June 2021

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Justice News, Events and Action Alerts Update

We emerged out of nature, and when we die, we return to nature.
We need to know there are forces impinging on us that we will never understand or control.
We need to have sacred places where we go with respect, not just looking for resources or opportunity. ~David Suzuki

JUUstice Washington Organizational News

Just a quick reminder to read through each section below as many issues, events and activities are intersectional, covering more than one issue area. Environmental Justice issues intersect with Indigenous and migrant issues. Racial issues intersect with environmental justice and legislative issues and many other combinations. Rarely will you come to know an issue that has only one aspect to it, and to address them we need to be aware of their relationship and impact on each other.

HELP WANTED!!

Board Members! We are in need of some additional board members. JUUstWA operates with a volunteer, working Board. If you’re interested in supporting Justice on a state and regional-wide basis, then we have a place at the table for you! If you’re interested or know of someone who would be great addition to the leadership of JUUstWA, please contact office@juustwa.org.

June 17, 2021, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM. Third Thursday: JUUstWA’s Emergent Strategy & Intersectional Networking Sessions. Join us monthly for Zoom-based Intersectional Justice Networking Sessions and emergent strategy meetings. Take time to Network & Collaborate with other community partners and justice-oriented congregations. Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

UUA News

June 23-27, 2021 Virtual General Assembly 2021!

Sneak peak at what’s coming up at GA! These offerings are just a handful of the fabulous 100+ live webinars and on-demand programs that GA registrants will have access to. One of the best parts about virtual GA – if you miss a live webinar or have trouble choosing between options, you’ll be able to catch up later on-demand! GA Registrants now have an exclusive preview of the full listing of workshops (both live and on-demand) on the new GA app powered by Whova.

Community in a Post-Isolation Age (UUA) Post Pandemic
Harvesting Lessons, Planting Seeds: Reflections on Organizing, 2016-2021 (UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team)
Resourcing UU Theologies of Death and Dying (Meadville Lombard Theological School and Starr King School for the Ministry)
REWIRE: Rewiring Your Racial Consciousness (All Souls Unitarian Church, Tulsa OK)
Rights of Nature: Who Speaks for the Earth? (UU Ministry for Earth, DRUUMM, UUA Green Sanctuary Program)
Starr King School for the Ministry President’s Lecture: Art in Search of Justice
The Power of Story in Worship (The First Religious Society in Carlisle)

Circle ‘Round for Justice ● Healing ● Courage is the theme for General Assembly 2021. General Assembly is a time to circle ‘round for community. We circle ‘round in care and healing; for liberation and justice; and for love and courage. UUA GA 2021 will incorporate recommendations from the Commission on Institution Change report, “Widening the Circle of Concern” and dialogue with the Article II Commission about our Principles and Purposes.

Registration is open! Registration for virtual GA 2021 is $200 per person. Learn about registration details.
Volunteer Applications are open for those who want to volunteer to lower their costs to attend. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

The UUA Decries Anti-Asian Violence

This country has a shameful history of racist acts towards the Asian community. It includes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the U.S. incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during the Second World War. Long-standing racist tropes about Asians as “other” are deeply embedded in the national consciousness. These stereotypes fuel current discrimination and we all need to reflect on how they can subtly shape unconscious bias or even outright hatred and violence. Read more here.

PWR News

On March 25, 2021, Pacific Western Region State Action Networks (SANs) members met and voted to add a dissolution clause to their bylaws. Sometime in the fall they will schedule another meeting to vote on the dissolution. JUUstWa will keep you updated.

News from Our Action Teams

Racial Justice Action Team

Racial Justice Calendar

June 2, 8:30am-1:00pm, Behind Bars: the Increased Incarceration of Women and Girls of Color. Co-presented by the WA Minority and Justice Commission & Gender and Justice Commission. This year’s Symposium will study the increased incarceration of women and girls of color in Washington State. The event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome to register for the event or watch the livestream here on TVW.org. For more information, contact Frank Thomas at frank.thomas@courts.wa.gov. Co-presented by the WA Minority and Justice Commission & Gender and Justice Commission. Register Online Here

June 6^th, 6pm Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem Screening & Panel Discussion. Learn more about the misdemeanor system nationally and how it impacts people in Washington State. Also, find out what activists and nonprofits are doing to change the conversation around policing and incarceration and how YOU can help!

The misdemeanor system in the United States ensnares more than 13 million people a year — most of them poor or people of color — and has led to the wrongful imprisonments and deaths of countless Black Americans, including George Floyd and Eric Garner.

Through first-person accounts of those charged under the Black Codes of the Reconstruction era paralleled with the outrageous stories of people trapped in the system today, the film brings to light the unfolding of a powerful engine of profits and racial inequality. With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, this film provides historical context and examines America’s history of racist oppression.

Registration Link

Co-hosted by: Fix Democracy First ~ Social Justice Film Institute ~ Meaningful Movies Project. For more information and to view the trailer visit: misdemeanorfilm.org

June 8, noon- 1:30pm, What Does it Mean to be White and Anti-Racist in 2021, With Dr. Robin DiAngelo. Learn about Gathering Roots Wellness. Dr. DiAngelo will answer questions about race, what it means to be white, and what you can do as a white person to foster an inclusive community. Benefit for Gathering Roots Wellness, a Black and Indigenous worker-led non-profit organization in Auburn.

Register Online – Donations Encouraged (Donations of $100 and up will provide access to the live conversation. Those who give $99 or below will have access to the replay for ten days after the event.)

June 19, Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, will now become a Washington State official holiday, as this has passed in the Legislature and been signed by the Governor who has long supported the idea. Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when the announcement was made in Texas that enslaved people were free, 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation made this so. Let’s work to make this a National Holiday as well!

June 24, 4 pm Workshop at GA —BIPOC Communities for Environmental and Climate Justice. Speakers: Paula Cole Jones, Dr. Rashid Shaikh UU Ministry for Earth More Information

First/American Indian Nations Solidarity (FAIN) Action Team

Fain Calendar

TAKE ACTION: Lummi elders: “Free our Relative!” Save endangered orca held captive at Miami Seaquarium. Join us by calling on the Miami Seaquarium to free the orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and release her back to her family in the Salish Sea after 50 years of captivity! The Miami Seaquarium and its owners must recognize the Indigenous rights of her Lummi relatives and Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s inherent rights to be with her family in her native ecosystem. The Lummi people are the original inhabitants of Washington state’s northern coastal region and view the Southern Resident Orcas as family members whose history, experiences, and fate are beautifully interconnected with their own. Sign here!

Rights of Nature. Currently, one of our FAIN groups is working with Tribal members on advancing a movement concerning the Rights of Nature. While we are currently working with Tribes to raise these efforts up, we will be looking to a future of engaging support by the non-Indian community. More information on the movement can be found in a variety of sources, but the ones we’re using are Earth Law Center which has been working with Tribal communities on developing resolutions for different Rights of Nature efforts and the United Nations Harmony with Nature webpage to see the work that is being done on an international effort (see #26 for the U.S.).

Local Indigenous speakers at GA!

June 25, 4 pm Workshop at GA — Rights of Nature: Who Speaks for the Earth? Speakers: Winona LaDuke, Casey Camp-Horinek, Elliott Moffett, Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs UU Ministry for Earth, DRUUMM Native Caucus, UUA Green Sanctuary Program. More information

June 26, 4pm Workshop at GA –Call to Prison Abolition: Indigenous Justice. Speakers: Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, Leoyla Cowboy Giron, Nick Estes, PhD, Rev. Karen Van Fossan DRUUMM, UU Ministry for Earth, Water Protector Legal Collective More information

Snake River Dams. A breakout group will be forming to support Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and other Pacific Northwest Tribes/Nations in breaching the lower Snake River dams. Anyone interested in working specifically on the Snake River, contact Deb Cruz at dwcruz@comcast.net.

Environmental Justice Action Team.

Environmental Justice Calendar

Governor Inslee signed several of the big environmental bills of the 2021 session on Monday, May 18 in Seattle at various locations. Bills included SB 5126 (the Climate Commitment Act), HB 1091 (Clean Fuels); and SB 5141 (HEAL Act). He vetoed provisions in 5126 and 1091 that would have made them contingent on passing a 5 cent per gallon gas tax.

June 10, 5-6pm Talk: The Climate Diet How can we eat better for the climate? In this talk bestselling author Paul Greenberg will walk us through 13 simple steps you can take to change how you choose, cook, and manage your food. For more information, click here. For his TED talk, click here.

Click here to watch on Facebook

To watch on Zoom, you will receive a UUs for a Just Economic Community email right before Thursday, June 10. If you are not on our email list, click here.

Workshops at GA

June 26, 4pm Workshop at GA –Intergenerational Action: All In for Climate/Food Justice Speakers: Amelia Diehl, Bruce Knotts, Brynna Seligman UUA Office at the United Nations, UU Young Adults for Climate Justice More information

Legislative Advocacy

Legislative Advocacy Calendar

June 6 Faith Action Network Annual Spring Summit. We’ll gather with advocates in your region and in your issue area of interest to celebrate FAN wins and begin to consider what steps we might take together in the year ahead. This event is open to advocates across the state, and we will have breakout groups by region as well as issue topic. This year, Summits will be hosted online – after you RSVP, you will be sent the Zoom link a week prior to the event.

Together, we look for new ways to be more effective at creating lasting change. Come network with others from your area at the Summit! REGISTER HERE

Economic Justice Action Team

Economic Justice Calendar

June 7 Third Reconstruction – Moral Monday (Online and various WA locations.) State coordinating committees of the Poor People’s Campaign will hold simultaneous actions at the offices of members of the US House of Representatives to demand all of their Representatives embrace The Third Reconstruction. We will be gathering at congressional offices across Washington to demand that our state leaders sign on to the Realizing a Third Reconstruction resolution. Connect with the WA Coordination Committee of the Poor Peoples Campaign

June 21 Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers Assembly & Moral March on Washington (Online and In Person) Poor people, low-wage workers, moral and faith leaders and advocates will gather online simultaneously with a socially-distant rally at the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, NC for a National Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers Assembly. The hybrid online/in-person mass assembly will include our over 40 state coordinating committees, 200+ organizing partners, and thousands of moral and faith leaders in our Prophetic Council. More information and to register

Especially for and about Youth

June 3, 6-8pm, Anti-Racism Vigil and Learn-In. The Mountlake Terrace Anti-Racist Coalition, in partnership with the MTE PTO, invites you to a vigil and learn-in. Hear from BIPOC students and families about their challenges with systemic racism and police in their school communities, with an open mic after for anyone who feels inspired to share. Supporters are encouraged to come prepared to leave with actionable steps. There will also be activities for kids, and the evening will end with a vigil for those lost to police violence. Please be mindful that kids will be present, so we encourage you to wear masks and/or maintain proper social distance. More info Facebook Link Here

June 5, 1 pm, Sunrise Movement Presents: A teach-in to help prepare you to communicate powerfully about why a Green New Deal that guarantees Good Jobs for All is the solution to the historic crises we are facing as a country. It’s intended to be accessible for anyone who wants to learn about our plan to win Good Jobs for All, and why it’s the only plan that meets the scale of the crisis. So invite your friends, community, and local movement peers – anyone who wants to learn and be a part of our plan to win!

Will you be there? Click here to get more details and RSVP for the Good Jobs For All teach-in now.

June 26, 4pm Workshop at GA — Intergenerational Action: All In for Climate/Food Justice. Speakers: Amelia Diehl, Bruce Knotts, Brynna Seligman UUA Office at the United Nations, UU Young Adults for Climate Justice convergence! More information