Get Involved!

There are several ways to get involved and support the work of JUUstice Washington, UU congregations and organizations and our allies and partners.

Become A Member

Join one of our Issue Action Teams!

Thank you for your interest in JUUstice Washington, our UU Washington State Action Network! We are hundreds of Unitarian Universalists working within our congregations and with other faith-based and secular partners to forward social and environmental justice in Washington State and beyond! Folks are busily organizing and taking action on a wide range of issues, from human rights, to the environment, to just governance, and more.

When you become a member of JUUstice Washington you can:

- Get the word out about your justice work (and learn about the work of others);
- Share and pursue your justice issues by joining effective action teams or starting an action team of your own;
- Amplify your effectiveness with legislative activism;
- Get training, information and support to make your work easier and more effective; and
- Get explicit help tackling the trickier challenges of congregational justice work.

Sign Up Here

Volunteer

JUUstice Washington is always looking for people with a passion for justice work to be part of our organization. We would love to put your expertise to work in the service of social and environmental justice issues.

Issue Action Team leads. Issue action team lead positions are available for individuals who want to take that next step forward and assist other congregations in their justice efforts in a specific issue area, engage with other UU organizations and help create meaningful relationships with allies and partners. Have an issue that’s not covered in our existing programming? Start up a new issue action team!
Financial and Fundraising skills. Critical to the health of any organization, are the skills to help raise money and see it spent wisely.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We need a means to ensure that our policies, practices and programs have a strong EDI presence. Skills to help us move forward and create truly equitable organizational environment as well as genuine, effective relationships with marginalized communities, are critical to affecting the change we seek.
Communications. We have a myriad of communication tools that need to be utilized to the fullest in a timely manner. As technology changes, we also need to keep up-to-date with how we communicate with our existing and potential members, allies and partners.
Programming. We need ideas! We need a variety of ways to inform, motivate, engage and support our members, congregations, allies and partners in our justice work within and without our issue action teams.

Think you have something to offer (yes, you do!) contact us so we can help you join our family of movers and shakers!

Donate

As a small non-profit, we are largely dependent on the financial support of our members and friends. Please contribute what you are able and as often as you are able. The quality and quantity of our services relies heavily on your financial support.

Contribute online
Contribute by check or means other than online, contact us so we can make arrangements convenient for you.

Youth Engagement

Many are inspired but isolated in these times. There are so many creative roles in justice work. We are initiating a youth engagement project to assist those under 25 yrs old in getting more involved in justice issues in their region and at statewide and national levels. Meet your local community partners. Learn essential skills in justice work. Get great references for a budding resume. Feel free to encourage any youth or parent to connect with us at actionteams@juustwa.org

Have Questions? Contact our administrator at office@juustwa.org

UU Statement of Commitment in Response to Climate-Forced Displacement

In light of the global challenge of forced displacement caused by the climate crisis, Unitarian Universalist (UU) organizations—the UU Ministry for Earth, UUs for a Just Economic Community, Side With Love, UUA Office at the United Nations, UUs for Social Justice, and the UU Service Committee—join forces to issue the following statement of solidarity and commitment:

Recognizing the interdependence of life on Earth and the accountable pursuit of justice, equity and compassion is central to creating a thriving 21st Century.

Unitarian Universalism is a faith tradition anchored in religious pluralism, the rhythms of nature, and the inherent worth and dignity of each person. The ongoing climate crisis challenges all of our core values as a faith tradition. As organizations currently or historically affiliated with Unitarian Universalism, we feel compelled to speak and act in solidarity with front-line communities facing forced climate displacement. In keeping with these principles of repair and justice, we urge governments, world leaders, corporate actors, and congregations to respond to the global challenge of climate-forced displacement by centering the human rights of affected communities.

As the climate crisis escalates, the needs of those that are suffering the worst effects of climate change—a crisis chiefly caused by carbon emissions from wealthier industrialized nations like the United States—have gained wider acknowledgment. The climate crisis is not a matter for future generations to address; it is already upon us. In early March 2022, the world’s leading climate scientists issued their starkest warning yet about the failure of global leaders to stem carbon emissions. Humanity is on pace to exceed the 1.5 degrees of warming that scientists estimate is the limit the Earth can sustain without risking an unstoppable chain reaction of climate harms.

Due to this collective policy failure, communities around the globe and in the U.S. are already facing the effects of climate destruction. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, front-line, and other oppressed and marginalized communities — who have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis historically—are facing the worst of its effects. Many of these communities have been displaced from their homes, and millions more will follow in the decades ahead. Communities across the U.S.—as well as in other countries—are already experiencing these pressures, and the reality that parts of the U.S. will become uninhabitable is increasingly hard to ignore.

This involuntary climate exile is both a global and a domestic human rights violation on a massive scale. Not only does it deprive millions of people of their rightful home, it also forces them to seek resettlement in a global community that has done little to ensure the safe and dignified reception of people seeking asylum—particularly migrants of color. In the U.S., people are forced to abandon their traditional homes and communities or look to build infrastructure mitigation strategies that outstrip the resource and financing capacity of their households and local governments.

Even as we acknowledge that climate displacement is a present reality and not a hypothetical risk, we also reject the fatalism and defeatism that would deny the possibility of further collective action to forestall or address it. To this end, we shall share the power of our voices and influence with those who have less recourse to engage decision-makers, be they elected, appointed, or corporate actors. We pledge to coordinate our advocacy in order to persuade the international and domestic community to:

Prevent further climate displacement by mitigating the effects of climate change and ensuring a just transition to clean and renewable energy sources;

Ensure—in the event of displacement that cannot be forestalled—that communities are able to relocate safely, with dignity, and in a self-determined way that respects their integrity and identity;

Provide communities with the resources they need to adapt-in-place to the effects of climate change, and to compensate for the loss and damage they have already incurred as a result of anthropogenic warming;

Redress past failures and address root harms and causes as part of our accountable behavior to those suffering harm.

Climate displacement is already occurring around the world. Our leaders have a choice as to the pace at which it unfolds and the treatment of people who endure it. We urge them to act now, before even more people are deprived of their homes.