Earth Day Message, Mental Health Month, Free Workshop and No Kings Day #3

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April 2026

Earth Day Message

From Alcatraz to Alligator Alcatraz

By Reverend Robert (Bob) Murphy

In 2011, the national Sierra Club gave me a special service award in recognition of 40 years of service. As far as I know, I’m the only clergy person who has received a national Sierra Club award that acknowledges ministry.

Lack of Cross-Class Participation

Looking back, I have some mixed feelings. Yes, the big environmental protection organizations did some good in creating Earth Day in 1970. Still, we could have done a lot more to build cross class conversations. There were some flashes of enlightenment, but most environmentalists, in most places, lived in a bourgeois bubble.

It was a tragic situation. When the 1970 Earth Day happened, American Indians and their allies were occupying the abandoned prison complex on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Warships moved towards the conflicts in Southeast Asia. California farm workers were organizing. The Earth Day organizers were silent.

Widening the Environmental Agenda

What saved part of the environmental protection movement was the rise of environmental justice work during the 1980s. BIPOC communities questioned the narrow agenda of organizations like the Sierra Club. When the twenty-first century arrived, environmentalists had a better understanding of BIPOC resistance to oppression.

Fast forward to the era of Donald Trump and some nasty developments in Florida. Last year, the state of Florida built Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades. It’s a concentration camp that may have seen 7,000 people detained by ICE agents. Since July, the Miccosukee and Seminole nations and their allies have been protesting against the camp. The Indians want to protect their homelands. And they’re outraged by the abuse of prisoners.

What’s New for UU?

No-Cost Workshop: Exploring Class and Classism

Sunday, April 19th

4 p.m. ET; 3 p.m. CT; 2 p.m. MT; 1 p.m. PT

Our free UU Class Conversations hour-long online training will introduce you to the concepts – and real-life significance – of social class and classism. Explore the many ways that your social class background has shaped your worldview, and discuss the many ways that classism negatively impacts our UU communities and those far beyond our walls. Learn more…

Sign up today for this free Zoominar:

No-Cost Class Zoominar

Social Class and Mental Health

April and May are Stress Awareness and Mental Health Awareness months. Taking care of mental health is critical. It is especially so during this current moment rife with war, civil rights pullbacks, and increased, unchecked discrimination against racial, gender and religious groups outside of the power elite.

As in so many other areas, social class plays a role in the level of stress one experiences and the level of support people dealing with mental health challenges can or cannot depend upon.

The following is one young woman’s story of how her mental health struggles were magnified and made worse by a lack of social class advantage. This post, which initially appeared on the Classism Exposed blog, has been edited for space. The author wished to remain anonymous.

Just Wanting to Be Happy

When I was in high school, I knew something was wrong with me. There were many days where I felt like I had lost all purpose in living. I remember crying a lot in my high school years. My chest would feel tight, the air would get thick, and my mind would race with negative thoughts, and then, I would breakdown in despair – sobbing and hyperventilating until I stopped. I was left with a numb feeling.

I had this preconceived idea that it was my fault for feeling sad, and if I wanted to be happy, I could just “be happy.” When someone in high school noticed tears silently sliding down my cheeks in class, I would reassure them that I was just stressed out. It was better than telling people the truth, “I don’t feel like being alive today.” Read more…

No Kings Rally #3

At the No Kings Rally in Boston–one of more than 3,000 around the world–there were young and old and multiple social classes standing together against injustice. People came from the cities and from the suburbs. One sign pointed out $200 billion spent on a war that would be better spent on healthcare. Other signs pointed out hypocrisy and cruelty of the administration.

A poster with an image of the Statue of Liberty called for people to “believe their eyes not their lies.” Everyone had something to say about the state of the federal administration. Speakers called for an end to the war and for the dignity and justice for immigrants. They called for a focus on kitchen table issues like affordable groceries and gas. While there were multiple issues highlighted, the crowd was united in resistance to the administration. Activist singing group BVocal lead a rousing version of “We’re Not Going to Take it Anymore.”

Do You Have a Class Story to Share?

It has been 10 years since UU Class Conversations began offering workshops to help our denomination grapple with issues of social class and classism. We would love to hear from congregations and organizations about their experience with a UUCC workshop and what changes evolved because of the workshop discussion and learnings. If you haven’t shared your congregation’s story with UU Class Conversations, we want to hear from you! Your story may be posted in this newsletter and/or on our website to inspire other congregations.

Send your story to info@uuclassconversations.org.

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