A UU Conversation About Federal Policy and Economic Justice at UUA General Assembly 2026

Join our UUCC Workshop:
Saturday, June 20 at 12 pm ET, 9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT
Speakers: Diane Pansire, Dr. Kimberly Arias, Denise Moorehead

How does extreme wealth shape our democracy, our communities, and our daily lives? What role does federal policy play in widening or reducing economic inequality? And what might Unitarian Universalist values ask of us in this moment?

This June, UUCC will host a workshop exploring class, wealth and public policy in an era of increasing economic concentration. Together, we will examine how federal policies related to taxation, housing, labor, healthcare, education and social programs influence who has opportunity, security and power in American society.

The workshop is designed to be thoughtful, accessible and grounded in curiosity rather than ideology. Participants do not need any background in economics or politics. Through discussion, reflection and real-world examples, we will consider how systems shape lived experience and how our faith calls us toward dignity, fairness, compassion and the common good.

Whether you are deeply engaged in these questions or simply curious to learn more, all are welcome. We hope this conversation will deepen understanding, foster respectful dialogue, and encourage us to reflect together on what justice and interdependence mean in our time.

The workshop is being offered in partnership with the UUA General Assembly Program and is open to GA attendees. Advance registration is required.

Class Perspectives

Would you like to tell UUCC your class story? We want to hear from you about how you identify, whether your class identity has changed throughout your past experiences, and how. One of our Steering Committee members, Lily Cho, is open for a recorded Zoom conversation with any congregation members. Contact Lily this month at info@uuclassconversations.org . These conversations will be edited for content and shared to give viewers a better understanding of social class and classism through a UU justice lens. They will be available on the UU Class Converations website — much like the written stories currently on the site.

The Wealth of Nations

by Rev. Robert  (Bob) Murphy

Speak truth to power. The moral questions about new technology are always the same. Same questions for space travel, social media, genetic engineering, nuclear power and other topics that come to mind.

• Who controls the new technology and how is it used?
• Who benefits and who pays the price?

You’ll have a rough ride in the 21st century if you are not asking those questions.

In 1776, two things happened that are still worth noting. In Philadelphia, the American
rebels produced their Declaration of Independence. On the other side of the Atlantic, the
philosopher Adam Smith produced The Wealth of Nations. Smith was a Christian who
expressed sympathy for the poor. Read more …

Mutual Aid Advocacy Pilot Project

When the UUCC began its work seeding conversations around issues of class over a decade ago, we were aiming to fill a need of that moment: building an awareness, a working vocabulary and a set of tools to address classism.

In the current political and economic climate–made all the more precarious by rising costs, shrinking safety nets and increasing harm to working-class communities–it is mutual aid networks we believe will help us meet the challenge of the moment, providing an essential if nascent infrastructure for survival, dignity and collective resilience. We’re therefore seeking congregations interested in piloting such a project.

This mutual aid pilot phase is an opportunity for participants to learn how to hold money as a shared commons: how decisions are made, how funds move quickly and with care, and how we remain accountable to one another without surveillance or conditionality. After this initial period, we hope to move toward a centralized mutual aid fund that is accessible across the UUCC network.

Please be in touch with Denise Moorehead info@uuclassconversations.org or uuclassbridges@gmail.com if this sounds like a timely and potentially transformative project for your congregation

Eli Poore and Peter Bermudes

Celebrate Pride Month 2026

Call Out and Resist Increased Oppression

It’s Pride Month, which honors the LGBTQ+ community’s history, resilience and ongoing struggle for equality. While it originated from the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, it has since evolved into a global celebration of identity, visibility and activism, emphasizing both joy and justice.

As you know, the federal government, along with many state legislatures, has been rolling back rights and replacing them with repressive legislation that further diminishes the class advantage our LGBTQ+ family, friends, congregation members and peers.

Here are a few resources that provide more on the intersection of class and sexual orientation – and some that can help you join the fight to end this insidious form of discrimination. Do a bit of research with the search term LGBTQ2+ and social class. You will find countless resources to educate yourself further, so you can effectively advocate for equity and equality.

Learn

The Wage Gap Among LGBTQ+ Workers in the United States, Human Rights Campaign: In an HRC Foundation analysis of nearly 7,000 full-time LGBTQ+ workers, median earnings were about 90% of the median weekly wage a typical worker earns in the United States, as reported in 2021 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. NOTE: The most recent quarterly report for 2026 does not include information on the LGBTQ+ segment of the U.S. population. LGBTQ+ people of color, transgender women and men and nonbinary individuals earn even less when compared to the typical worker.

The LGBTQI+ Community Reported High Rates of Discrimination in 2024, Center for American Progress: CAP survey findings show that the U.S. LGBTQI+ community experiences high rates of discrimination, challenges in accessing health care, and more.

State Profiles of LGBT Poverty in the United States, Williams Institute: This report provides a regional look at the impact of sexual orientation on rights and wealth.

The LGBTQ Wealth Gap, lgbtq-economics.org: The cost of economic obstacles adds up to significant wealth gap between LGBTQ+ Americans and their heterosexual/cisgender peers.

A new program and policies to fight global anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, Harvard Kennedy School

Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2026, ACLU

Act

Pink Haven Coalition, UU Service Committee

Uplift and Welcoming Congregations, UUA LGBTQ+ Ministries

Human Rights Campaign

The U.N.’s international support

Amnesty International

List of LGBTQ rights organizations in the United States, Wikipedia

List of LGBTQ rights organizations around the world, Wikipedia