All members & friends are welcome to join the efforts of the Social Justice Outreach Team
Social Justice and ARE Teams are now meeting in joint session.at 1 pm on the first Wednesday (Nov 3) of each month. Due to Covid-19 counts, we are meeting via ZOOM only virtual format.
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.
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 (weekly).
UU Justice NC
Subscribe to UUJMNC to receive the monthly newsletter and action alerts at www.uuforwardtogether.org
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
from Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson, Executive Director UU Justice NC
FRIDAY ACTION HOUR
Every Friday at 11:00 UUs from across the state gather to recap the past week and take action on the issues impacting our state and country. And we always have good music to help us feel the justice movement in our bones! Join us via this Zoom link. If you can’t make it on Fridays, you can still take action at any time – just check our Weekly action list.
Action(s) of the Week –
Any day now, the NC General Assembly will send their budget to the Governor’s desk. Our faith calls us to join others across the state in telling Governor Cooper to Fight for Medicaid Expansion and the Leandro Plan in state budget negotiations. Click here to take action!
We are anxiously waiting for the NC General Assembly to bring their state budget to the Governor. The budget drafts we’ve seen so far don’t include Medicaid Expansion, but they do include the elimination of the corporate income tax. At the same time as the General Assembly is saying “We can’t afford to give people healthcare”, they’re also saying “We have too much money in the bank, and we need to give corporations a break.” The budget drafts also have failed to fully fund the Leandro Plan — the court-ordered Comprehensive Remedial Plan to ensure that NC meets the minimum standards for a sound basic education for our youth.
UU Justice NC ANNUAL GATHERING
Mark your calendars for UU Justice NC’s Annual Gathering on Sunday, October 24, from 4:00 – 6:00pm.The Gathering will be Virtual via Zoom.
This year’s theme is “The Power of Story”. In addition to celebrating our work in 2021, we’ll also reflect on the history of our young organization and the part we each play in the unfolding story of UU Justice NC.
Our keynote speaker will be Susan Leslie, from the UUA’s Side with Love Organizing and Strategy Team! Susan will reflect on her 30-year career working for justice at the UUA and the evolution of our denomination’s justice work since the early 90s.
A Conversation on Policing and Racial Equity in our Criminal Justice System
November 9 from 7:00-8:30pm on Zoom. Hosted by the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship in Morehead City. The event will include a viewing of the short documentary, Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem (click on link for the film trailer), followed by a Q&A with Lisa A. “L.A.” Jones, a retired Warden of the Federal Prison System
The documentary covers the racial inequality inherent in our criminal justice system, stretching back to post-reconstruction, which charges 13 million Americans a year, mostly poor, Black and Brown people with misdemeanors.
CLIMATE JUSTICE CONGREGATIONAL PROJECT
Having received UUFH approval to continue with this vital project, we can now move forward with some on-hold activities and seek new opportunities for congregational education and action, including use of UUA/& UU Justice NC resources, and continuing UUtheVote advocacy, with a focus on fair redistricting and voter rights.
We’ll add a new emphasis on the 8th principle per a separate congregational vote held at our Annual Meeting.
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 accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
For more information about the 8th Principle, see 8thprincipleuu.org/background. This UUA site is organized by responses to these key questions:
what is the origin?
why now?
why single out racism?
what is beloved community”
what does it mean to be accountable?
Henderson County COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING – SURVEY
Henderson County is starting comprehensive planning. This is an important opportunity for you to have a voice in how our county grows and develops to meet the challenges of climate change, a growing population, and increased pressures on our built and natural environments.
This link is MountainTrue’s guide, information about the survey:
NOTE: UUFH Justice Worker NEWS also has more detailed information from Mountain True. ( if you wish to be added to the newsletter, contact Charlotte Corrigan hcorrigan@nullmsn.com )
A MountainTrue program has been announced per the League of Women Voters: “Sustainable, Responsible Growth”, Wednesday, November 3 5.00pm via Zoom.
Chris Joyell, Director, Healthy Communities, and Gray Jernigan, Southern Regional Director & Green Riverkeeper, will share guidance to assist public participation in the Henderson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan will serve as the vision and guide for development for the next 25 years, and Henderson County is currently soliciting public input via a series of public meetings and a community survey available on the Henderson County Planning Department website.
Register for Zoom program HERE. Complete County Survey HERE.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS – Henderson County
From our partners at YOU CAN VOTE: Are you ready to #VOTELOCAL?
Did you know? According to NC Policy Watch, “how one person decided to vote – or not to vote made the difference in who won or lost an election in 39 North Carolina cities in 2019.
Local elections have started in NC cities and towns. You Can Vote has new tools to make sure you and your community are ready to keep up the momentum from 2020. It’s time to make your voice heard to make a local impact!
LEARN HOW LOCAL ELECTIONS AFFECT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT
Local lawmakers’ decisions impact community safety, civil rights, and environmental protections. They decide how your local government spends your tax dollars for services you and your community rely on. Check out this new interactive tool to explore how your municipal vote and tax dollars make the difference.
Henderson County
Per the Board of Elections website
One-stop EARLY VOTING for the General Election (Board of Elections Office 75 E. Central St., Hendersonville ONLY): – October 29 (8:30am – 5:00pm) and October 30th (8:00am – 3:00pm)
ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST DEADLINE for General Election: Oct 26 (5:00 pm)
ELECTION DAY – Municipal General election: November 2 (6:30am – 7:30pm)
Specific information on voting locations, candidates (sample ballots), absentee ballot information, etc., is available on the Board’s website. Similar Information can be found on the websites for other counties.
FYI, information about this election can also be found through the YOU CAN VOTE website and the League of Women Voters’ site, vote411.org
The more that we work together, the greater impact we have.