Supporting the Work of Justice

Aloha mai kākou,

Sunday, we enjoyed a moving, personal, impassioned, rousing service by Zac Fraser – you can see it, and any of our services, on our website or in our YouTube channel. By the way, it would be great if you would go to our UUHonolulu YouTube channel and click “subscribe.” We have 109 subscribers so far.  Please help us expand our reach by subscribing!!

Community Talk Story – We invited leaders of organizations working to help others in critical areas to come and share their organization’s mission, progress, and strategy. Over 30 joined for a lively and highly informative Talk Story – and all the bento boxes were eaten!

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Lynch, president of The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai‘i board, is also a member of our church as are her fellow board members, Rev. Dr. Thomas Lynch, Marie Anne, and me. TIAH leads and supports interfaith events across the state with the support of the Interfaith Alliance national organization, which “educates Americans about the threat of authoritarian theocracy, building interfaith communities who are showing up, and equipping them with the tools to defend our constitutionally-protected freedoms.” See their “Choose Love Not Ice” video here. Contact TIAH here.

Gaye Chan, conceptual artist and community leader introduced us to Oahu Rapid Response Coalition. ORRC educates the public about our rights, operates a hotline to intake and verify ICE sighting, dispatches Rapid Response volunteers to observe and document ICE activities, distributes community alerts and refers victims to support. Gaye gave us a mini demonstration of how to video ICE actions and Gaye will come here to do a 1 hour workshop on easy quick ways for us to use our phones to support due process- email me if you are interested.

Zac Fraser represented the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL Hawaii) and the Democratic Socialists of O’ahu (DSO Insta), and ANSWER which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. This umbrella group consists of many anti-war and civil rights organizations. Follow the links or speak with Zac about how you may join or support these groups.

John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas is the new executive director of Hawai‘i Childrens Action Network. For 30 years, HCAN has led Hawai‘i efforts to support children and families. Their focus now is how to make Hawai‘i the best place in the world for children. And for 30 years John-Paul has led education and civil rights programs across the country and in Latin America. We are so lucky to have him here. Talk to John-Paul or check out HCAN.

I (Rev. Deb, as Catherine likes to call me) spoke for Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i which I co-founded 16 years ago. Today I met with parents at Nanakuli Elementary school on the benefits of our Hawai‘i HĀ program which creates a framework for life in our schools Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Wellbeing and Hawai’i and Social Emotional Learning. PPS-Hawaii advocates for families and schools and delivers family engagement programs across the state. To join (it’s free) or donate just go to ppshi.org.

Francine Less spoke for our UUHonolulu/First Unitarian Honolulu Social Justice Team, chaired by Marie Anne. For years Marie and Francine have led continuous food distribution and support for non-profits serving the houseless and others. John-Paul, Paul Davis, Zac Fraser, Keif Arriola, and I are on the team to expand our policy and partnership efforts. We expect to launch “Social Justice Learning Circles” facilitated by John-Paul very soon. Talk to Francine or Marie or any of us.

There are others who wanted to join us but were booked. We will organize another Social Justice Talk Story soon. Let us know if there are groups you want to hear from. We will have representatives from ACLU and, CAP, Cat Brady’s Community Alliance on Prisons here again soon as we have partnered with both for years.

It is a joy to work with you, mahalo for all you do!

Rev. Deborah
minister@unitariansofhi.org
808-367-0710
office hours: Wednesday 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm schedule a meeting