Increasingly, our congregations are finding themselves the targets of online harassment, phishing, doxxing, and other forms of digital hate – often as a result of the ways we are embodying UU values in the world. Unfortunately, many of our UU communities do not have the skills and the infrastructure to protect themselves from malicious digital targeting that is constantly evolving.
Equality Labs' Digital Security For All Workshop is a dive into the world of digital security, and what that means for you and your organization. We will develop some common ground and shed light on types of attacks and security concerns that affect our communities, engaging with you at a strategic level as you plan for your organization.
We cover everyday, practical steps to mitigate online harassment, fraud, and other forms of cyber attacks. We look at how the data broker ecosystem coupled with open-source intelligence (OSINT) from social media increases security risks to individuals and organizations. We then look at key preventative measures including data broker scrubbing, phishing awareness, multi-factor authentication, password management, VPN, and other tools that can be immediately applied in anyone's daily lives.
Open to all congregational leaders but especially targeted to those who manage secure information such as congregational websites, social media accounts, databases, and communications.
Cost: $100 for congregational team of up to 5 attendees for both sessions. This cost is highly subsidized so we can bring this impactful training to our congregations.
Save the date for 30 Days of Love 2024: January 15 - February 14, 2024
This annual event offers a month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice.
Each week, you can expect to receive several different kinds of offerings, each from a different voice within Unitarian Universalism. Within each weekly theme, which will connect with one of our intersectional justice priorities, we plan to offer prayers, blessings, grounding, and meditative practices, a story or time for all ages, as well as a reflection from one of Side With Love's program and field staff.
To get an idea of what to expect or to enjoy some meditative breaks during your lunch this month, see last year's offerings at sidewithlove.org/30daysoflove2023.
Register Now: Digital Security 101 for Congregational Teams - Virtual Training
Increasingly, our congregations are finding themselves the targets of online harassment, phishing, doxxing, and other forms of digital hate – often as a result of the ways we are embodying UU values in the world.
Unfortunately, many of our UU communities do not have the skills and the infrastructure to protect themselves from malicious digital targeting that is constantly evolving.
Equality Labs' Digital Security For All Workshop is a dive into the world of digital security and what that means for you and your organization. We will develop some common ground and shed light on types of attacks and security concerns that affect our communities, engaging with you at a strategic level as you plan for your organization.
We cover everyday, practical steps to mitigate online harassment, fraud, and other forms of cyber attacks. We look at how the data broker ecosystem, coupled with open-source intelligence (OSINT) from social media, increases security risks to individuals and organizations. We then look at key preventative measures including data broker scrubbing, phishing awareness, multi-factor authentication, password management, VPN, and other tools that can be immediately applied in anyone's daily lives.
Open to all congregational leaders but especially targeted to those who manage secure information such as congregational websites, social media accounts, databases, and communications.
Cost: $100 for congregational team of up to 5 attendees for both sessions. This cost is highly subsidized so we can bring this impactful training to our congregations. Register your team of up to 5 attendees at bit.ly/DigitalSecurityForCongregations.
Session 1: Monday, January 22, 2024
Session 2: Monday, February 5, 2024
4:30pm PT - 6:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET - 9:30pm ET
Available Now
Why We Cannot Turn Away: Resources for UUs Engaging Palestine & Israel
Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and hosted by Muslim and Jewish UU professionals, this session features experts sharing about UU engagement on these issues over the past 40 years, reflecting on the many-layered history of the region, exploring the complexities of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and faithful responses to the ongoing violence. View the webinar, resource guide, and template for congregational conversations.
Skill Up Recording and Resources: Faith Out Loud
UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt invites us to remember "what symbols, messages, principles, or experiences are most central to [our] deep understanding of Unitarian Universalism.” During this Skill Up, we took time to discuss and practice articulating our theologies of justice-making with faith-centric language that can be used in outreach, public statements, petitions, letters, and more. View the training.
Recording & Resources: Creating Hubs of Climate Resilience
How can we think more expansively about transforming our buildings and grounds into hubs of climate resilience? As we center our thinking around clean energy as a human right, we shift the idea of it from a technical solution for only some to a moral imperative for all. Most importantly, we can use practical building improvements as tools for community support and justice. View the training.
Join the monthly orientation session to get a better understanding of the program and learn how your congregation can engage in ongoing climate action.
Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice can transform your congregation through climate justice! Register to join.
The Winter Solstice occurs when Earth's axis tilts away from the sun, making it the shortest day and longest night of the year for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. Join UU Ministry for Earth and other UU partners to honor this time of year, our connection to the natural world, and to remember that light does come after the darkness. Register to join.
This is a space to share the hard stuff and to hold the hard stuff that others are navigating in their lives. During our time together, our lead chaplain/facilitators will share opening and closing words, and in between, there is time for everyone to share what's on their hearts, and receive what others are sharing about their own lives. It's a supportive, judgment-free place to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ people. Register to join.
Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith.
This is a drop-in space, where folks can come and go as works best for them, and where people can join us at any time. You can be a regular or someone new, someone who's been curious for a while but hasn't yet checked us out, somebody who is rejoining after time away, and all other ways of relating to this space! You are welcome here, and you are loved. Register to join.
We know that these times ask a lot of us and that we need one another to stay in the work with hope, joy, impact, and accountability. Join us if you are doing the work on the ground, if you are showing up for and with Side with Love, and/or if you are just learning about Side with Love. Come connect with one another, build community across issues, and have some facetime with our staff. Register to join.
Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need. Register to join.
Save the Date for 30 Days of Love! Plus, new resources and events!
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Love Resists teamed up earlier this month to host the first webinar (in a series of three) to educate people about the “Cop City” project underway in Atlanta and equip them to stop this destructive plan (and similar schemes elsewhere in the U.S.).
take action to tell CEOs to stop funding Cop City and militarized policing!
As one of our speakers said, we choose relentless optimism in the face of this struggle! Confronting the sponsoring companies about their harm to our community is the first step leading up a corporate divestment campaign AFSC will lanch in January 2024. Please stay in touch for opportunities to take further action to Stop Cop City!
Please attend our second webinar in this series, addressing abolition, on December 6th.
To stay connected with our speakers and their efforts to combat environmental justice and environmental racism:
Join Dr. Jacqueline Echols and the South River Watershed Alliance in contacting the regional and national EPA to remove priority language from the Dekalb consent decree, and support SRWA’s legal fund to help Stop the Swap of public park land to a private developer. Connect with them on Instagram @southriverforest @southriverga
Follow founding editor of the Atlanta Community Press Collective, Sam Barnes on Twitter/X and support ACPC’s work
Follow Commissioner Ted Terry on Twitter/X for ways to support his appeal of Dekalb County’s land disturbance permit issued to the Atlanta Police Foundation
Get involved with organizer Neil Sardana and Georgia Conservation Voters efforts to Stop Cop City and help combat the environmental racism of Georgia’s Public Service Commission
Recording and Resources from Not Just Stop Cop City, Session One: The Environment
We are excited to announce Nora Rasman as the new Democracy Strategist who will support our UU the Vote 2024 program and year-round work to resist authoritarianism and build a multi-racial democracy.
Nora has been a skilled leader and strategist in Unitarian Universalist justice work and a powerful coalition builder progressive organizations like Working Families Party, Showing up for Racial Justice, and Mijente. Her reputation for building and sustaining accountable relationships and sharpening the analysis and political commitments of volunteer leaders will strengthen our national and local networks for more effective collaboration and deeper impacts. As the former Wisconsin organizer for UU the Vote in 2020, Nora is ready to move our faith community into the next phase of our democracy work.
The Democracy Strategist is a critical investment that will build on the success of our electoral work and root our collective actions in the long haul work to resist anti-democratic movements that we are witnessing in our courts, our legislatures and school boards, and boards of elections.
We thank our national community and UU partners for the work and investment that makes this exciting new development possible. Right now, we must all find our roles and grow our commitments to our justice work. Join us as we celebrate Nora finding her place in the work with our beloved Unitarian Universalist community.
Finding Our Place, Finding Our Power A Note from Nora Rasman
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to return and continue the work of UU the Vote to build power and take action alongside Unitarian Universalists. Writing to you from Sarasota, Florida where I spent the weekend supporting UUs taking action to defend and expand access to abortion in Florida.
I was raised UU and my experience within Young Religious Unitarian Universalists was transformative for me, particularly in shaping my anti-imperialist and anti-racist world view and belief that all people deserve dignity, joy and care. I spent the last few years sharpening my own skills building political power and working on local campaigns in Milwaukee. This included a statewide race for Senate alongside local organizing fights like the fight to Stop Line 5, ongoing election defense work and doubling down on experiments in decriminalization.
I’m excited to rejoin you to address the urgent need for progressive faith communities to show up for movement organizations committed to collective liberation as we build skills, analysis and take action in line with our values. I see our work towards democracy connected to building strategies and practices for how we are together and building shared governance skills including participatory budgeting and cooperative structures. Outside of this role, I am also a queer birthworker and also very enthusiastic to connect around Trans and queer family building.
New Democracy Strategist Boosts Side With Love’s Impact
On December 6, Side With Love joined the American Friends Service Committee for a webinar to hear from the organizers, activists, and other professionals accomplishing the transformational work of abolition - from combatting exploitative fines and fees to decarcerating architecture.
With the construction of Atlanta's Cop City looming overhead and the demands of the 2020 uprisings as of yet unrealized, a world beyond policing and incarceration can seem unreachable. But while still an unmet ideal, the foundation for an abolitionist world is being built by those who remain dedicated to dismantling and replacing an entrenched system which promises safety while producing the opposite. In the face of state repression and Draconian policies upholding the myth of safety, the work of abolition is actualizing it.
We hope you'll continue to be a part of this webinar series exploring the issues at the heart of the movement to stop Cop City! Please register for the next event:
Session Three: Police Foundations and Policing on January 11 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Register to join us!
Recording and Resources from Not Just Stop Cop City - Session Two: Abolition
As the Side With Love staff returns to work after a brief break, we’re looking forward to celebrating 30 Days of Love in a few weeks. Beginning Monday, January 15, we’ll have a variety of offerings we hope will inspire you and help sustain your commitment to liberation and justice this year.
In addition to our special offerings for 30 Days, we have a variety of events this month for congregational staff and lay leaders, listed below. Please share with your congregation!
And finally, if you haven’t heard, we’re delighted to announce our first Democracy Strategist, Nora Rasman, who will oversee our 2024 UU the Vote campaign. We’re so excited about the impact UUs will have on democracy and electoral justice this year. If you aren’t already subscribed to our UU the Vote newsletters, you can do so here.
Connect with other congregational justice leaders and Side With Love staff at our monthly mixer! Come connect with one another, build community across issues, and be bolstered by the joy and commitment from UUs around the country.
Unitarian Universalists are called to grapple with the question of what is safety? Black liberation organizers say “We Keep Us Safe" as a way to proclaim that true safety comes from relationship, community and structures of care and mutuality outside of state structures of violence and control. How do we build our political and theological commitment to keeping each other safe in the face of state and interpersonal violence? In this skill up, Nora Rasman and India Harris will define safety and security grounded in abolitionist practice, discuss our spiritual mandate towards building sanctuary and concretely outline what we can honestly offer to ourselves and each other.
We invite you to explore the power of Energy Democracy and the ways our congregations can reimagine energy for our communities. Energy Democracy helps frontline communities build power and liberation by reimagining how we organize our lives toward new systems that support the health and wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems.
Across the country, for-profit corporations are funding private police foundations. With this dark money, these police foundations pour millions of dollars into militarized policing that harms Black and Brown communities. Join this webinar to learn about the history of police foundations and the threat they pose to democracy.
Increasingly, our congregations are finding themselves the targets of online harassment, phishing, doxxing, and other forms of digital hate – often as a result of the ways we are embodying UU values in the world. Unfortunately, many of our UU communities do not have the skills and the infrastructure to protect themselves from malicious digital targeting that is constantly evolving.
Equality Labs' Digital Security For All Workshop is a dive into the world of digital security, and what that means for you and your organization. We will develop some common ground and shed light on types of attacks and security concerns that affect our communities, engaging with you at a strategic level as you plan for your organization.
This is a cozy, drop-in community space for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism where we connect with each other with games and breakout groups, share ideas and stories on all kinds of topics, listen to music and poetry (often by trans/nonbinary+ creators), and much more! This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend.
This is a space to share the hard stuff and to hold the hard stuff that others are navigating in their lives. During our time together, our lead chaplain/facilitators will share opening and closing words, and in between, there is time for everyone to share what's on their hearts, and receive what others are sharing about their own lives. It's a supportive, judgment-free place to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ people.
Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need.
Get energized and inspired by Active Green Sanctuary 2030 Teams during our Annual Celebration on January 17, then explore the power of Energy Democracy and the ways our congregations can reimagine energy for our communities with Reimagining with Energy Democracy during 30 Days of Love on January 25. Read on to learn about these events + see all of the great Green Sanctuary 2030 community meetings we have planned this winter and spring. Great things are happening with Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice!
The Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration!
Are you ready to share the good work you’re doing? The annual Celebration is a time for our Active Green Sanctuary 2030 Teams to come together to share something you’re excited about, something you need help with, or what you’re thinking about doing! Sign up today!
Teams will have a short two or three minute slot to share. Don’t overthink it! 🙂 We’ll handle all of the tech, advancing slides, and whatever else you need to feel comfortable sharing. Your job is just to come and share what you’re up to with other UUs who are working to transform our congregations through climate justice.
Monthly Community Meetings
Our monthly Green Sanctuary 2030 Community meetings celebrate success, build capacity for teams, elevate how the local context of oppression shapes our climate action, and celebrate the ways the Green Sanctuary 2030 process supports our work on climate justice, community resilience, congregational transformation, and mitigation - all balanced with the faith-filled call to impactful action on climate.
Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET.
Side With Love is thrilled to announce 30 Days of Love 2024! Our annual month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice, 30 Days of Love will go from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15) through Valentine’s Day (February 14).
30 Days of Love is a gift to our whole community: a love letter, a warm hug, a spiritual balm for all of the individuals, families, religious professionals, partners and communities that embody our values and work for justice and liberation year round. Each week will feature a spiritual theme overlapping with one of Side With Love’s intersectional justice priorities, and we'll share an array of offerings to help nourish your spirit and give gratitude and affirmation. All offerings are curated to support building disciplines and resources for life-long work for justice grounded in the deep Love that is at the center of our faith. We’ll focus on Reimagining Climate Justice during the second week of 30 Days of Love.
We invite you to explore the power of Energy Democracy and the ways our congregations can reimagine energy for our communities. Energy Democracy helps frontline communities build power and liberation by reimagining how we organize our lives toward new systems that support the health and wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems. Join the Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns (OH), People Power Solar (CA), and POWER Interfaith (PA) for Reimagining with Energy Democracy on January 25, 2024 at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET
This is the last in our series on Clean Energy as a Human Right, which included Visionary Approaches to Federal Clean Energy Funding, Creating Hubs of Climate Resilience, Light for All - UU Ministry for Earth’s Winter Solstice Celebration, and lastly, Reimagining with Energy Democracy. Sign up today!
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the PLC! RSVP today!
Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration and More Upcoming Climate Justice Events
Welcome to the first week of 30 Days of Love! This year’s theme is “ Imagining an Interdependent Future.” With each new year, we move into an intentional holy time of spiritual nourishment, contemplation, and embodiment. A new year can carry with it the weight and grief of the former while inviting us into possibility and prophecy of the new. We enter 2024 witnessing unconscionable suffering and injustice at a scale that calls us all to deeply reimagine a future where we all thrive. The only way through this moment is together, bound by a commitment to our shared humanity and interdependence. 30 Days of Love offers a place to steady and stretch as we faithfully journey toward wholeness and collective liberation. Together, let us imagine our interdependent future and order our work along this path.
In the first week, we explore the theme of “safety” and how it shows up in our world and our decriminalization work.
In “Letters from a Birmingham Jail,” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and context offer us an important lesson. First, that we need each other to survive. Second, we learn that when you challenge a usurped power held by the state, criminalization is a routine tactic to repress a people rising up to be free.
Today, we are experiencing a contest for power: accountable collective governance for all or power organized and held by the few. This contest is not new.
To me, it is clear that a new world is emerging. As the Civil Rights movement helped usher in a new day, we are witnessing the mass mobilization and subsequent violent repression that are hallmarks of political and social transformation.
But as we are reminded in this letter, before criminalization becomes a political tactic of disconnection and domination, it is first a spiritual acquiescence to dehumanization and disposability. We deny a moral mandate of mutuality in search of the protection of power over others.
As our nation struggles to realize the promise of liberty and justice for all, it also reckons with the ways it has used oppression to construct an idea of safety that relies on the comforts of those in power. We have witnessed this in battles around integration, access to medical care for trans people, book bans, and more. This country has erased people from history, from legal recognition, and from the public square in order to secure power in a world demanding change.
The struggle for collective liberation must not be mistaken for a threat to safety. Today, we know the consequences are too great.
History teaches us what happens when we build a world around an exclusionary idea of safety. Our government carves borders, erects armies, surveils, polices, and imprisons the threat. And with each action towards this end, we make enemies of each other. We devote our resources, our labors, our art, and our children to mutual destruction. No one in this kind of world is safe.
Decriminalization is a political and spiritual project. Our work to Stop Cop City dismantles the false ideal of safety. This false ideal is destroying forests, intensifying violence against communities of color, and silencing the electorate. As people of faith, we cannot affirm the worth and dignity of all while privileging the well-being of a chosen few. We are not fully human when we separate ourselves from the humanity of others.
Decriminalization is a process of healing and (re)connection. A just and abundant concept of safety requires all of us. It proclaims a future where care and safety are abundant because our relationships are cultivated through mutuality, not domination. We act, showing up with and for communities to win campaigns and to grow a network of love, compassion and care. This is the work of community building. This is how we keep us safe.
In faith and solidarity,
Nicole Pressley, Field & Programs Director, Side With Love
This week’s offerings:a Time For All Ages by Mylo Way; a Body Practice from Jess Hunt; a prayer by Rev. Cecilia Kingman; a blessing from Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen; and a Grounding Practice for Safety by Lora Powell-Haney.
On January 11, Side With Love joined our partners at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and American Friends Service Committee to learn about the history of police foundations and the threat they pose to democracy. We took a close look at the funding behind APF—and explored how people can organize to stop them through collective corporate divestment. You can watch the recording here.
Across the country, for-profit corporations are funding private police foundations. With this dark money, these police foundations pour millions of dollars into militarized policing that harms Black and Brown communities.
That includes the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF), which is seeking to build Cop City. APF's funders include big corporate names like Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and Cox Enterprises. It's also the largest police foundation in the U.S., despite Atlanta only having the country's 39th largest population.
On Jan. 15-21, demand corporations stay out of policing our communities and end their involvement in Cop City!
The Atlanta Police Foundation is trying to use millions of tax dollars and millions in corporate contributions to build one of the largest militarized police training facilities in the country in Atlanta. Corporations, which are not accountable to the public, are funding Cop City and the Atlanta Police Foundation.
Home Depot and UPS are among 21 corporations involved in sponsoring, financing, insuring, and building the facility. We are taking action to tell them to get out of policing in our communities. Please join with your community this week of Jan. 15 -21 to demand that these corporations end their involvement with Cop City.
Image description: Graphic by Paul Garner (paulartifice.com) with a powerful forest rising out of a hollow construction site behind a blue and orange bulldozer. The trees have trunks shaped like raised fists. Two people representing UPS and Home Depot are fearfully running away on the sidelines, carrying a box and bucket of dollars, which are fluttering out. In the background is a sunburst. “HOME DEPOT & UPS are among 21 corporations pouring millions into one of the largest militarized police training facilities in the U.S. So… WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT? STOP COP CITY! Corporate Week of Action. Jan 15–Jan 21, 2024. Take Action!" The graphic includes a QR code and two URLs: afsc.org/CopCityAction and bit.ly/StopFundingCopCity.
The construction of Cop City would destroy much of the city's largest urban forest, warming nearby majority Black neighborhoods by as much as 10 degrees. Similar projects are being considered in other cities.
Private sector corporations—which are not accountable to the public—are funding the Atlanta Police Foundation as well as other private police foundation projects.
Image description: Header with a rainbow hand drawn heart and a blue and white calendar with January 15-21 underlined on a black background. "30 Days of Love. January 15 - January 21. Weekly Theme Safety :: Decriminalization."
Welcome to the first week of 30 Days of Love! This year’s theme is “Imagining an Interdependent Future.” With each new year, we move into an intentional holy time of spiritual nourishment, contemplation, and embodiment. A new year can carry with it the weight and grief of the former while inviting us into possibility and prophecy of the new. We enter 2024 witnessing unconscionable suffering and injustice at a scale that calls us all to deeply reimagine a future where we all thrive. The only way through this moment is together, bound by a commitment to our shared humanity and interdependence. 30 Days of Love offers a place to steady and stretch as we faithfully journey toward wholeness and collective liberation. Together, let us imagine our interdependent future and order our work along this path.
In the first week, we explore the theme of “safety” and how it shows up in our world and our decriminalization work. Click here to read the full reflection from Side With Love Field & Programs Director Nicole Pressley.
This week’s offerings: a Time For All Ages by Rev. Mylo Way; a Body Practice from Jess Hunt; a prayer by Rev. Cecilia Kingman; a blessing from Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen; and a Grounding Practice for Safety by Lora Powell-Haney.
The North Carolina Climate Justice Collective offered a framework for the 4 Rs of Social Transformation for people working on climate:
Resist: working against the current systems
Reform: working within the current systems
Reimagine: envisioning a just new system
Recreate: creating models for a just new system
We need people learning, acting, reflecting in each of the four areas. One approach is not better than the other; rather, they are complementary and each approach is as important as the other. Take a moment to think about yourself and the way you approach climate justice . . . Are you a Reformer committed to policy change? Do you take to the streets as a Resister? Do you orient to dismantling and creating new systems? Do you light up with the possibilities of Recreating? Once you find your natural inclination to this framework, ask yourself which approach feels the most difficult for you? Which one do you admire the most?
When I first learned about this framework, the first prompt was: “Where are you in your work?” And the second was, “Where are you in your heart?” For me, most of my climate work has been squarely in the reform and recreate with resist sprinkled throughout. In my heart, I reimagine. For me, the magic happens when we are curious, exploring new ways of thinking and being in relationship with each other and the planet. Reimagining encourages us to shake off our can’ts and embrace our coulds. What could the future hold if love was at the center of our selves, of our relationships, of our actions, of our world? What does the idea of “reimagining” climate justice call to mind for you? How does it feel in your body when you think of reimagining the future? When we embrace reimagining, we move past myopic, my-way-or-the-highway thinking and into the space of possibility; shifting from scarcity into abundance.
If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence. For the Abolitionist Visions of Climate Justice (see video) event in May 2023, we asked now Pres. Sofía Betancourt, Dr. Rashid Shaikh, and Antoinette Scully to draw a picture of the world they want to see. If you imagine the world we want to create, what does it look like? How does it feel? What does not exist in that future world?
Above is the illustration of the discussion. You can download or print the full-color image here (pdf). We also offer a black/white outline (pdf) of the drawing for printing to color at home or school.
Without a clear vision of the world we want, we prioritize short term gains and false solutions; we advance goals disconnected from cultural shifts, we divide our focus, and our movements are out of alignment with justice. If we reimagine a world with justice, with love at the center, we cultivate communities of care where all beings thrive.
Reimagining is not spiritual bypassing. It is not daydreaming with no action. It does not dismiss the harmful systems of oppression or ignore the climate disruption that is breaking our communities and our world. As we work toward a future where all are free, we must dream beyond our current circumstances. Those dreams are the seed of that future, and as we believe, we begin to shift our relationships, our commitments, and our actions to creating that world.
2023 was the hottest year on record, and we broke the record for billion dollar disasters by September. As we experience the climate crisis, we become increasingly distressed at the perilous state of our world. Climate anxiety, eco-anxiety, and climate grief are breaking the hearts of so many. Reimagining the future we want can soothe this anxiety while also helping folks recommit to meaningful action.
How? What are the connections between anxiety and imagining? How can reimagining inform our resistance? Our efforts to reform? What systems do we need to create? As we reimagine together, what new (and ancient) ways of being can we bring to our relationships? To our organizing? To our inner work? How can reimagining nourish our individual and collective spirits for the long haul?
We invite you to explore these questions and more as we reimagine together this 30 Days of Love.
Rachel Myslivy is the climate justice organizer for the UUA's Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team.
On January 17, Side With Love gathered to celebrate the good work our congregations are doing to create Green Sanctuary in our communities! Green Sanctuary teams shared how they're transforming their communities through congregational transformation, climate justice, mitigation, and community resilience. Watch the recording here.
Image description: Graphic with a green and yellow gradient background and an open head with colorful flowers blooming out. Text reads, "Reimagining with Energy Democracy. January 25. 4 PT / 5 MT / 6 CT / 7 ET." Logos: Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns, Side With Love, Create Climate Justice, People Power Solar, POWER Interfaith, UU Ministry for Earth, Re-Amp Network, UUs for Social Justice, UUs for a Just Economic Community, UU Service Committee, UU College of Social Justice, JUUstice Washington, and UU Women’s Federation.
Reimagining with Energy Democracy January 25, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET | Online
Join us for Reimagining with Energy Democracy on January 25! For the last in our webinar series on Clean Energy as a Human Right, we invite you to explore the power of Energy Democracy and the ways our congregations can reimagine energy for our communities. Energy Democracy helps frontline communities build power and liberation by reimagining how we organize our lives toward new systems that support the health and wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems.
Join the Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns (OH), People Power Solar (CA), and POWER Interfaith (PA) for Reimagining with Energy Democracy on January 25, 2024 at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET Cosponsors include: Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns, People Power Solar Cooperative, Power Interfaith, UU Ministry for Earth, UU Women’s Federation, UUs for Social Justice, UU Service Committee, UUs for a Just Economic Community, Re-Amp Network, UU college of Social Justice, JUUstice Washington, UU Justice Ministry of North Carolina, Peace Education Center of the Hudson Valley. RSVP here: bit.ly/EnergyDemocracyWebinar.
Image description: Graphic with watercolor sunflowers on a green background. At the top is a white UUA chalice and the Green Sanctuary 2030 logo, a chalice lit with a leaf flame. "Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle. Wednesday, February 28. 1pm PT / 2pm MT / 3pm CT / 4pm ET."
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle February 28, 2024 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET | Online
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the PLC! RSVP here!
Tending SOIL
Reach out to Rev. Cathy Rion Starr if you'd like to learn more about the Tending SOIL (Skills, Organizing, Interdependence, Liberation) program at CRionStarr@UUA.org. To learn more, watch the introductory video here.
Recording and Resources: Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration!
The Side with Love Team is hosting our annual 30 Days of love, and this week’s theme is Reimagining: Climate Justice. Reimagining encourages us to shake off our can’ts and embrace our coulds. What could the future hold if love was at the center of our selves, of our relationships, of our actions, of our world? When we embrace reimagining, we move past myopic, my-way-or-the-highway thinking and into the space of possibility; shifting from scarcity into abundance.
If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence. Without a clear vision of the world we want, we prioritize short term gains and false solutions; we advance goals disconnected from cultural shifts, we divide our focus, and our movements are out of alignment with justice. If we reimagine a world with justice, with love at the center, we cultivate communities of care where all beings thrive.Read Side With Love Climate Justice Organizer Rachel Myslivy’s full 30 Days of Love, Reimagining: Climate Justice reflection.
We’ve got loads of opportunities for you to learn, act, and reflect on climate justice in the coming weeks, including:
Reimagining with Energy Democracy this Thursday, January 25
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 on February 21
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle on February 28
In between these amazing events, watch the recording of last week’s Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration! We heard from almost 20 congregations actively engaging in the Green Sanctuary 2030 process designed to transform our congregations through climate justice. Get inspired, then get involved!
Reimagine with Energy Democracy
Please join us for Reimagining with Energy Democracy this Thursday, January 25, to explore the ways Energy Democracy reimagines a world where everyone thrives and recreates the systems we need to bring about that future.
Energy Democracy helps frontline communities build power and liberation by reimagining how we organize our lives toward new systems that support the health and wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems. We invite you to explore the power of Energy Democracy and the ways our congregations can reimagine energy for our communities.
Join Side With Love and special guests from the Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns, People Power Solar, and POWER Interfaith for a webinar on Reimagining with Energy Democracy on January 25 at 4pm PT / 5pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET. Register to join us!
Get inspired with the Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration!
During our January Community Meeting, we hosted the annual Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration. Almost twenty Active Green GS2030 congregations shared highlights of their current work. Green Sanctuary 2030 teams engage in intersectional actions that align with our Four Essentials of Climate Action: Justice, Congregational Transformation, Community Resilience, and Mitigation. Learn from your fellow UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice! If you’re ready to join the community, sign up for an orientation and join us for our monthly community meetings. The GS2030 orientations are the first Wednesday of each month, and the community meetings are the third Wednesday, both events are at 7ET.
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 - Green Sanctuary Community Meeting
Join our next Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting, Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 on February 21. The Green Sanctuary 2030 process provides congregations with an accessible and impactful framework to advance climate and environmental justice. Learn from the recently recognized Green Sanctuary 2030 Congregation, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, about the ways their congregation renewed their environmental justice commitments through the GS2030 process. Register to join us!
Our monthly Green Sanctuary 2030 Community meetings celebrate success, build capacity for teams, elevate how the local context of oppression shapes our climate action, and celebrate the ways the Green Sanctuary 2030 process supports our work on climate justice, community resilience, congregational transformation, and mitigation - all balanced with the faith-filled call to impactful action on climate. Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET.
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle on Wednesday, February 28 at 4pm PT / 5pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the PLC!
The IRA Peer Learning Circle is a place for congregational leaders to come together to brainstorm, get into the weeds, and figure out the best way to access these funds for our congregations and our communities. RSVP today!
For a deep dive on how one congregation is reducing emissions, check out Net Zero by 2030 with the People’s Church of Kalamazoo.
Join UUSC on the Hill!
Join the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in Washington, D.C on Wednesday, January 31 to visit Members of Congress to advocate for solutions to the climate crisis.
We will be demanding that Congress take action to protect vulnerable communities from the devastating effects of climate-forced displacement:
Advance community-led solutions to climate-forced displacement in the United States; those closest to the problems are experts on the solutions.
Ensure Indigenous communities have the resources they need to apply for federal funding from bills like the Inflation Reduction Act.
Take accountability for the damage caused by U.S. fossil fuel dependency by increasing U.S. funding for the Loss and Damage fund.
Please visit bit.ly/UUSCHillDay to let us know if you’ll be attending and for a more comprehensive schedule. Please feel free to email Ivanna D’Alencon at idalencon@uusc.org if you have any questions.
Join the UU Ministry for Earth Board!
If you have a deep and embodied commitment to uplifting the need to face and adapt to the climate crisis, counter environmental injustice, and support the flourishing of all life, and if you feel drawn to support and contribute to the many offerings of the UU Ministry for Earth (www.uumfe.org), please reach out to the UUMFE Nominations Committee to share your strengths and desire to be part of the team. UUMFE is looking to develop a dynamic, multicultural, multigenerational anti-oppressive Board, inclusive of people of color, trans and gender-nonconforming people, young people, people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and/or frontline communities; people who self-identify with such identity are especially welcome to apply. Please contact SearchTeam@UUMFE.org to submit your resume and letter of interest. For details on roles and responsibilities of Board members, go here.
This Month: Learn, Act, and Reimagine for Climate Justice
Imagine a world where everybody - every body - was treated as truly sacred. Every body, whatever shape, size, expression, ability - was revered as one of the infinite expressions of the Divine. A reflection of God. An opportunity to celebrate the holy diversity that makes up our humanity.
When we witness our shared humanity we are called to care, to defend, protect, and affirm OUR very existence and our inherent worth. In this world, every body is cared for. Everybody has the ability to make the decisions they need to be safe and whole in their being. Every body has access to the resources they need to thrive. Everybody - every body - is held in a truly liberating love.
Unfortunately, we know that the world as it is today does not treat every body as sacred. Dominant ideas of safety have created inflated police budgets that rob our children of books and our communities of healthcare. Living outside prescriptive gender binaries can mean losing a job or your life. Our society isolates disabled people from community and care by denying access to housing, healthcare, and public space. But ideas alone aren't what is killing us. It is the allegiance to a values system that moves people to violent and deadly action – against their neighbors, their country, and sometimes their own children. Our society’s dependence on these immoral forces has moved us so far away from our shared humanity - brutalizing sacred bodies in a vicious cycle of exploitation, violence, and death - so that we no longer regard one another as threads woven together in a Divine tapestry.
These attacks on our bodies are attacks on our existence. They are neither isolated nor unrelated. We know this because there is a unified strategy and single solution. Devalue and criminalize our identities and institutionalize our people. We know the tactics and the institutions - prisons, jails, conversion therapy, conservatorship, detention, surveillance. These are the many tentacles of the carceral state that are strangling so many of our Beloveds.
The nature of the attacks on our sacred bodies means that those of us who live at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities face this violence on all aspects of our being. Within the carceral state - which already disproportionately targets black and brown communities - 40% of the state prison population are people with disabilities. The number is even higher for incarcerated youth. In just this first month of 2024, at least 322 bills targeted the transgender people, many in states where we have already witnessed the criminalization of reproductive health care. And among individuals specifically seeking abortions, 1 in 5 must travel out of state for care. That barrier creates unsurmountable burdens for individuals without the financial, social, or physical means to travel. As we dream of a world where everybody thrives, we find ourselves fighting to create a world where every body can at least survive.
And yet, it is within this fight where we can remind ourselves that another world is possible, but only if we commit to creating it together. In the midst of what is, there are glimmers of what could be. There are holy moments of possibility that we must lean into during these desperate times. From the quiet moments of self-determination and action, to the power of thousands showing up for collective liberation, there is hope in all of those moments that connect us.
Our connection isn’t just sacred, it is powerful. Some of these moments look like gathering together to protest anti-trans laws at the capitol; holding vigils to honor the community members whom we have lost; teaching our youth what rights they have over their own bodies; and growing mutual aid networks that strengthen each others’ access to essential resources and care. In those moments, where we show up together, our momentum is realized and the loneliness is lessened.
Changing the world has always happened when the few become the many. When we each find our common humanity in the strength of our values, we all find new ways to love the hell out of this world!
Knowing that God lives in the margins, on the edge of all possibility, we are called to engage in the world as it is, grounded in our values and in an all-encompassing LOVE, to turn it into what it could be. This week we hope you will take time to think about how to build the world of infinite possibility that we dream of, where our bodies, however they are, are expressions of all that is good and sacred in this world.
Rev. Amanda Schuber, Disability Justice Associate Rev. Jami Yandle, Trans Support Specialist Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, Congregational Organizer
Imagine a world where everybody - every body - was treated as truly sacred. Every body, whatever shape, size, expression, ability - was revered as one of the infinite expressions of the Divine. A reflection of God. An opportunity to celebrate the holy diversity that makes up our humanity.
When we witness our shared humanity we are called to care, to defend, protect, and affirm OUR very existence and our inherent worth. In this world, every body is cared for. Everybody has the ability to make the decisions they need to be safe and whole in their being. Every body has access to the resources they need to thrive. Everybody - every body - is held in a truly liberating love.
Unfortunately, we know that the world as it is today does not treat every body as sacred. Our country's dominant narrative of "safety," heavily influenced by ongoing colonization, criminalizes black and brown bodies. An oppressive and exclusive definition of gender, perpetuated by conservative Christian supremacy, dehumanizes queer and transgender bodies. The denial of access to even the most basic spaces and resources, exacerbated by a "profit over people" healthcare industry, invisibilizes disabled bodies. Injustices rooted in the capitalist and white supremacist systems that have shaped our communities for generations have created an apocalyptic world, brutalizing sacred bodies in a vicious cycle of exploitation, violence, and death. Our society’s dependence on these immoral forces has moved us so far away from our shared humanity that we no longer regard one another as threads woven together in a Divine tapestry.
These attacks on our bodies are attacks on our existence. They are neither isolated nor unrelated. We know this because there is a unified strategy and single solution. Devalue and criminalize our identities and institutionalize our people. We know the tactics and the institutions - prisons, jails, conversion therapy, conservatorship, detention, surveillance. These are the many tentacles of the carceral state that are strangling so many of our Beloveds.
And yet, it is within this fight where we can remind ourselves that another world is possible, but only if we commit to creating it together. In the midst of what is, there are glimmers of what could be. There are holy moments of possibility that we must lean into during these desperate times. From the quiet moments of self-determination and action, to the power of thousands showing up for collective liberation, there is hope in all of those moments that connect us.
Click here to read the full reflection for 30 Days of Love from Side With Love Disability Justice Associate Rev. Amanda Schuber, Trans Support Specialist Rev. Jami Yandle, and Congregational Justice Organizer Rev. Ranwa Hammamy.
This week's offerings: a Time for All Ages from Rev. Hannah Villnave, a body practice by Rev. Catharine Clarenbach, a prayer from Rev. Mykal Slack, a grounding practice by Canedy, and a blessing from Kaden Colton.
Upcoming Events:
February 7:UPLIFT Trans/Nonbinary+ Pastoral Small Group 5pm PT / 8pm ET This is a space to share the hard stuff and to hold the hard stuff that others are navigating in their lives. During our time together, our lead chaplain/facilitators will share opening and closing words, and in between, there is time for everyone to share what's on their hearts, and receive what others are sharing about their own lives. It's a supportive, judgment-free place to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ people. Register to join.
February 22:Faithful Grounding 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need. Register to join.
February 27:UPLIFT Trans/Nonbinary+ Monthly Gathering 5pm PT / 8pm ET Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. This is a drop-in space, where folks can come and go as works best for them, and where people can join us at any time. You can be a regular or someone new, someone who's been curious for a while but hasn't yet checked us out, somebody who is rejoining after time away, and all other ways of relating to this space! You are welcome here, and you are loved. Register to join.
Unitarian Universalists are called to grapple with the question of “what is safety?” Black liberation organizers say “We Keep Us Safe" as a way to proclaim that true safety comes from relationship, community and structures of care and mutuality outside of state structures of violence and control. How do we build our political and theological commitment to keeping each other safe in the face of state and interpersonal violence?
In this skill up, Nora Rasman and India Harris define safety and security grounded in abolitionist practice, discuss our spiritual mandate towards building sanctuary, and concretely outline what we can honestly offer to ourselves and each other. View the January 21, 2024 webinar below, or on Vimeo.
In our final week of 30 Days of Love, we explore the theme of “democracy and electoral justice” and how it is situated within our broader organizing.
As we begin our electoral work of 2024 together, I return to recent remarks by Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell: the organizing principle that we build trust by telling the truth about the world we share. The core truth that I’m reckoning with this year is that democracy—the promise of our elected officials feeling a direct and accountable tie to us, their electorate—has always been aspirational.
I acknowledge the fear that many of us hold–that the threads of democracy we’ve had will fully unravel, and we will lose the pieces of representation we rely on. And I ground in the possibility that with the millions of people who have come into social movements in the past four years, we might push closer to a more just world. We will continue to fight and build the power of the working class multi-racial majority to exact wins from the people in power that will make all of our lives better.
This year, we will tell the truth to each other and ourselves about the political landscape we inhabit, the conditions and threats we are facing and the power of the left. We will share, heavy hearted, the truth that we are facing massive devastation and suffering by war and genocide, climate catastrophe, legacies of colonization and imperialism, and rising fascist politicians and policies. We will share the bitter reality that our social movements fighting for justice have grown while also facing massive backlash and criminalization. We will also share in the conviction that our work in the year ahead is to continue to fight for the political conditions where winning is more possible.
Organizing is where we draw hope and build long term power. It is where we invest in each other and our communities through relationships and partnerships with grassroots organizations. Organizing is where we move towards the aspiration of representative democracy; a place where local but consequential change happens. Collective decisions like distribution of parking spaces at our congregation, the neighborhood association being trained on de-escalation techniques and the passage of a new lead abatement law at city council.
When we look back on 2024 - what are the relationships we have built? How is our local organizing landscape stronger? How have we changed?
Our work should ground and fortify us for whatever outcomes lie ahead. This means building and strengthening our local organizing landscapes. Growing and sharing our skills and resources generously. Engaging humbly. And always telling the truth.
Unitarian Universalism calls us towards building democratic processes - in our congregations & communities. I hope we can do that together this year.
Nora Rasman is the new Democracy Strategist for the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Organizing Strategy Team, which drives Side With Love and UU the Vote.
On January 25, Side With Love hosted a webinar on Reimagining with Energy Democracy. You can review the slides here and recording here.
Reimagining with Energy Democracy was part of two larger events, Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love and our Clean Energy as a Human Right series. Throughout this series, we’ve invited folks to embrace a visionary approach to clean energy, not just as a technical solution, but as a moral imperative. Rather than falling into the scarcity mindset so common in climate spaces, we encourage you to embrace abundance and ensure that our clean energy work nourishes thriving communities for all. The Clean Energy as a Human Right series includes:
This webinar was also part of our 30 Days of Love, Reimagining :: Climate Justice. Reimagining encourages us to shake off our can’ts and embrace our coulds. What could the future hold if love was at the center of our selves, of our relationships, of our actions, of our world? When we embrace reimagining, we move past myopic, my-way-or-the-highway thinking and into the space of possibility; shifting from scarcity into abundance.
If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence. Without a clear vision of the world we want, we prioritize short term gains and false solutions; we advance goals disconnected from cultural shifts, we divide our focus, and our movements are out of alignment with justice. Consider what this radical reframing could look like. How would it feel? What does not exist in that future world? What is the shift that needs to happen in you to commit to this future? Bring this reimagining to your work in your relationships, congregations, and communities.
Big thanks to the sponsors of this event, including: the Energy Democracy Project, Cleveland Owns, People Power Solar Cooperative, POWER Interfaith, The Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, Reamp Network, UUs for Social Justice, UU Service Committee, UU College of Social Justice, JUUstice Washington, UU Women’s Federation, UU Justice Ministry of North Carolina, and Peace Education Center of the Hudson Valley.
We do this work together, with love at the center of our climate actions, and I am so grateful for the support and collaboration and unique work of each of these amazing organizations.
Recording and Resources: Reimagining with Energy Democracy
The Side With Love Team is hosting our annual 30 Days of love, and the second week's theme was Reimagining :: Climate Justice. Reimagining encourages us to shake off our can’ts and embrace our coulds. What could the future hold if love was at the center of our selves, of our relationships, of our actions, of our world? When we embrace reimagining, we move past myopic, my-way-or-the-highway thinking and into the space of possibility; shifting from scarcity into abundance.
If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence. Without a clear vision of the world we want, we prioritize short term gains and false solutions; we advance goals disconnected from cultural shifts, we divide our focus, and our movements are out of alignment with justice. If we reimagine a world with justice, with love at the center, we cultivate communities of care where all beings thrive. Read my full 30 Days of Love, Reimagining :: Climate Justice reflection here.
We’ve got loads of opportunities for you to learn, act, and reflect on climate justice in the coming weeks, including:
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 on February 21
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle on February 28
In between these amazing events, watch the recording of our Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration! We heard from almost 20 congregations actively engaging in the Green Sanctuary 2030 process designed to transform our congregations through climate justice.
Get inspired, then get involved!
Get inspired with the Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration!
During our January Community Meeting, we hosted the annual Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration. Almost twenty Active Green GS2030 congregations shared highlights of their current work. Green Sanctuary 2030 teams engage in intersectional actions that align with our Four Essentials of Climate Action: Justice, Congregational Transformation, Community Resilience, and Mitigation. Learn from your fellow UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice!
On January 25, we offered a webinar on Reimagining with Energy Democracy. You can review the slides here and watch the recording here.
Reimagining with Energy Democracy was part of two larger events, Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love and our Clean Energy as a Human Right series. Throughout this series, we’ve invited folks to embrace a visionary approach to clean energy, not just as a technical solution, but as a moral imperative. Rather than falling into the scarcity mindset so common in climate spaces, we encourage you to embrace abundance and ensure that our clean energy work nourishes thriving communities for all. The Clean Energy as a Human Right series includes:
Image description: Graphic illustration from the Abolitionist Visions on Climate Justice webinar titled, "Side With Love. Abolitionist Visions on Climate Justice," with a sunflower with a raised fist stem at the top. In the top left is a group of people holding hands, sharing a thought bubble with a heart, and resting atop a half-earth with the words, "Plantcestors, Spiritual Natural Grounding, and Beyond the Human World." In the bottom left is a Council of Grandmothers. In the center is a globe with cities powered by clean energy and oceans with abundant fish and red arrows. On the right side of the document is a large scene featuring mountains; a thriving city with clean energy, rivers supporting birds and fish, happy families, healthy agriculture, and safe roads; and cows, sheep, bees, and people relaxing in a field near the words, "Loving Each Other" and "Caring for Each Other." The illustration features a diversity of plants and people of different races, ages, genders, and abilities. There are bright colors and gentle lines, and all the beings represented are free, connected, and safe. Logos: UUA, Create Climate Justice, Green Sanctuary 2030, See in Colors.
Imagedescription: Black and white version of the graphic illustration shared above, to be printed out and enjoyed as a coloring page.
Upcoming Green Sanctuary Orientations
If you’re interested in learning what is new with Green Sanctuary 2030 and our new, flexible process; or if you want other leaders in your congregation to understand how powerful this program is for wider community change, join one of our upcoming orientations!
Held the first Wednesday of each month at 4pm PT / 7pm ET, this orientation presents our new, flexible, accessible process and the opportunity to speak with me about what your congregation has been doing. Register now!
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 - Green Sanctuary Community Meeting
Join our next Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting, Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 on February 21. The Green Sanctuary 2030 process provides congregations with an accessible and impactful framework to advance climate and environmental justice. Learn from the recently recognized Green Sanctuary 2030 Congregation, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, about the ways their congregation renewed their environmental justice commitments through the GS2030 process. Register to join us!
Our monthly Green Sanctuary 2030 Community meetings celebrate success, build capacity for teams, elevate how the local context of oppression shapes our climate action, and celebrate the ways the Green Sanctuary 2030 process supports our work on climate justice, community resilience, congregational transformation, and mitigation - all balanced with the faith-filled call to impactful action on climate. Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET.
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle on Wednesday, February 28 at 4pm PT / 5pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the PLC!
The IRA Peer Learning Circle is a place for congregational leaders to come together to brainstorm, get into the weeds, and figure out the best way to access these funds for our congregations and our communities. RSVP today!
For a deep dive on how one congregation is reducing emissions, check out Net Zero by 2030 with the People’s Church of Kalamazoo.
Unitarian Universalists are called to grapple with the question of “what is safety?” Black liberation organizers say “We Keep Us Safe" as a way to proclaim that true safety comes from relationship, community and structures of care and mutuality outside of state structures of violence and control. How do we build our political and theological commitment to keeping each other safe in the face of state and interpersonal violence?
In this skill up, Nora Rasman and India Harris define safety and security grounded in abolitionist practice, discuss our spiritual mandate towards building sanctuary, and concretely outline what we can honestly offer to ourselves and each other. View the webinar below, or on Vimeo.
Skill Ups are our monthly series of trainings on organizing skills to help build our UU the Vote and Side with Love Volunteer Squads and help YOU build stronger teams in your congregation and community. We'll start the session with some spiritual fun and then launch into our training. See our past trainings.
Skill Up Recording and Resources: Community Safety and Security
Safety. Re-Imagining. Possibility. Resilience. These themes have been the backbone of this year’s 30 Days of Love, with each offering extending to us the opportunity to hone our ability to pause, listen, and receive even as the world around us continues its frenetic hum. We hope that these weekly gifts from our siblings in faith have invited you to breathe deeply, feeling – even if just for a moment – a sense of connection with kindred spirits who share a soul-deep yearning for justice and wholeness.
At the most basic level, spiritual practice is spending regular, intentional time turning away from despair and fear, toward connection and commitment. At Side With Love, we believe this kind of spiritual practice is what makes sustained organizing for justice possible. Without making space in our lives to purposefully strengthen the musculature of imagination and hope, the soul of our movements atrophies and the dream of liberation becomes an empty fantasy.
As Black feminist, abolitionist, and scholar Angela Y. Davis famously says, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” But none of us can sustain that on our own. At Side With Love, our work is to build a skilled, rigorous, interdependent network of individuals, congregations, and partners who are in it together, day after day, season after season – audaciously fostering transformation and tending to each other’s spirits in the struggle.
As we close out this year’s 30 Days of Love, we know there is daunting work ahead of us in 2024. Never has it been clearer how deeply interconnected all our issues are, or how very high the stakes are for all of our communities. As we gear up yet again to defend and deepen our democracy, to fight for a society that honors the sacredness of all bodies, to push back against the dehumanizing impact of criminalization, to re-imagine a thriving future for our precious planet – we are grateful to be fighting and dreaming alongside you. Even after these 30 days of practice and pause, let us commit to making space – as individuals, as communities, as movements – for re-grounding in our purpose and nurturing our spirits along the way.
May we all be well, whole, and free. In faith and solidarity, Ashley
The Rev. Ashley Horan UUA Vice President for Programs & Ministry
p.s. As some of you know, I have recently moved into a new role at the UUA, so closing out this 30 Days of Love feels especially bittersweet as it will be my last year overseeing this beautiful project and the year-round work of the Side With Love team. We will be sharing more with you soon about these role transitions, including the exciting news that our beloved Nicole Pressley is now serving Side With Love as Acting Organizing Strategy Director – stay tuned!
Over the next couple of weeks you may hear murmurs of a gathering for UUs to deepen our commitments to climate justice…in the coming months, we hope those murmurs will turn into a cacophony of excitement around the UU Climate Revival. Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era will connect our congregations through inspiring collective worship, creative learning, new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice, and the chance to weave together the threads that have always linked our deepest commitments. Two words for you: “Stay Tuned!” Or maybe three words are better: “Don’t miss this!”
As we’ve been envisioning this powerful event, I am now (and forever!) reflecting on the question: how can we center love in the climate movement? For me, it’s all about relationships. I do not want to build the world that is right for me, I want to collaboratively cultivate a world where all communities thrive.
This means shifting from a singular mindset, a narrow focus, a myopic vision into an expansive reimagining, an abundance of possibility, and - yes, friends - collective liberation for all. There is no quick and easy fix to the problems of our world. For me, there are unbounded possibilities when I recognize that I alone do not have the answer. Of course, I can’t single handedly solve the complex, interconnected crisis that is climate change, but goodness sometimes it’s easy to fall into that mindset. There’s no time! There’s no time! I am here to remind us all that there is always time for love in our movements.
When it feels like everything in the world is on fire and my heart breaks with the enormity of it all while my task list has more than I can possibly accomplish in a year of Sundays, it can be tempting to push forward as fast as possible. Still, if I do that, and you do that, and everyone pushes forward independently, well, you can see where that gets us. For me, this means embracing curiosity, humility, and grace. Spending time with colleagues to learn about who they are, what their vision is, how they think we should move forward, so that when we do move forward, we move forward together. Does it take more time to build relationships? Does it slow down the work? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
I find grounding and renewal in Viktor Frankl’s quote, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Today, I invite you all to pause. Slow down. Reflect on how you can center love in your actions. I promise your next thought, your next response, your next move will be all the better for it.
And as we all move forward refreshed and grounded in love, I hope to see you at any one of the many nourishing and inspiring events in the coming months. From Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with Green Sanctuary 2030 to the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle or even just taking a break to watch the recording of Reimagining with Energy Democracy, we have several opportunities to build community, learn, get inspired, and move forward together with love at the center of our climate actions.
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 - Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting
Join our next Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting, Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030 on February 21. The Green Sanctuary 2030 process provides congregations with an accessible and impactful framework to advance climate and environmental justice. Learn from the recently recognized Green Sanctuary 2030 Congregation, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, about the ways their congregation renewed their environmental justice commitments through the GS2030 process. Register to join us!
Our monthly Green Sanctuary 2030 Community meetings celebrate success, build capacity for teams, elevate how the local context of oppression shapes our climate action, and celebrate the ways the Green Sanctuary 2030 process supports our work on climate justice, community resilience, congregational transformation, and mitigation - all balanced with the faith-filled call to impactful action on climate. Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET.
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle on Wednesday, February 28 at 4pm PT / 5pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities.Get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the PLC!
The IRA Peer Learning Circle is a place for congregational leaders to come together to brainstorm, get into the weeds, and figure out the best way to access these funds for our congregations and our communities.RSVP today!
For a deep dive on how one congregation is reducing emissions, check outNet Zero by 2030 with the People’s Church of Kalamazoo.
Available Now: Reimagining with Energy Democracy
On January 25, we offered a webinar on Reimagining with Energy Democracy. You can review the slides here and watch the recording here.
Reimagining with Energy Democracy was part of two larger events, Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love and our Clean Energy as a Human Right series. Throughout this series, we’ve invited folks to embrace a visionary approach to clean energy, not just as a technical solution, but as a moral imperative. Rather than falling into the scarcity mindset so common in climate spaces, we encourage you to embrace abundance and ensure that our clean energy work nourishes thriving communities for all.
The Clean Energy as a Human Right series includes:
March 21 to May 2 (International Day of Biodiversity) is Spring for Change! Together with a variety of Unitarian Universalist partners working for climate justice, the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is offering activities and educational events to provide congregations and individuals with spiritual grounding and resources to face our ecological crises with courage, compassion, and a commitment to justice. Click here to view the full schedule of offerings.
World Water Day: Water is Life - March 21, 2024
7:00 pm ET/ 6:00 pm CT/ 5:00 pm MT/ 4:00 pm PT
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness that 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water. We are honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs and Rev. Karen Van Fossan into a conversation on this important and sacred day. They are defenders and protectors of water; two spiritual leaders in our UU movement who will help us build a heart-centered approach to a right relationship with Mother Earth and her waters.
Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations in Indiana, Quebec, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida and California. He honors his Native American heritage (Texas Cherokee) which informs his spiritual understanding and practice, and his anti-racist and anti-oppressive commitment He has worked for peace, justice and equality since he was in the Unitarian Universalist youth movement, Liberal Religious Youth.
Rev. Karen is also a Unitarian Universalist minister and author of A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector. She is an abolitionist, licensed professional counselor, and former defendant in the Line 3 pipeline resistance. She is pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry specializing in abolition through Pacific School of Religion. Clyde is on her dissertation advisory committee. Karen lives in Fargo, North Dakota, on the traditional lands of Anishinaabe, Lakota/Dakota, and many Indigenous peoples.
Join Us for 2024 The National Faith + Climate Forum! We are excited to invite you to join us for an inspiring and transformative event designed to strengthen local congregations through care for creation – The National Faith + Climate Forum on April 16th from 12:00 pm - 5:15 pm ET / 11:00 am - 4:15 pm CT / 10:00 am - 3:15 pm MT / 9:00 am - 2:15 pm PT! Join other faith leaders in our area to hear inspiring national speakers and participate in purposeful discussions, practical workshops, and energizing collaborative sessions. All clergy and lay leaders, younger and older congregants, are welcome to join, whether you have been caring for creation for some time, or just getting started. We all can be part of the solution in our congregations and our community. Learn more and register here.
When I think about our 7th principle of Unitarian Universalism, the “interdependent web of existence of which we are a part,” I envision the way a small touch on one strand of a spider web makes the whole web shake.
Last month, with our partners at the American Friends Service Committee, we shook the web across the country with actions focused on corporate funders of Atlanta’s Cop City, like Bank of America and Home Depot. Thank you to those of you who wrote one of the over 7,000 letters to CEOs and showed up from Oakland to Atlanta! You can still sign the letter to CEOs urging them to stop funding increased militarization of police.
Side With Love Congregational Justice Organizer Rev. Ranwa Hammamy outside the Emeryville Home Depot during the Stop Cop City! Corporate Week of Action.
Celebrate Good News!
Unitarian Universalist Joan Gregory has been one of many in the Salt Lake City area organizing for Victor’s release for the past 11 months. Victor is an Indigenous land defender who has spent much of his adult life caring for the water, for the land, and for his elders. On March 5, 2023, Victor was arrested at the South River Music Festival near the site in Atlanta of a proposed Cop City which is under construction and where hundreds of acres of forest have already been destroyed. Victor was unloading camping equipment from his truck with his dog inside when heavily armed police charged at him from the woods, violently assaulted him, and hauled him to jail. After spending 3 months incarcerated at DeKalb County Jail without bail set or being indicted, he was transferred to a remote ICE facility, where he spent 8 months. In September, he learned he was one of 61 people indicted in the highly repressive RICO case that’s attempting to criminalize any and all efforts to Stop Cop City. We join Victor’s home community in the Salt Lake City area in celebrating his release. For more information and an opportunity to show your support go to: http://tinyurl.com/VictorIsFree.
As Nicole Pressley wrote recently, “Our work to Stop Cop City dismantles the false ideal of safety. This false ideal is destroying forests, intensifying violence against communities of color, and silencing the electorate. As people of faith, we cannot affirm the worth and dignity of all while privileging the well-being of a chosen few. We are not fully human when we separate ourselves from the humanity of others.”
When one side of the web is hurting, it rattles the whole web of existence.
May we continue to honor these connections across the whole web of existence.
May we each do our part to stop the pain and injustice.
May we envision a world of community care and abundant love.
May we recommit ourselves to mutuality, abundance, and community.
In faith and persistence,
Rev. Cathy Rion Starr Side With Love Leadership Development Specialist
Available Now - Skill Up: Community Safety & Security
Unitarian Universalists are called to grapple with the question, “what is safety?” Black liberation organizers say “We Keep Us Safe" as a way to proclaim that true safety comes from relationship, community, and structures of care and mutuality outside of state structures of violence and control. How do we build our political and theological commitment to keeping each other safe in the face of state and interpersonal violence?
In this Skill Up led by Nora Rasman and India Harris, we defined safety and security grounded in abolitionist practice, discussed our spiritual mandate towards building sanctuary, and concretely outlined what we can honestly offer to ourselves and each other.
March 21 at 11am PT / 2pm ET (Please note the date change this month!)
Our huddle this month will focus on writing letters to those imprisoned for protesting Cop City in Atlanta. Writing letters to folks locked up is a ministry, a political act, and a great way to invite new folks into decriminalization work. As always, we’ll also review what’s happening and what you can do with Stop Cop City more broadly. Join us to get activated or to jump back in. This meeting usually happens on the second Thursday of the month at 11am PT / 12pm MT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET.
In case you missed it, view our final gifts from our Bonus Days of 30 Days of Love! During the last days of 30 Days of Love, we explored the theme of “liberatory intersections.”
Safety. Re-Imagining. Possibility. Resilience. These themes have been the backbone of this year’s 30 Days of Love, with each offering extending to us the opportunity to hone our ability to pause, listen, and receive even as the world around us continues its frenetic hum. We hope that these weekly gifts from our siblings in faith have invited you to breathe deeply, feeling – even if just for a moment – a sense of connection with kindred spirits who share a soul-deep yearning for justice and wholeness.
At the most basic level, spiritual practice is spending regular, intentional time turning away from despair and fear and toward connection and commitment. At Side With Love, we believe that this kind of spiritual practice is what makes sustained organizing for justice possible: without making space in our lives to purposefully strengthen the musculature of imagination and hope, the soul of our movements atrophies and the dream of liberation becomes an empty fantasy.
Click here to read the full reflection by UUA Vice President for Programs & Ministry Rev. Ashley Horan. Our final offerings: a blessing by Rev. Verdis LeVar Robinson, a musical blessing by Rev. Erin Walter, a Time for All Ages by CB Beal, a body practice by Rev. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa, and a prayer by Rev. Kim Wildszewski.
May We Envision a World of Community Care and Abundant Love
Our grief is holy. Our rage is divine. Our love is enduring. Our lives are sacred.
This week we learned that Nex Benedict, a non-binary child in Oklahoma, died after a violent attack by fellow students at their school. While the details are still emerging, one thing is extraordinarily clear - hateful policy and hateful theology are deadly. The ongoing dehumanization of trans and non-binary people by elected officials and hate groups fuels inhumane actions.
Our grief is holy. Our rage is divine. Our love is enduring. Our lives are sacred.
Nex should be alive today. As we look at Nex’s photos, learn about their dreams, read about their love of Minecraft and nature - we bear witness to a beautiful soul who had every right to flourish and thrive. We also bear witness to a collective loss of humanity as a new generation is enlisted to carry forth this legacy of violence.
Our grief is holy. Our rage is divine. Our love is enduring. Our lives are sacred.
When we face the ultimate cruelty that systemic oppression visits upon our communities, any number of responses emerge. Whether you need to remain still or stirring in your grief, wild or weary in your rage, frozen or frenetic in your fear, resilient or resistant in your love - we encourage you to care for your sacred body and life in whatever way your spirit demands.
Let your grief be holy. Let your rage be divine. Let our enduring love move us to build a world where trans and non-binary lives are honored as sacred.
Friday, February 23, at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT
Join UPLIFT Ministries on Friday, February 23, at 8 ET/7 CT/6 MT/5 PT to be in community and hold ourselves and each other in the feelings and needs we’re experiencing right now. All are welcome–this is a space that is open to everyone–cis, trans, metagender, questioning, and more! During the vigil, we will spend time all together, as well as move into breakout groups for:
Children and youth (focused on trans/nonbinary+ youth, but open to people of any identity)
Trans/nonbinary+ adults (closed to this identity)
Trans families, caregivers of trans/nonbinary+ children/youth, and other close loved ones of a trans person/people (this space may have people with cis, trans, or other identities)
General breakout focused on cisgender experiences (though someone of any identity may join)
This space will be facilitated by Jess Hunt and Rev. Steven Leigh Williams, and will have chaplains available. Register here
This is a collection of resources, both within and outside the UUA, geared towards trans/nonbinary+ people and our supporters. Resources for mental health crisis appear at the bottom.
Hosted in March 2022, this training featured Sam Ames, Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project as well as Side With Love staff Rev. Ashley Horan, Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, and Adrian Ballou.
Held March 15, 2022, this training featured Sam Ames, Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project; Rev. Erin Walter from Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry; and Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson from UU Justice Ministry on North Carolina, in addition to Side With Love staff Rev. Ashley Horan, Rev. Michael Crumpler, Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, and Adrian Ballou.
UUs have long been part leaders in powerful multifaith movements fighting for trans and queer rights and liberation. Join UPLIFT Action and Side With Love staff for this webinar, lifting up the faithful work UUs are engaging in right now in the context of the wave of hateful legislation and violence against trans and queer people. We'll hear stories from congregations and State Action Networks on the ground, and point toward ways you and your community can take meaningful action.
The Green Sanctuary 2030 process provides congregations with an accessible and impactful framework to advance climate and environmental justice. On February 21, we learned from the recently recognized Green Sanctuary 2030 Congregation, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, about the ways their congregation renewed their environmental justice commitments through the GS2030 process. See the recording and resources below.
Mark your calendars for the March 20 Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting: Climate Justice and Racial Reconciliation in a Predominately White Congregation with Dorothy Swain of the UUs of Grants Pass, OR. Justice is one of our four Essentials for Climate Action, and it’s often the one our congregations struggle with the most . . . or, as I like to say, the one with the most opportunity! I hope to see you for some shared learning and mutual supports at this or any of our Green Sanctuary 2030 Community meetings.
Wow, was our February meeting inspirational or what?! Huge thanks to Russ Outcalt and the UU Fellowship of Raleigh for sharing the ways they’re Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030. I love hearing how our congregations are engaging with the Green Sanctuary 2030 process, and the UUs in Raleigh are doing stellar work! Check out the recording below, and while you’re at it get your congregation involved with UUSJ’s Environmental Justice for All Actions, also linked below!
Big thanks to our UU congregational leaders who shared their knowledge at our Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle this month! Peg MacMorris with Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins, CO, shared the way her congregation is approaching installing solar with IRA funds and Sabina Shelby with the Unitarian Church of West Hartford, CT, talked us through the Financial Incentives for Energy Investments at Houses of Worship document the IRA PLC group created to help congregations access IRA funds.
Following the presentation, Michael Cohen with Solar United Neighbors and First Unitarian Church of Orlando, FL, and Russ Outcalt from UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, chimed in with Peg and Sabina to answer questions from the audience. If you missed the presentations or want to review alllllll of the information shared (it was a lot!), look for the link to the recording below.
Financial Incentives for Energy Investments at Houses of Worship is a wealth of information and resources for congregations looking to access federal funding for clean energy. In addition to details about federal funds, there’s a section on UU specific funding opportunities you can use to leverage IRA funds. Towards the end of the document, there are links to all of the webinars we’ve held related to the historical investments in clean energy available in the IRA.
We hope to see you at the Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting: Orientation on Wednesday, March 6 at 7ET.
New Resources Available
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle for Congregations
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act Funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! Thanks to everyone who came together to learn and share information at the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Watch the recording, and get up to speed by reading this short primer on the opportunities available for congregations.
Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030!
On February 21, we learned from the recently recognized Green Sanctuary 2030 Congregation, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, about the ways their congregation renewed their environmental justice commitments through the GS2030 process. View the recording and resources.
Climate Justice and Racial Reconciliation in a Predominately White Congregation
Integrating justice in our climate work is essential, but many UU congregations struggle with this component of the Green Sanctuary 2030 process. Join Dorothy Swain from UUs of Grants Pass, OR, and her colleague Gabi Johnsen from the Pursuit Church of the Nazarene, to learn about the ways their congregations are advancing climate justice in a predominantly white, rural community. Register to join us!
Image description: Graphic with text bubbles on a background of pine branches, decorated with an illustrated pine cone and a bird resembling a goldfinch. Below is the Green Sanctuary logo, a chalice lit with a leaf flame. "Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meetings. 3rd Wednesdays. 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET. Jan. 17: Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration! Feb. 21: Renewing Environmental Justice Commitments with GS2030, UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC. Mar. 20: Climate Justice & Racial Reconciliation in a Predominately White Congregation, UUs of Grants Pass, OR. Apr. 17: Nourishing Impactful Teams, Rev. Cathy Rion Starr, Side With Love Leadership Development Specialist. May 15: Climate Justice Brainstorm!"
Come together for shared learning and mutual support with other UUs working on congregational transformation through climate justice on the third Wednesday of the month at 8ET - 7CT - 6MT - 5PT. Each meeting includes a short presentation on a climate justice topic, followed by open discussion on pressing needs.
Remind Congress We Still Need The Environmental Justice for All Act
We still want Congress to act on "the moral principle that all people have the right to pure air, clean water, and an environment that enriches life." We still agree "Federal policy can and should seek to achieve environmental justice, health equity, and climate justice for all underserved communities," let's urge them to do so. Last year's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was a significant step toward greater investment in clean energy.
Unfortunately, some provisions of the IRA are expected to stimulate fossil fuel production and worsen pollution in areas already saturated by heavy industry. Now, in the new Congressional Session, the House is proposing legislation intended to loosen procedural protections around energy projects. This includes efforts to undermine cornerstone environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act, and measures that will increase the risk to public health.
Tell Congress: Support the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act!
Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era
As climate change rocks our world, there is a spirit at work in the congregations and movements committed to justice.
As we make the connections between climate and justice, we are called to re-imagine what it means to do this urgent work in community. As we make the connections between climate and justice, we are called to re-imagine what it means to do this urgent work in community. How can our climate work be:
Less isolated, more connected;
Less anxious, more nourishing; and
Less limited; more visionary?
Through worship, laughter, learning, reflection, lamentation, and joy, we can feed our spirits and move forward nourished and connected with love at the center of our climate actions. Together, we can move from a deadly era of extraction to a flourishing era of connection.
Join us on September 28 and 29 for a national UU Climate Revival offering inspiring collective worship, creative learning, and new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice, and the chance to weave together the threads that have always linked our deepest commitments. The UU Climate Revival will equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform our congregations through climate justice.
If you’re interested in learning what is new with Green Sanctuary 2030 and our new, flexible process; or if you want other leaders in your congregation to understand how powerful this program is for wider community change, join one of our upcoming orientations! Held the first Wednesday of each month at 4pm PT / 7pm ET, this orientation presents our new, flexible, accessible process and the opportunity to speak with me about what your congregation has been doing. Register now!
An Invitation to Faith-Filled Transformation through Climate Action
After closing out this year's 30 Days of Love, Side With Love is looking forward to exciting opportunities for faith-filled action this spring. Starting March 6, we have a range of offerings that we hope will ground you and help sustain your commitment to liberation, democracy, and justice. Please join us and share with your congregation!
Get ready for UU the Vote 2024! On Thursday, March 14 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET, join UU leaders and partners to learn how you can show up for our values and communities in the critical 2024 elections. Invite your congregation and social justice teams to join us for an exciting launch of UU the Vote 2024.
When we organize, we build power in our communities for justice, accountability, and healing. In the last four years, UU the Vote has built new networks of spiritual and political communities to #VoteLove and #DefeatHate. With UU the Vote 2024, we’ll be showing up to combat criminalization; protect and expand healthcare, including abortion; and deepening local democratic practices, from participatory budgeting to ranked choice voting.
We are fighting for so much in 2024. Together, our communities can address the current threats to our democracy and human dignity. Join us in this fight on Thursday, March 14 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET for the launch of UU the Vote 2024!
Get to know the new Green Sanctuary! Join the monthly orientation session to get a better understanding of the program and learn how your congregation can engage in ongoing climate action. Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice can transform your congregation through climate justice!
This is a space to share the hard stuff and to hold the hard stuff that others are navigating in their lives. During our time together, our lead chaplain/facilitators will share opening and closing words, and in between, there is time for everyone to share what's on their hearts, and receive what others are sharing about their own lives. It's a supportive, judgment-free place to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ people.
Join us if you are doing the work on the ground, if you are showing up for and with Side with Love, and/or if you are just learning about Side with Love. Come connect with one another, build community across issues, and have some facetime with our staff.
Integrating justice in our climate work is essential, but many UU congregations struggle with this component of the Green Sanctuary 2030 process. Join Dorothy Swain from UUs of Grants Pass, OR, and her colleague Gabi Johnsen from the Pursuit Church of the Nazarene, to learn about the ways their congregations are advancing climate justice in a predominantly white, rural community.
This is a cozy, drop-in community space for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism where we connect with each other with games and breakout groups, share ideas and stories on all kinds of topics, listen to music and poetry (often by trans/nonbinary+ creators), and much more! This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend.
Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need.
We began this year with a 30 Days of Love reflection from our Democracy Strategist, Nora Rasman, who wrote, “This year, we will tell the truth to each other and ourselves about the political landscape we inhabit, the conditions and threats we are facing and the power of the left.” The truth is the stakes are high. It is also true that every action that chooses democracy as the method to express political desires or dissent is an invitation to building a new world, together.
Last night millions of voters went to the polls to express their desires about the leadership of their states and country. Hundreds of thousands voted “uncommitted” in protest of the ongoing assault in Gaza. Several voter suppression laws have created an unjust field that cannot produce accountable and representative elected leadership. Some candidates speak openly about ending free and fair elections, disparage trans people and immigrants, and celebrate limiting our individual freedoms. Last night, we faced hard realities together. Now, we must decide what we will do in the days ahead.
Let us remember that every movement forward generates new possibilities. Every new person we invite into our work grows our power. Each time we respond to the grief, rage, and demands of a people yearning to be free with compassion and a faithful recognition of our shared humanity, we Side With Love.
We invite you to use today to deepen your commitments to justice. This moment and our movement, needs you. With UU the Vote 2024, we are leaning even more deeply into the shared values that move voters to the polls. We are equipping leaders to engage in compassionate conversations that hold our grief as well as our commitment to building a multi-racial democracy. We are resisting state violence in our work to Stop Cop City in Georgia. We’re showing up to protect abortion in the Yes on 4 campaign in Florida. We are launching Green Sanctuary 2030 to ground our congregational climate justice work in local and accountable relationships.
Throughout history, we have shown up to kindle the flames of justice in uncertain times. Today, we build on that legacy and commit to justice and prophetic action to build a future where we all thrive. This is our work. We forge the paths that lead us towards the just and loving world we seek to create.
Join a community of people who greet each day a new opportunity to Side With Love in all that we do.
UU the Vote 2024 is an ambitious strategy to grow a powerful pro-democracy majority. This year we will build our commitment to democratic practices and recommit to showing up for social movements building infrastructure and relationships to sustain us the beyond the electoral year. Join us to learn about our work with State Action Networks and their partners in key states, key ballot initiatives, political education and spiritual grounding opportunities and our mass voter contact program.
March 20: Climate Justice and Racial Reconciliation in a Predominantly White Congregation Integrating justice in our climate work is essential, but many UU congregations struggle with this component of the Green Sanctuary 2030 process. Join Dorothy Swain from UUs of Grants Pass, OR, and her colleague Gabi Johnsen from the Pursuit Church of the Nazarene, to learn about the ways their congregations are advancing climate justice in a predominantly white, rural community.
March 18: Side With Love Monthly Mixer Join us if you are doing the work on the ground, if you are showing up for and with Side with Love, and/or if you are just learning about Side with Love. Come connect with one another, build community across issues, and have some facetime with our staff.
March 21: UU Stop Cop City Monthly Action Huddle Our huddle this month will focus on writing letters to those imprisoned for protesting Cop City in Atlanta. Writing letters to folks locked up is a ministry, a political act, and a great way to invite new folks into decriminalization work. As always, we’ll also review what’s happening and what you can do with Stop Cop City more broadly. Join us to get activated or to jump back in.
Democracy Is an Invitation to Build a New World Together
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding, but…really…don’t we all still have questions about how it works?! We joined other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities.
In this 2024 webinar, Peg MacMorris with Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins, CO, shared the way her congregation is approaching installing solar with IRA funds and Sabina Shelby with the Unitarian Church of West Hartford, CT, talked us through the Financial Incentives for Energy Investments at Houses of Worship document the IRA PLC group created to help congregations access IRA funds.
Following the presentation, Michael Cohen with Solar United Neighbors and First Unitarian Church of Orlando, FL, and Russell Outcalt from UU Fellowship of Raleigh, NC, chimed in with Peg and Sabina to answer questions from the audience.
On March 20, we joined Dorothy Swain of UUs of Grants Pass and Gabi Johnson with the Pursuit Church of the Nazarene, both from Grants Pass, Oregon, for our Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting on Climate Justice & Racial Reconciliation in Predominantly White Congregations. Check out the recording and resources shared below.
Dorothy and Gabi's community organizing on Grants Pass Remembrance: from Sundown to Sunrise exemplified interfaith partnership and climate justice actions deeply rooted in the context of oppression in their community. They shared tons of great resources all linked below.
We hope to see you for April's Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting on Nourishing Impactful Teams with Rev. Cathy Rion Starr on April 17. RSVP today!
When Nex Benedict — a Two Spirit (nonbinary) Choctaw youth -- died one day after being beaten by other students in the girls room at Owasso, Oklahoma High School, the event generated rare public awareness. Benedict’s death in February appeared around the nation in news coverage of what was later labeled a drug-induced suicide by local officials.
But despite the lack of attention, suicides among LGBTQIA+ youth are tragically common. According to The Trevor Project, about half of transgender youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, and it was the second-leading cause of death among ten to fourteen year-old members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Further, young LGBTQIA+ people of color reported much higher rates of attempting suicide than their white peers.
Rev. Jami Yandle, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Transgender Support Specialist, believes transphobia and harassment led directly to Benedict’s death. “Imagine sticking up for yourself, getting in a fight, and then having to go to school following that incident -- and probably hundreds of others -- with no protections and feeling so much of the world against you at such a young age,” said Yandle.
The environment Yandle describes was created largely by deliberate scapegoating. In 2022, Oklahoma’s overwhelmingly Republican state legislature banned transgender females from playing on female sports teams. The following year, the state made it a felony crime for health care workers to provide gender-affirming medical care to young transgender people, despite the medical community overwhelmingly supporting such care. Another 2023 law required students to use bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates.
Fueling the hostile setting in Oklahoma, right wing agitators are trying to ban many books depicting gay and transgender people from school libraries.
Of course, a gender-neutral bathroom could have been a life-saver for Benedict. “Nex deserved to grow up; to live long enough to have gray hair. So, when we talk about anti-trans legislation, this is literally a life and death issue,” said Rev. Yandle.
Unfortunately, Oklahoma is far from exceptional. As of March 2024, more than470 state bills were active that attack the equality, dignity, and free expression of LGBTQIA+people, with many directly targeting transgender youth. Some bills would criminalize the very existence of Transgender and Gender Expansive people (the Unitarian Universalist Association and many UU State Action Networks have spoken out against and are working to thwart those bills).
Trangender Day of Visibility may seem modest in the face of such legislative onslaughts until you learn fewer than half of U.S. residents say they personally know someone who is transgender, meaning their opinions are formed entirely from what they absorb from media, politicians, and other people, not from personal experience. Transgender people are among the last who can successfully be portrayed as dangerous “others,” because gender identity is not well-understood by many Americans.
Earlier movements to advance civil rights for LGBTQIA+ people accelerated dramatically when millions of Americans “came out” to family and friends, dismantling the ability of oppressors to portray people as threatening or dangerous based on their sexual preferences. The same will surely hold true for advancing gender equality.
In supporting the importance of gender expansive people “coming out,” Rev. Yandle says “because I'm white, I feel an obligation to be out and loud, and use what little privilege I have -- to be a little more bold to pave way for folks who may feel like it's unsafe. So they have a visual marker of somebody who is aging and will hopefully grow old enough to get gray hair.”
“That visibility is why I also sometimes wear my collar when I'm at a rally or public event…so that everybody can see, there's a trans person who's also an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister,” said Yandle.
The Rev. Jami A. Yandle with TV personality and LGBTQIA+ advocate Jonathan van Ness at a rally against anti-trans legislation at the Austin, TX capitol. The event was part of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry’s 2023 legislative day of action. Rev. Yandle serves as the UUA's Transgender Support Specialist, ministering on the Organizing Strategy Team that holds the outward-facing justice work for the UUA under the banner of Side With Love. Rev. Yandle provides spiritual support and direct care for the trans and non-binary community within and beyond the UUA. Photo by Rev. Erin Walter.
UUs have a long history of working to advance LGBTQIA+ rights and, in a recent nationwide survey by Public Religion Research Institute, led all included denominations in supporting nondiscrimination protections (93 percent) and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals within congregations (29 percent).
But Rev. Yandle stresses the need for UUs to push themselves and their congregations to keep working. “I don't want to minimize the life saving capability of using somebody's correct pronouns, but that's the least you can do. It all comes down to organizing, and bodies in state capitols, and going to legislator’s offices, to be in their faces.”
Special Event Join UPLIFT and TRUUsT Director Rev. Julián Jamaica Soto for an online gathering to celebrate all Trans & Nonbinary people following Trans Day of Visibility. Tuesday, April 2 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Register today!
The urgency of the climate crisis can sometimes lead folks to believe that integrating justice into our climate actions is a distraction. “Don’t we need a singular focus on reducing emissions to save the planet?” or “Once we solve climate change, then we can focus on racial justice,” and even “We’ve been fighting racism forever; we only have a few years to fix climate change,” are murmurs in climate spaces.
For many of our congregations engaging in the Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice process, integrating justice into our climate actions can be the most challenging part of the work. When I hear anxieties about folding justice into our on-going work, I always remind our teams that while it may feel like the most challenging, it is also the part of our work with the most opportunity and the most potential for impact!
As people of faith, ours is the work of collective liberation. If we honor the interconnectedness of all life, justice for all must be our guiding principle.
For as many problems climate change poses to our world, there are even more solutions that cultivate a flourishing world for all. When we put our faith into action not just to reduce emissions but also to create thriving communities for all, we’re nurturing collective liberation.
If we reject the scarcity mindsets that pit our climate action teams in competition with our racial justice teams, we embrace abundance in our shared ministries. If we cultivate trusting relationships within our congregations and our communities, we amplify our impacts. If we faithfully advance intersectional climate actions with love at the center of our work, we co-create a future where all communities thrive. Just imagine the beauty, the joy, the togetherness, the solutions, the stronger communities, the flourishing world that will come from these shared ministries.
Friends, this is why I am so excited to invite you all to join the UU Climate Justice Revival, “Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era” this September. Bring your congregation, your justice teams, your problem solvers, and your dreamers together for a powerful weekend of togetherness through shared dialogs, inspirational worship, and collective actions designed to intentionally and faithfully break down silos, cultivate connections, and envision the world we want to create, and chart a course for actions that cultivate that world. Together, we can shift our work to be less isolated, more connected; less anxious, more nourishing; less limited, more visionary. Let’s reimagine together a world where love guides our actions and all communities thrive. We can’t do it without you, so sign your congregation up today for the UU Climate Justice Revival on September 28-29. You can read more on our website: UUClimateJustice.org, or check out our Frequently Asked Questions and the Overview which explains all the beautiful work happening to bring the revival to your congregation. As always, you can email me at Environment@UUA.org with any questions.
In community,
Rachel
Rachel Myslivy (she/they)
Climate Justice Organizer
Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team
Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era
Join with hundreds of sibling congregations across the continent for our national UU Climate Revival, offering inspiring collective worship, creative learning, and new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice.
The UU Climate Revival will equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform our congregations through climate justice.
Open to every UU congregation of every size and budget, we will provide facilitation toolkits, training, music, projects, coordinated justice action and more! Find out more at www.uuclimatejustice.org.
Join our national UU Climate Revival, September 28 - 29, 2024!
The urgency of the climate crisis can sometimes lead folks to believe that integrating justice into our climate actions is a distraction. “Don’t we need a singular focus on reducing emissions to save the planet?” or “Once we solve climate change, then we can focus on racial justice,” and even “We’ve been fighting racism forever; we only have a few years to fix climate change,” are murmurs in climate spaces.
For many of our congregations engaging in the Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice process, integrating justice into our climate actions can be the most challenging part of the work. When I hear anxieties about folding justice into our on-going work, I always remind our teams that while it may feel like the most challenging, it is also the part of our work with the most opportunity and the most potential for impact!
As people of faith, ours is the work of collective liberation. If we honor the interconnectedness of all life, justice for all must be our guiding principle.
For as many problems climate change poses to our world, there are even more solutions that cultivate a flourishing world for all. When we put our faith into action not just to reduce emissions but also to create thriving communities for all, we’re nurturing collective liberation.
If we reject the scarcity mindsets that pit our climate action teams in competition with our racial justice teams, we embrace abundance in our shared ministries. If we cultivate trusting relationships within our congregations and our communities, we amplify our impacts. If we faithfully advance intersectional climate actions with love at the center of our work, we co-create a future where all communities thrive. Just imagine the beauty, the joy, the togetherness, the solutions, the stronger communities, the flourishing world that will come from these shared ministries.
Friends, this is why I am so excited to invite you all to join the UU Climate Justice Revival, “Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era” this September!
Bring your congregation, your justice teams, your problem solvers, and your dreamers together for a powerful weekend of togetherness through shared dialogs, inspirational worship, and collective actions designed to intentionally and faithfully break down silos, cultivate connections, and envision the world we want to create, and chart a course for actions that cultivate that world.
Together, we can shift our work to be less isolated, more connected; less anxious, more nourishing; less limited, more visionary. Let’s reimagine together a world where love guides our actions and all communities thrive. We can’t do it without you, so sign your congregation up today for the UU Climate Justice Revival on September 28-29.
Join with hundreds of sibling congregations across the continent for our national UU Climate Revival, offering inspiring collective worship, creative learning, and new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice.
The UU Climate Revival will equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform our congregations through climate justice.
Open to every UU congregation of every size and budget, we will provide facilitation toolkits, training, music, projects, coordinated justice action and more! Find out more at www.uuclimatejustice.org.
Join the Line 5 Petition
(Line 5 is a 645-mile pipeline from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. The 30-inch diameter pipe transports up to 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids daily.)
The Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network (WECAN) is sharing a petition drive and a new video just released highlighting Indigenous women leaders fighting to stop Line 5 and protect water, climate, and Indigenous rights. The petition drive joins growing national and regional efforts to stop Line 5 permanently.
Petition signatures will be delivered ahead of the premiere of the Bad River documentary film, taking place in Washington, D.C., with invited government leaders and officials. Indigenous women leaders, WECAN, Sierra Club-Wisconsin, and others will deliver the petition signatures on March 13 to the Army Corps offices in Washington, D.C.
Keep Calling And Writing: How the Climate Justice Movement Affects Federal Legislation
UUs for Social Justice presents a Zoom policy talk by Katie Thomas Carol, Esq., Director of Energy and Environment Programs for the CPC Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that identifies and develops solutions to build a more just, equitable, and resilient nation.
With almost a decade on Capitol Hill working energy and environmental policy and legislation, Katie will speak in her personal capacity about how UUs can drive the progressive agenda.
Katie will highlight examples of her work as Staff Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment for Rep. Ro Khanna and Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Environment to Senator Bernie Sanders before that.
Happily, Katie is also a UU. RSVP and attend to create a lovely, robust, informative Earth Month event.
Available Now - Climate Justice & Racial Reconciliation in Predominantly White Congregations
On March 20, we joined Dorothy Swain of UUs of Grants Pass and Gabi Johnson with the Pursuit Church of the Nazarene, both from Grants Pass, Oregon, for our Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting on Climate Justice & Racial Reconciliation in Predominantly White Congregations. Check out the recording and resources!
Nourishing Impactful Teams
As we work to transform our congregations and communities through climate justice, a strong and dynamic team is critical. Join Rev. Cathy Rion Starr, Side With Love Leadership Development Specialist, for tips on how to bring together and nourish a cohesive and impactful team! Register to join us!
Come together for shared learning and mutual support with other UUs working on congregational transformation through climate justice on the third Wednesday of the month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET. Each meeting includes a brief introduction to the Green Sanctuary 2030 process and a presentation on a climate justice topic usually led by a Green Sanctuary 2030 Team followed by an open discussion.
Remind Congress We Still Need The Environmental Justice for All Act
We still want Congress to act on "the moral principle that all people have the right to pure air, clean water, and an environment that enriches life." We still agree "Federal policy can and should seek to achieve environmental justice, health equity, and climate justice for all underserved communities," let's urge them to do so. Last year's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was a significant step toward greater investment in clean energy.
Unfortunately, some provisions of the IRA are expected to stimulate fossil fuel production and worsen pollution in areas already saturated by heavy industry. Now, in the new Congressional Session, the House is proposing legislation intended to loosen procedural protections around energy projects. This includes efforts to undermine cornerstone environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act, and measures that will increase the risk to public health.
Tell Congress: Support the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act!
Register for the 2024 National Faith + Climate Forum
We are excited to invite you to join us for an inspiring and transformative event designed to strengthen local congregations through care for creation – The National Faith + Climate Forum on April 16th from 12:00 pm - 5:15 pm ET / 11:00 am - 4:15 pm CT / 10:00 am - 3:15 pm MT / 9:00 am - 2:15 pm PT!
Join other faith leaders in our area to hear inspiring national speakers and participate in purposeful discussions, practical workshops, and energizing collaborative sessions. All clergy and lay leaders, younger and older congregants, are welcome to join, whether you have been caring for creation for some time, or just getting started. We all can be part of the solution in our congregations and our community. Learn more and register here.
We are called to re-imagine what it means to do climate justice work in community
I am thrilled to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share some exciting news.
As of March 1, I have been promoted to the position of Organizing Strategy Director on our Side With Love team. It's an incredibly meaningful step for me personally, and I am eager to continue serving our community in this capacity.
You may already be aware that Rev. Ashley Horan has transitioned into the role of Vice President of Programs and Ministry, providing strategic support to President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt and the UUA in advancing our shared mission. Rev. Horan's tenure as Organizing Strategy Director has been marked by tremendous growth, culminating in the consolidation of our issue programs (UU the Vote, Create Climate Justice, UPLIFT Action, and Love Resists) under the Side With Love umbrella. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Rev. Horan and eagerly anticipate the impact she will make in her new role.
My journey at the UUA began in 2020 when I joined as the National Organizer for UU the Vote. In the face of significant political challenges, we embraced innovation, fostered new relationships, and adapted our strategies to meet the moment.
In subsequent years, as Side With Love’s Field and Programs Director, I have worked to strengthen our infrastructure, nurture partnerships, and coordinate collective action across our core issues.
While our communities continue to grapple with the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic and the erosion of democratic norms, I remain steadfast in my belief that we are stronger and more resilient than ever before. Through my fifteen years of organizing, I have come to understand that our commitment to justice transcends socio-political fluctuations and conditions.
During the emergence of Covid-19, UU the Vote became the largest activation of Unitarian Universalists in the history of our faith. Our advocacy for bodily autonomy draws from our legacies in abolition and the women’s suffrage movement, extending to Uplift Action work proclaiming that every body is sacred. As we confront the climate crisis, we are revitalizing Green Sanctuary and reimagining how we do this urgent work together in a national Climate Justice Revival in September to catalyze a widespread denominational commitment to transforming our congregations and communities through climate justice. While the criminal legal system continues to claim lives and devastate families, we have mobilized efforts to close detention centers and counter rising fascist tactics in the campaign to Stop Cop City.
It is this steadfast dedication that sustains our justice movements through adversity and uncertainty. And the relationships and communities we build are the manifestation of what we are fighting for: whole, just, and thriving communities centered in liberating love.
At the heart of our work lies the profound power of love. Love serves as both a catalyst for action and a source of solace for our communities in times of need. In these times where we are told the lie that our individual thriving requires someone else's suffering, love is the promise of Beloved Community, where all of us are whole and worthy.
Side With Love embodies this transformative vision. It is more than a slogan; it is a call to moral clarity and collective action. It is a bold invitation to be who we say we are. Today, as the world around us continues to grapple with crises fueled by hatred and indifference, we have a moral mandate to embody the principles of justice and compassion in all that we do. Together, we can be the architects of a more just and equitable future. Now is the time for us to embody the promise of our faith, and I believe that we are ready.
I want to express my gratitude for your continued support and partnership. I am so proud to do this work with you and with the amazing staff team who has stewarded this work with brilliance and care.
I am excited to continue this journey together and look forward to the incredible work that lies ahead.
Join me at the next Side With Love Monthly Mixer on Monday, April 15 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Our monthly mixer is a time to connect with one another, build community across issues, and have some facetime with our staff. We know these times ask a lot of us and that we need one another to stay in the work with hope, joy, impact, and accountability. Join us if you are doing the work on the ground, if you are showing up for and with Side with Love, and/or if you are just learning about Side with Love.
Join UU the Vote 2024
UU the Vote is our campaign for democracy and electoral justice, grounded in Unitarian Universalist values. With UU the Vote we’re organizing on the state and local levels to fight for fair elections, advance voting rights, protect abortion access, and resist the targeting and criminalization of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities.
Excited to join UU the Vote but need some support with your work? Confused about what electoral work is “allowed” for non-profits? Want help finding a local partner to work with? Join us at Getting Started with UU the Vote: Community Gathering on Thursday, April 18 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET as we talk through some of the first steps to making a plan.
Join with hundreds of sibling congregations across the continent for our national UU Climate Revival, offering inspiring collective worship, creative learning, and new frameworks at the intersection of climate and justice.
The UU Climate Revival will equip UU congregations to enter into a new era of climate action—one that intentionally and faithfully breaks down silos and cultivates relationships that lead to flourishing collaborations that transform our congregations through climate justice.
Open to every UU congregation of every size and budget, we will provide facilitation toolkits, training, music, projects, coordinated justice action and more! Find out more at www.uuclimatejustice.org.
Announcing Nicole Pressley as Organizing Strategy Director!
This Sunday, April 21, is Nonbinary Parents Day. As Unitarian Universalists (UUs), we not only open our doors to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, we value diversity of sexuality and gender and see it as a spiritual gift. We share with you a blessing to affirm and celebrate all nonbinary parents and caregivers. (See our Facebook post for beautiful graphics of this prayer!)
Blessing for Nonbinary Parents Day
To all the in-betweens, outside-ofs, not-quites, both/ands, and neithers:
We honor all of who you are and all of how you nurture and care.
Through your embodied authentic self, you impart a transformative love.
A love that is abundant, bold, whole, holy, you.
On this Nonbinary Parents’ Day, may we amplify this transformative love into a world that allows you to be secure and safe, to rest, breathe, and relax.
On this joyous day, may we celebrate the sacredness of your relationship and role.
Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, Side With Love Congregational Justice Organizer and "Nommy"
Noor Hammamy-Way, Honorary Staff and "Cube"
Announcing Nicole Pressley as Organizing Strategy Director!
We are pleased to welcome Nicole Pressley as the Organizing Strategy Director for Side With Love!
Nicole first joined Side With Love in 2020 as the National Organizer for UU the Vote and has since worked to strengthen our infrastructure, nurture partnerships, and coordinate collective action across our core issues as the Field and Programs Director.
Our movement partner SACReD, is hosting a multi-faith conference centering Reproductive Justice: the SACReD Gathering, May 7-9.
Connecting healing, skill building, deeper analysis, and organizing, the SACReD Gathering will strengthen our cross-movement connections and capacities to build a world where Reproductive Justice is a lived reality.
This is a space to share the hard stuff and to hold the hard stuff that others are navigating in their lives. During our time together, our lead chaplain/facilitators will share opening and closing words, and in between, there is time for everyone to share what's on their hearts, and receive what others are sharing about their own lives. Register to join.
Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need. Register to join.
Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. This is a drop-in space, where folks can come and go as works best for them, and where people can join us at any time. Register to join.
Nonbinary Parents Day and May Programming from UPLIFT!
Overview Rev. Cathy Rion Starr led us through the Universe of Possibility presentation, after which we all spent some time drawing our unique Universe of Possibility for work we're doing in our congregations and communities. We reflected on questions like:
How many people are in each circle? Who’s in your core?
Is your committee reflective of the congregation as a whole in terms of demographics and interests?
What do you invite folks to at each level?
How is the flow of leaders in and out of the circles?
What are your hopes & dreams for your universe? What changes would you like to make?
It was so helpful to frame our work through this tool, but don't take my word for it, here's what some of your peers said:
"Love this tool and this group… looking forward to working with y’all!" - Sharon G.
"Thank you, Rev. Cathy, for reminding us about the importance of different levels of involvement!" - Diane D.
"This is a great topic — impactful teams! Our UU congregation has many teams and they all operate differently. Love this model and I think we can apply it broadly. I hope to learn more about building community and spiritual connection simultaneously. Thank you!" - Carolyn T.
"I loved this! Lots to think about and weave into all my future efforts!" - Dorothy S.
This will definitely be a workshop we reference time and again in the coming months!
Side With Love, in collaboration with the Youth and Emerging Adult team of the Lifespan Faith Engagement office and the UU College of Social Justice, joins in solidarity with Unitarian Universalist young adults and students across the globe who are protesting the ongoing assault in Gaza. These protests are a response to the moral urgency of this moment. The assault on Gaza, sponsored by the United States, has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians. We cannot turn away.We join the chorus of faith and progressive organizations calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the protection of student activists.
In the face of dehumanization, devastation, and death, human beings have always gathered to create life-affirming communities of resistance. Rooted in a strong lineage of student movements, this generation - like those protesting the Vietnam War, calling for the racial integration of their campuses, and for the end of apartheid in South Africa - are, again, asking this nation to embody its highest ideals of liberty and justice for all.
Our values call on every generation to listen with care and compassion to the prophetic witness of these courageous students and offer faithful solidarity. We, too, must rise to meet the highest aspirations of our faith, which rejects the disposability of any human being and proclaims all are worthy of love and belonging.
This generation of students has endured the trauma of COVID-19, school shootings, a climate crisis, and the brutality of U.S. police forces on their campuses and in their communities. It is time to turn around the question, “Where are the young people in our faith movement?” and instead ask, “Where are all of us, as people of faith, when our young people are showing up?” We must not turn away.
Side With Love proclaims the transformative power of love to build vibrant and liberated communities. This dangerous assault on civil liberties on college campuses and human rights – at home and globally –are connected. Too many of our justice movements (labor movement, Civil Rights, Gay liberation), have been met with sanctioned police brutality, imprisonment, and worse. We must not fail our students with our silence. We will not betray our faith with our complicity.
We call on university administrations and public officials to remove police from campuses, end the militarized response to student activism, and come to the table in good-faith negotiations with student demands. We call on our community to show up in solidarity. We welcome all, in this pivotal movement, to Side With Love.
Rev. Scott Aaseng Abigail Abysalh-Metzger Ms. Kathleen Adams Rev. Dr. Julia Aegerter Ms. Nancy Ahmadifar Dr. Robert Alexander Dr. Amanda Alexander Ms. Melody Allan Ms Gaylee Amend Dr. Susan Anderson Adele Andrews Rev. Dr. Leonisa Ardizzone Ms. Larissa Armstrong Ms. Dana Ashrawi Ms. Ellen Asprooth Barbara Atkinson Dan Bailey Ms. J Bannester Rev. Erica Baron Rev. Dr. Tracie Barrett Ms. Kathy Bartolomeo Dr. Lynette Bassman Janet Bednarz Ms. Sharon Bell Stevens Mrs. Sharon Bell-Stevens Patricis Bennett Ms. Rebecca Bent Gene Bergman Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt Ms. Joyce Bianchini Rev. Ashley Birt Mx. Sara Blackthorne Mx. Emily Blair Ronnie Boyd Cole Breedlove Henry Bright Mr. Farrell Brody Ms. Beth Brunton Ms. Dana Buhl Mr. Benjamin Burch Sue Burke George Burman Ms. Shirin Caldwell Rev. Dr. Isabel Call Mrs Cici Carilli Cheryl Carmi Dr. Devin Carroll Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer Alesha Chaffin Mr. Donald Chery Ms. Jane Collins Mr. R.Sidney Collins Rev. Otto Concannon Rev. Susan Conrad Rev. Julie Conrady Mr. Larry Cooper Rev. Darcy Corbitt Ms. Nan Corliss Betty Cornelisen Rev. Lyn Cox Carol Crabill Mrs. Sue Craig Chris Crass Ms. Gretchen Crawford Mrs. Jamaine Cripe Mrs. Lee Curran Patrice Curtis Mrs. Jeanne Davis Ms. Karen Deaton Rev. Emily DeTar Birt Ms. Mary Devitt Rev. Tina DeYoe Rev. Jaimie Dingus Sarah Ditzler Ms. Rebecca Donley Angie Donnay Laura Dooley Ms. Lynn D Douglas Mr. Bruce Douglas Ms. Joyce Dowling Ms. Helen Duffy Martha Durkee-Neuman Angelique Duvet-Tovar Rev. Dayna Edwards Natalie Eldridge Susie Epstein Ms. Claire Eustace Dana Fisher Ashrawi Beverly Fitzpatrick Rev. Tobi Fleck Ms. Clare Fortune-Lad Kim Fox-Kristensen Ms. Janna Radovsky Frelich Ms. Roberta Frye Lori Garcia Dr. Shernaz Garcia Dr. Anne Garcia Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson Ms. Vicki Gavel Rev. Pamela Gehrke Elaine Gehrmann Ms. Sally Jane Gellert Janine Gelsinger Elisabeth Geschiere Mrs. Stephanie Giamberardino Mark Giese Ms. Ann Gilmore Rev. Annie Gonzalez Rev. Sara Goodman Ms. glenda gordon Ana Gorny Danielle Grand Mrs. Virginia Green Ms. Joan Gregory Rev. Ranwa Hammamy Emily Hand Ms. Katia Hansen Dr. bill Harris Ms. Zoe Hart Victoria Hartman Ms. Aisha Hauser Ms Gwyn Helie Peter Helwig Paul Heniques Rev. Meagan Henry Rev. Patt Herdklotz Samantha Herndon Bill Hessell Ms. Sandy Hildebrandt Mr. Joel Hildebrandt Rev. Jamie Hinson-Rieger Rev. Dr. Lucy Hitchcock Heather Hoecker Dr. Donna Hoffmeister Ray A Hommeyer rimki honnold Rev. Ashley Horan Edythe Hough Rev. Molly Housh Gordon Ms. Kathleen Yezierska Hulley Kirsten Hunter Rev.erend DL Hwlfer Ms. Laila Ibrahim Elizabeth Ingram Diana Ingram Ms. Catherine Jackson Mr. Mark Jagner Dr. Melissa James Rev. Abhi Janamanchi Ruth Jenkins Ms Cheyenne Jenvey Mr. Bruce Jewell Valerie Johnson Ms. Barbara Johnston Miss Zoe Johnston Constance Jones Rev. Dr. Dr. Roger Jones Rev. Jeff Jones Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones Mona Jones-Romansic Dr. Donna Joss Dr Razan Kaileh ANN KALINOSKI Mr. James Kane Ms. Rosemary Kean Carl Kennedy Asma Khan Ms. Izzy Khapoya Lynn Kimbark Dr. D King Rev. Dan King Gregory King Rev. Cecilia Kingman Mary Kingsley Ms. LINDA KNIGHT Ms. Katie Kosseff Anne Kosseff-Jones Rev. Tim Kutzmark Ms. Pat Lamanna Mr. Steven Sellers Lapham Ms. Areej Latif Dr. Kate Lenhardt Rev. Bran Lennox Ms. Renate Ley Dr. Judy Lightstone Tanya Liscano Dr. Deborah Little Ms. Karin Livingstone Andrew Livingstone Patricia Looney-Burman Ms. Sue Ann Lorig Mr. Terry Lowman Marie Lowry Marsha Luce Monica Luevano Mares Kathleen Lund Leigh Ann Luscan Dr. Aurolyn Luykx Rev. Jason Lydon Mx Bernise Lynch Mx. Sherri Lysy Mr. Melvin Mackey Dr. Heather MacLeod Ken Mah Tina Malone Alisha Mancinas Rev. Kevin Mann Jennifer Marck Mr. Bob Mason Ms. Sally McCollum Clara McCollum Dr. Renee McCormick Ms. Pamela McInnes Kathy McKay Ms Ann McKay Bryson Jung Han Messinger Ms. Joanne Michelson elizabeth miller Rev. Alisha Mills Rev. Sarah Millspaugh Mr. Michael Monroe Rev. John Morehouse David Morgen Dr. John Moses Abbas Moussaoui Rev. Johannah Murphy Ms. Christine Myers Ms. Diane Nassif Mrs. Dawn Newcomer Dr. Gail Newel Mrs. Jackie Newman Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen Jil Novenski Ms. Susan Nye Debbie Ockey Mx. Kyle Osborne Peggy Owen Sands Lori Palmer Ms. Kathryn Partridge Miss QuianaDenae Perkins Rev. Ali Peters Lydia Philip William Philips Rev. Millie Phillips Betty Prange Dr. Marcelle Pratt Mrs Virginia Preuss Ms. Lois Reborne Dr. jon rice Ms. Mary Richards Emily Richards Alice Richards Sandra Rigsbee Rev. Cathy Rion Starr Christina Rivera David Roberts Ms Nancy Roberts Dr. robert roberts Ms. Amanda Rogers Jonathan G Rogers Rev. Jonathan Rogers Ms. Genevieve Rohan Rev. Katie Romano Griffin Mary Rooker Dr. Lee Rossi Rachel Rott Ms Ann Rovere Mr James Ruelas Mr. Stephen Sacks Ms. Judith Sadegh Rev. Misha Sanders Rev. Elizabeth Saunter Ms. Wendy Schoener Rev. Amanda Schuber Mx. Andrea Schulz Rev. Catie Scudera Antoinette Scully Jeffrey Severson Evelyn Sheridan Ms. Isabel Sheridan Rev. Alia Shinbrough Ms. Terri Shofner Dr. Joshua Shurley Mr. Brett Smith Rev. Julián Soto Sandra Steubing Catherine Strickland Wesley Stroupe Ben Strube Rev. Sonya Sukalski Judith Swick Rev.erend Jan Taddeo Rev. Leslie Takahashi Dr. Katrina Thompson Mr. Scott Thomson Bis Thornton Ms. Rita Townsend MS. Ellen Trumpler Dr. Brenda Ungerland Elizabeth Valencia Danielle Van Dusen Nico Van Ostrand Ms. Michelle Venegas-Matula Sandra Villareal Hannah Villnave Dr. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa Dr. Caitlin Waddick Dr. Kaitlin Walker Virginia Waring Mylo Way Rev. Vail Weller Penelope Wells Krista Westervelt Elizabeth Westie Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker Mrs. Jan Wiley-Egdall G Williams Gordon Woodworth Ms. Carol Workman Ms. Connie Young Lenore Yousef Rev. Crystal Zerfoss
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