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We are thrilled to announce Deepa Iyer as a Featured Speaker at General Assembly 2025! A writer, strategist, and justice advocate, Deepa brings a wealth of experience in movement building, community solidarity, and social change.

Deepa will offer insight into how we, as Unitarian Universalists, can strengthen our collective efforts for justice and deepen our commitment to building a more equitable world. Whether you are new to activism or a seasoned advocate, her message will inspire and challenge us all.

Deepa Iyer is a writer, strategist, and lawyer who has been engaged in supporting social movements for justice over the past 25 years. Currently, Deepa is the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Building Movement Project, a national nonprofit organization that catalyzes social change through research, strategic partnerships, and resources for movements and nonprofits. Deepa conducts workshops and trainings, uplifts narratives through the Solidarity Is This podcast, and facilitates solidarity strategy for cohorts and networks. Previously, she has held positions at Race Forward, South Asian Americans Leading Together, the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, and the Asian American Justice Center.

Deepa’s first book, We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future (The New Press, 2015), chronicles community-based histories in the wake of 9/11 and received a 2016 American Book Award. In 2017, Deepa developed the widely-used social change ecosystem map, which is the basis of two new books: Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection, which was part of Self Magazine’s 13 of the Best Self-Help Books for Anyone Looking for a Little Inspiration, and We Are The Builders!, Deepa’s debut children’s picture book.

Deepa serves on the advisory council of the Emergent Fund and the Festival Center. She frequently teaches classes on Asian American Studies, social movements and public policy at the university level. She has received an honorary doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Deepa moved to Kentucky from Kerala (India) when she was twelve years old. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School and Vanderbilt University. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Deepa Iyer at GA 2025!

Register now to be part of this important conversation.

For many Unitarian Universalists, attending the UUA General Assembly is more than just a gathering—it’s a moment of deep connection and belonging. In the most recent edition of UU World, Paula Gribble shares how her first GA in 2009 changed everything:

“But in 2009, it truly happened. I was attending the UUA General Assembly in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was my first GA ever, and I was most excited to sing in the choir. The first time I stepped onto that stage and looked out at the audience, I wept. Somehow, being from that vantage point and seeing all those people—thousands of UUs, singing together and swaying to the music—brought me to a place I thought I’d never find. Instead of liking it, I felt it.

Instead of simply hearing it, I felt the words flow through my entire body.

In that moment, we all believed in something together. We all put our hearts into something. This something, beyond anything I’d experienced before, this was church. This was my faith. And after that, instead of saying, ‘I go to a UU church,’ I started saying, ‘I am a Unitarian Universalist.'”

Paula Gribble has served UU congregations for twenty years as a music director, membership professional, and religious educator. She is currently the director of Lifespan Religious Education at the UU Community of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Join us at GA 2025 in Baltimore and online—where voices rise together, hearts open, and faith deepens.

Each year, the UUA Board of Trustees leads the governance process at General Assembly, shaping the key discussions and decisions that guide our faith movement. The tentative business agenda for GA 2025 is now available, outlining what delegates can expect during this year’s General Sessions.

GA 2025 Tentative Business Agenda

The tentative business agenda was posted on February 28, 2025, in accordance with UUA Bylaws. We encourage you to review the agenda (PDF, 2 pages) to stay informed about the business matters coming before the Assembly.

Moderator Election

GA 2025 will include an important election for UUA Moderator—a key leadership role within our Association. Stay updated on the candidates and the election process.

Key Deadlines for Delegates

The governance process includes opportunities for delegates to propose and refine Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs)—urgent social justice issues that Unitarian Universalists may choose to take up at GA. Mark these important dates:

• March 18 – AIW draft submissions open (with feedback available for early submissions).
• April 12 – Deadline for AIWs to receive Commission on Social Witness (CSW) feedback.
• May 12 – Deadline for all proposed AIWs.
• May 19 – Final business agenda posted.
• June 6 – Final AIW proposals due after online discussions.
• June 11 – Last-minute AIWs may be submitted (for emergent issues only).

For more information on governance at GA, email governance@uua.org. Stay engaged, stay informed, and get ready to participate in shaping the future of Unitarian Universalism!

Delegates at General Assembly can discuss and vote on business items and motions during General Sessions. The registration process is the same for both delegates and non-delegates, and delegates can register before or after confirming their delegate status.

Ways to Participate:

• In-Person: Multiplatform in-person registration is required to attend in-person General Sessions and other in-person GA programming. It also includes access to GA 2025 virtual programming and networking on the Whova event app. (Single-day registrations do not include online programming.) Delegates will use the GA Delegate Platform for resources, discussion, and voting.
• Online: Online registration includes access to GA 2025 on the Whova event app. Delegates will use Whova for online programming and the GA Delegate Platform for resources, discussion, and voting.
• Business-Only Online: This option provides access to the GA Delegate Platform for discussion and voting but does not include GA programming, the Whova app, networking opportunities, or the exhibit hall.
• Election Only: Delegates do not need to register for General Assembly to vote in UUA elections. Election ballots will be sent via email.

Before you go, let the echoes of last year’s GA Sunday Service stay with you. The soul-stirring song “We Are Weaving Our Lives” by Alexa Sunshine Rose, performed so beautifully by bēheld, reminded us that we are constantly creating—threading together our hearts, minds, and experiences into something greater than ourselves.

We are thrilled that bēheld will once again lead us in music at the 2025 Service of the Living Tradition, weaving a soundscape of spirit and connection.

See you in Baltimore and online—where we will continue to weave, together.