All members & friends are welcome to join the efforts of the Social Justice Outreach Team
The Social Justice Outreach Team (SJOT) will hold a joint meeting with the ARE (Allies for Racial Equity) team on Wednesday, AUGUST 4 at 1:00 pm.
This will be an “in person” meeting at UUFH (Sanctuary). In addition to the onsite session, we will host a concurrent Zoom meeting for those who prefer the Zoom format for now.
All are welcome to attend; the meeting will be your chance to provide input and contribute to UUFH justice efforts. Contact Charlotte Corrigan for more information – i.e., agenda, prior minutes, Zoom link – if you would like to participate.
Any ARE updates and news should be sent to Charlotte Corrigan for inclusion in emails, eBlasts and Justice Worker News.
The monthly RACIAL JUSTICE FORUM series will resume in the fall.
Contact Charlotte Corrigan for more information if you would like to participate. The session will be held in person and offsite (ZOOM).
NOTE: At our July planning session, SJOT agreed to continue holding our meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 1:00 PM with both in person and concurrent Zoom sessions. Come the winter months, we will consider switching temporarily to evening meetings by Zoom only> this would have two purposes – avoiding bad weather and bad road conditions and potentially provide wider access.
UU Forward Together — The UU Justice Ministry of North Carolina
Subscribe to UUJMNC to receive the monthly newsletter and action alerts at www.uuforwardtogether.org
UUJMNC: OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
from Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson, Executive Director Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of NC
FRIDAY ACTION HOUR
Join UU Forward Together every Friday at 11:00am for Friday Action Hour. Gather in community to recap the week and take action on issues impacting our state and country. Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/91029655107
Does the Friday session not work for you? You can still act; the link below will give you the talking points, addressee contacts and actions for this week’s Action Hour session.
Action(s) of the Week –
The future of our democracy is on the line and time is running out before Congress goes on their August Recess. This week, we’re continuing to tell our US Senators to Pass the For the People Act, and call on our friends, families and communities to do the same. Click here to Take Action!
NOTE: Lisa’s Link above details this action including a link to your legislator, script suggestions and also links to further action you can take on this issue.
A NEW UUFH INITIATIVE – Volunteer Opportunities at Bruce Drysdale School
The UUFH ARE and Social Justice teams have consulted with the leadership at Bruce Drysdale Elementary School to see what help we could provide to the school students and staff. Jan Partin has supplied a message outlining these activities and some key Bruce Drysdale data.
The student population of Bruce Drysdale Elementary is 464 and the school serves K-5 students. The school’s minority student enrollment is 55%. The student-teacher ratio is 13:1, which is better than that of the district. The school enrolls 69% economically disadvantaged students. There are 36 equivalent full-time teachers and 1 full-time school counselor.
In Henderson County Schools, 50% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 57% tested at or above that level for math. Compared with the district, the school scored lower in math and in reading. Only 40% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 36% scored at or above that level for reading.
The teachers and staff are passionate about their desire to help their students do better! It goes without saying, our engagement with the school will give these students and teachers a boost – we can help make a difference in the lives of these young people! Please consider taking a few hours a week to help make that difference by volunteering there!
PTO President Amy Kilpatrick has prepared a list of possible volunteer jobs for volunteers. In order to volunteer, you must pass a background check. It involves filling out a form on line and another volunteer application form that you drop off at Bruce Drysdale School. Once approved, you will receive a volunteer ID card from Secure Volunteer which you will need to bring with you when volunteering.
Contact Jan Partin at janpartin@nullhotmail.com for easy instructions.
Present volunteer opportunities include:
Library- shelving books. This can be a weekly opportunity for a couple of hours. Library book fair-volunteers are needed to sort and keep shelves organized and stocked. Reading to Kindergarten classes. Serving/Set up for teacher lunches. We have about 5-6 teacher lunches a year.Some students need to sit separately to catch up on their class work if they get behind. We occasionally need ones to sit with them to help keep them focused on catching up. Escorting students to and from their classroom for hearing tests. Other opportunities will present themselves through the year and we can add those to this list. Thank you in advance for your help in any of these areas! We look forward to working with all of you! |
CLIMATE JUSTICE CONGREGATIONAL PROJECT RENEWAL
At the June 13 Annual Meeting, a Fellowship vote okayed another year for this vital project.
We’ll move forward with some of the on-hold activities and seek new opportunities for congregational education and action including use of UUA/ & UUJMNC resources and continue UUtheVote advocacy with a focus on fair redistricting and voter rights. We’ll add a new emphasis on the 8th principle:
The 8th Principle states: “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountability dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
CLIMATE justice and RACIAL justice are inseparable. There is no climate justice without racial justice and the dismantling of white supremacy.
In our 2021-2022 budget submission, we allocated funds for the project to conduct educational workshops, film showings, book studies and onsite action.
JUSTICE WORKERS EMAIL LIST
We’ve created a new merged list “Justice Workers” as recommended by the leaders of the various groups (SJOT, ARE, Voter & Climate Justice) and approved by our UUFH Social Justice Team; our debut message “JUSTICE WORKER NEWS” was issued on Monday, April 12. The list is comprehensive and contains actions, events, and links that will inform and enable your justice efforts.
The more that we work together, the greater impact we have.
To join the Justice Workers list, contact Charlotte Corrigan with your request to OPT IN.
For information on upcoming training sessions with UUJMNC partners such as You Can Vote and Democracy NC, contact Charlotte Corrigan and/or sign up for weekly Justice Worker News emails.