Don’t miss the Welcoming Congregation Module October 10, 11:20-1:20!  As a Welcoming Congregation, our community commits every year to a number of renewal practices to ensure we send a clear a message that our doors are open to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.  The fourth Practice of Welcome Renewal is a Welcoming Congregation Module or training.  This year, we are fortunate to have the talented Thaddeus Pham of the Hawaii Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Services Branch (HRSB). He coordinates services statewide for people at-risk for and living with viral hepatitis through systems integration and collaboration with public and private partners.  Thaddeus will start out with a brief introduction, we’ll watch Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice: Mapping a Detroit Story (2015) as a community, and then Thadeus Pham will lead us in a guided discussion.  Please come!  Your attendance is important to maintain our status as a welcoming congregation.

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Looking for incisive talks on the most important questions of our times? Check out “Better Tomorrow Speaker Series”.  Register for a great talk this Thursday, Sept 30 at noon for “Going All In: Levers for Climate Action” with Kim Cobb, Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology and director of the Global Change Program and a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022 report. 

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UU Social Witness Convenings on Oct. 6 & 13

• WEDNESDAY, OCT 6, 7-9 PM ET/4-6 PM PT 
  • “Defend and Advocate with Transgender, Nonbinary, and Intersex Communities”
  • “Stop Voter Suppression and Partner for Voting Rights and a Multiracial Democracy” 
• Wednesday, Oct 13, 7-9 pm ET/4-6 pm PT
  • “The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage.”
  • “Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action”

All UUs are invited–no prior experience or knowledge is necessary! The meeting will take place via Zoom. Zoom accessibility features are outlined here at this link. 

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We Must Include Pathways to Citizenship For Essential Workers and their Families

UUSJ joins #WeAreHome, Faith in Action, and Side with Love to insist that Congress include pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, farmworkers, and all essential workers plus their family members who are not already US citizens or legal permanent residents.  We call on both the House and the Senate to consider using the reconciliation process to pass a budget that includes such pathways. They can find a way! Take action here.

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Let’s Build A Fact-Based Understanding Of Slavery – Pass H.R. 40

We need H.R. 40 to study American Slavery in an official governmental capacity, to render official facts, and make official recognition of harms. That is how we start a process of healing. It’s the best hope we have for true national unity — in the long term. We need H.R. 40 to examine the impact of chattel slavery, Black Codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow, redlining, access to fair housing, education, employment opportunities, disproportionate taxation, and more. That is how we start on the road to end institutional racism.  Take action here.

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In the Budget, Congress must Take Bold Action for Climate, Jobs, and Justice

The urgency of the climate crisis has again been brought home by horrific record heat waves, historic drought, and early-season wildfires. While the need for action has never been clearer, there is only a narrow path for getting adequate legislation enacted that will provide a realistic chance of stabilizing global warming in time to avert catastrophic changes.  Take action here.

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Stop voter suppression and partner for voting rights and a multiracial democracy

Our 5th UU Principle, “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large” compels us to advocate for a healthy inclusive democratic process.  Support S1 For the People Act, John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and S.51 Washington D.C. Admission Act.  Take action here.