SOCIAL JUSTICE & ALLIES FOR RACIAL EQUITY TEAM MEETINGS
We meet on the first TUESDAY of the month (March 7, 2023) 12:00 to 1:30pm. via ZOOM
All are welcome to attend; these meetings are your chance to provide input and contribute to our UUFH justice efforts. Please e-mail Charlotte Corrigan for additional information – i.e., agenda, prior minutes, and Zoom link – if you would like to participate.
ARE updates and news can be sent to Charlotte Corrigan for inclusion in emails, eBlasts and Justice Worker News.
Want more JUSTICE NEWS?
Contact Charlotte Corrigan to join the email list for UUFH JUSTICE WORKER NEWS (published weekly on Wednesday)
HIGHLIGHTS in this issue include:
- “Healing the Unconscious Bias…” workshop UPDATE
- “All that She Carried…” book study – part 2 with Rev. Terry Davis: FEBRUARY 26 at Noon
- Outreach Collection for DREAM Scholarships plus DREAMERS Action Alert
- Movie Screening: “EMANUEL” MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE: Feb 28 (Tuesday), 7 pm
- UU Justice NC: Medicaid Expansion Bill News & Action and Reproductive Justice Advocacy Day
PLUS MORE…
UUFH OUTREACH COLLECTIONS:
Our Annual Dream Scholarship Collection kicked off on Sunday, February 12 with guest speaker, Ms. America Moreno Jimenez, a Dream Scholarship graduate with BA & MA degrees from Meredith College. America was one of the first Dream recipients and is now with the Henderson County Public Schools working with the ESL (English as a Second Language) Program.
In the 10 plus years since its founding at UUFH, donations in our community have funded scholarships for approximately 50 college students brought to the US as children. These Dreamers are qualified though a rigorous process and may receive up to $2500/year towards their continuing education.
To ensure that your donation is correctly credited:
[1] you can put your cash donation in the
Sunday plate – any cash donation must be labeled for the Outreach Collection),
[2] you can donate by check through March 1 – please put Outreach Collection in the memo line, or
[3] you can donate online through March 1 at the UUFH website – select “Outreach Fund”.
Let’s make this another stellar Outreach Collection.
FYI: see JW NEWS for link to Dreamers ACTION ALERT
WORKSHOP UPDATE:
“Take Action! Healing Unconscious Bias in the Henderson County School System”
A big thank you goes out to Judy Bonner for organizing the ARE workshop Saturday “Healing the Unconscious BIAS in the Henderson County School System”. Thanks also to Donna Gatnarek for her excellent publicity efforts in the community and to others from the Social Justice Team and Fellowship who turned out to support and participate in this effort.
The event was attended by approximately 40 people – parents, teachers, retired educators, a member of the HC School Board, our new HC Superintendent of Schools, and others (jUUstice Workers) concerned about all the children of our community.
WLOS showed up and gave our workshop brief airtime on the 6 and 11 PM News 13 broadcasts Saturday night.
https://wlos.com/news/local/unitarian-universalist-fellowship-of-hendersonville-allies-for-racial-equity-group-event-henderson-county-public-schools#
BUT WE ARE NOT DONE YET!
We cannot call this a success until the work identified by the 4 breakout ACTION GROUPS is carried out. We do not need to keep talking about the problem. What we need to do now is TAKE ACTION.
The four ACTION GROUPS focused on these questions and each developed a list of action items:
- Group 1
What steps can be taken to educate Staff ON HOW THEY can HELP CHANGE THE CULTURE of racism at their school?
- Group 2
What steps can be taken to reduce microaggressions in the schools?
- Group 3
How can the school system and community reduce the inequity of suspensions of African American children?
- Group 4
What steps can be taken to assist Grow Our Own to attract staff that represent the African American community?
If you were unable to attend the workshop but would like to participate in one of the Action Groups, please contact Judy Bonner.
CONGREGATIONAL READ – PART 2: February 26, Noon
“ALL THAT SHE CARRIED: THE JOURNEY OF ASHLEY’S SACK, A BLACK FAMILY KEEPSAKE” by Black historian, Tiya Miles.
Rev. Terry Davis will feature aspects of the book during services on January 15 and February 26. Each service will be followed by a facilitated discussion in the Sanctuary with Helen Bishop after our Social-Coffee Hour (~12 Noon). Attendees are welcome to brown bag a lunch or snack. Childcare will be provided (please contact judybonner1@nulloutlook.com).
UPDATE: The service and participation in the discussion facilitated by Helen Bishop were well attended on January 15.
It’s not too late to obtain your copy of the book and join us on Sunday, February 26.
Visit the author’s website, https://tiyamiles.com/books/all-that-she-carried/ for more including her synopsis and praise from readers and reviewers.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606278/all-that-she-carried-by-tiya-miles/, the publisher’s website, has more – including a link to read an excerpt.
UU Justice NC
Subscribe to UUJMNC to receive the monthly newsletter and action alerts at UUJusticeNC.org ( new link!– the NEW website is now live!)
DONATE to UU Justice NC HERE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
from Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson, Executive Director UU Justice NC
FRIDAY ACTION HOUR
Every Friday at 11:00am UUs from across the state gather to recap the past week and take action on the issues impacting our state and country. In the coming month, we’ll be focusing on the upcoming municipal elections and will also keep the pressure on our elected officials to better promote the HOPE program. We always have good music to help us feel the justice movement in our bones! Join us via this Zoom link.
And if you can’t make it on Fridays, you can still take action at any time – just check out our UU Justice NC – Friday Action Hour 2022
SIGN-UP MAKES IT EASY: to receive weekly updates automatically. Click Here to Sign Up! Receive an email with all the details prior to Friday’s Action Hour
For more Justice opportunities, see the current UUFH jUUstice Workers News.
Check out the IAM website for current PANTRY and CLOTHING needs or to volunteer:
www.iam-hc.org: CLICK on “Current Needs” for clothing & pantry lists
FYI: An on-site DONATION “BOX” is located in the ALCOVE leading to the UUFH Quiet Room.
The more that we work together, the greater impact we have.