All members & friends are welcome to join the efforts of the Social Justice Outreach Team
Social Justice and ARE Teams are temporarily meeting in joint session. The sessions are scheduled at 1 pm on the first Wednesday of each month. We are currently holding concurrent in person and virtual meetings. Watch for further details…
All are welcome to attend; these meetings are your chance to provide input and contribute to our 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.
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 –
Our democracy is on the line, and the clock is ticking! Tell Senate Majority Leader Schumer to do what is necessary to pass the For The People Act and if necessary, DELAY the Senate recesses until the job is done. 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:
We continue our focus on fair elections. The below listed training sessions form UUJMNC partners You Can Vote and All On The Line will prepare you to be involved in this vital civic work.
If elected officials chose their voters instead of voters choosing the officials, then democracy is broken.
YOU CAN VOTE NEWS
2021 SUMMER VOTER EMPOWERMENT TRAINING DATES
As we add in-person volunteer opportunities, be sure you are 2021 trained and come help us educate voters! Folks who have attended the 2021 volunteer training can sign up now!
- Thursday, August 5th @ 6pm
- Saturday, August 14th @ 10am
- Saturday, August 21st @ 10am
- Saturday, August 28th @ 10am
LET’S GET BACK OUT THERE & HELP GET OUR NEIGHBORS READY TO #VOTE2021 & #VOTE2022!
YCV’S 3-PART DEEP DIVE EDUCATIONAL SERIES
If you’ve attended a 2021 Voter Empowerment Training and you’re ready to learn more about how to effectively engage your specific communities, this 3-part educational series is for you!
3-Part Deep Dive Series:
- Get Local! What’s on the Ballot 2021-2022: August 12, 2021 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
- Empowering Student Voters: August 19, 2021 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
- Empowering Underserved Populations: August 26, 2021 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
REDISTRICTING U SUMMER SESSIONS | STORYTELLING IN ACTIVISM
All On the Line is hosting 3 dates to get educated on the FIGHT FOR FAIR MAPS!
“This session is an informational convening designed to educate individuals on the 2021 redistricting process and on how to share your personal story. We will look at how to describe the framework for effective persuasion conversations by using your values to move your audience to action on redistricting.”
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.