State of Salmon in Watersheds report says time is running out for the Northwest’s iconic fish. The report shows a trend of warming waters and habitat degradation is causing trouble for its salmon runs. Ten of the 14 threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the state are not getting any better. Of those, five are “in crisis.”

Read more here.

New Caucus for BIPOC UUs to Tackle Intersection of Race, Climate Justice

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Have you ever wondered, Why were the minority neighborhoods in Texas the first to lose power during the recent power blackouts? Why are polluting industries and waste dumps always sited where Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) folks live? Why has the Covid pandemic been particularly devastating for the poor, marginalized BIPOC communities? And, yet, why have they been deprived of early vaccination? The list of injustices is never ending!

So, why do climate justice work in a UU church? Our faith calls us to build the Beloved Community that Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King dreamed of. We cannot build a Beloved Community when racism, oppression and discrimination is the custom of the land. Our principles call on us to uphold the inherent worth and dignity of all and to respect the interdependent web of all existence. And the proposed Eighth Principle calls us to accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions. Then, how can we not, as UUs, dedicate ourselves to finding justice for the most vulnerable who are least responsible for the continued destruction of our environment but are ignored time and time again. Indeed, the BIPOC are hardly ever at the table to represent their own interests!

In collaboration with the UU Ministry for Earth, we are privileged to the recent launch of a caucus for BIPOC UUs who are passionate about the intersections of racial, environmental and climate injustices.

Why a separate caucus for BIPOC? As we said above, we have long witnessed the disproportionate and disastrous impacts of climate change on communities of color. The BIPOC caucus will create a space for us to meet with others devoted to environmental and climate justice work, and also be a voice for us in the broader environmental and climate justice movement. It will allow us to form bonds with other BIPOC who fight not only racial and environmental injustices but are also the embodiment of living through a long history of injustice and cruelty.

Meetings of the group are open to everyone right now, irrespective of their racial identity, with time set aside for BIPOC and White caucusing. Starting this summer, the mutliracial group will meet approximately once a quarter, and the BIPOC caucus will meet roughly monthly.

We are grateful for the UUMFE for giving us a home as we begin this journey, and for offering time, energy and support. And, we thank all those who joined us for our first meeting and hope to see more folks attend the second session, on Thursday, March 18 at 5pm PT / 8pm EDT – you can find more information below in this newsletter. We pray that they keep coming back, that the caucus grows, and that we can engage in meaningful and spiritually fulfilling work. Amen.

In faith and solidarity,

Paula Cole Jones
All Souls Church,
Washington, DC

 

Rashid Shaikh
First Parish,
Cambridge, MA

Bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut Home!

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Special Alert!

A request on behalf of Deb Cruz, JUUstice Washington’s President 

It’s long been since time . . .

Bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut Home!

A sacred request from
Squil-le-he-le (Raynell Morris) and
Tah-Mahs (Ellie Kinley)

“Our Lhaq’temish [Lummi] people have had a special relationship with our killer whales since time immemorial. We know them as qwe’lhol’mechen, which means “people under the water.”  Our stories tell of intermarriage and kinship between our Lhaq’temish people and a local qwe’lhol’mechen clan we know as Sk’aliCh’elh.

Fifty years ago, as our own children were being stolen and sent to boarding schools, one of the Sk’aliCh’elh children was stolen and sold to the Miami Seaquarium. We call this orca whale “Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut,” which means daughter of Sk’aliCh’elh. She is our Lhaq’temish daughter, too. She has been held in a small concrete tank and forced to perform for her food since 1970.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People recognizes and uphold our rights to our culture, our spirituality, our families.  In order for our Lhaq’temish culture, spirituality, and family to be whole, we must bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home. We are working with the world’s top scientists and experts on how to do this responsibly. We have a plan, but we do not yet have Miami Seaquarium’s agreement to release her into our care.

We are asking all individuals to sign our Petition, as put forth by our partners at the Earth Law Center.”

Hy’shqe,

Squil-le-he-le (Raynell Morris)
Tah-Mahs (Ellie Kinley)
Enrolled members of Lummi Nation

Please pass this onto family, friends, allies and partners.  Ask them to sign the petition.  It is believed that an overwhelming show of support, Miami Seaquarium’s parent companies might do the right thing and allow the Lhaq’temish people to bring their relation home to the Salish Sea, where they and her orca family await her.

For more information, check the links below:

Links: 

Thank you for your ongoing support of Lummi Nation!

UN Sounds ‘Red Alert’ for National Climate Goals

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“Today’s interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

UN Climate Change Chief Patricia Espinosa pointed out that the last 10 years had been the hottest decade in human history. The record rise in temperatures, for example in the Arctic winter and northern Siberia, and dramatic winter weather slamming the traditionally mild southern U.S., were being amplified by the now measurably slowing Gulf Stream in the Atlantic — something that could be irreversible.

“It’s time for all remaining Parties to step up, fulfill what they promised to do under the Paris Agreement and submit their NDCs as soon as possible,” Espinosa said, adding “if this task was urgent before, it’s crucial now.”

Read more here.