JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Need encouragement? Join Side With Love for Monday Movement Moments, Nov. 2,9 Online

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We are proud of the ways our Faith continues to #SideWithLove and be present to the World. We are in the final days before a historic election and we want to offer you an opportunity to provide Faithful Witness at The Polls. Whether your congregation is a polling site or is interested in offering some warmth and kindness at undoubtedly tense polling stations, we have ideas for how we can offer faithful responses that are at the heart of Side With Love. You can view the 30 minute webinar here.

What does it mean to continue to “harvest our power” when we are tired or overwhelmed? There’s no magical fix, but knowing you are NOT alone and that others can help find the answers helps.

Join Side With Love on Monday Movement Moments for a 30-minute check-in and highlights of what’s happening across the country and ways you can get involved. Monday Movement Moment Nov. 2,9 at 9:30am PT. You can watch past episodes here.

Documenting the Struggle: A Conversation with Filmmaker Stanley Nelson (available online)

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Documenting the Struggle:  A Conversation with Filmmaker Stanley Nelson

Recording Available now – go to online link to view.

Conversation with filmmaker Stanley Nelson on his acclaimed Civil Rights films.  American Experience and WORLD Channel tonight for a conversation with filmmaker Stanley Nelson and American Experience Executive Producer Cameo George on the ongoing struggle for civil rights in America. The discussion includes clips from three of Nelson’s films— The Murder of Emmett Till, Freedom Riders, and Freedom Summer — as well as Q&A from audience.

 

 

3 New Environmental Docs to Watch This Fall

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Ecowatch Recommendations:

Kiss the Ground:

Between wildfires devastating the U.S. West Coast and storms battering the Gulf, the impacts of the climate crisis can feel overwhelming right now. Kiss the Ground offers an alternative to all of the bad news by focusing on solutions.

The film, directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell and narrated by Woody Harrelson, explains how we can heal the Earth through “regenerative agriculture,” farming practices that draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and into soil as a way to restore soil health, which in turn boosts ecosystems and food supplies.

Public Trust: The Fight for America’s Public Lands

This award-winning documentary tells the stories of Indigenous activists, journalists, whistleblowers and historians working to protect America’s public lands. The film focuses on three political struggles: the shrinking of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, the mining of Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota and the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel exploration.

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, which was also produced by Silverback Films and directed by Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes and Keith Scholey, features an intimate conversation between Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin as the broadcaster reflects on his life and a career that took him to every continent on Earth. In addition to streaming on Netflix, the movie will be available in select theaters starting Sept. 28.

“For decades, David has brought the natural world to the homes of audiences worldwide, but there has never been a more significant moment for him to share his own story and reflections,” WWF executive producer Colin Butfield said in a statement. “This film coincides with a monumental year for environmental action as world leaders make critical decisions on nature and climate. It sends a powerful message from the most inspiring and celebrated naturalist of our time.”

Read more here.

“The Condor and the Eagle” film screening and fundraiser for Tokitae Fund of Lummi Nation’s Lhaqtemish Foundation

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Join the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship and many other friends and allies as we come together virtually as people of faith and conscience to celebrate the Fall Equinox, watch this award-winning documentary, hear from the filmmakers & protagonists, and unite the faith community and allies in the movement for Indigenous rights and climate justice.
Even if you’ve already seen the film, join us again as we listen to the voices of Lummi Nation and Ponca Nations.
This day before the 50th Anniversary of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s arrival at Miami Seaquarium.  Doug and Jewell James will speak to the heart in a significant way about bringing  Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae) home.  This is not just about returning a whale to the wild.  It’s about recognizing and honoring Lummi “Schlangen” (life ways).  It’s about Truth and Reconciliation.  It’s about restoring and protecting the Salish Sea and all the lives that depend on Her.
 
And then, it’s about our future on this planet.
September 22nd • 6:30 pm
“Four Indigenous leaders embark on an extraordinary trans-continental adventure from the Canadian Boreal forests to deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of “Climate Justice”. The Condor & The Eagle documentary offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as the film four protagonists learn from each other’s long legacy of resistance to colonialism and its extractive economy.”

The California Native American Genocide – Two books reviewed

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The first comprehensive treatments of this subject were published very recently, in 2012 and 2014. These are An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 by Benjamin Madley, and Murder State: California’s Native American Genocide, 1846-1873 by Brendan Lindsay.

. . .

Over the past few months, I’ve read these books and have been working on this report. More than any other aspect of local history I’ve written about, this has been the most difficult. This is not because these books are not well-written. It is because this topic is, to quote Madley, “unrelentingly grim.” This project has taken me longer than normal because it is emotionally very heavy. It is profoundly disturbing and unpleasant.

Read more here.