Visionary. Journalist. Changemaker. Imara Jones is Our 2025 Ware Lecturer. - Archived

A circular logo in the center reads "GA" with silhouettes of diverse people underneath, including individuals of various ages and abilities. The background of the letters features a glowing network pattern. Around the circle, text reads "General Assembly • Baltimore • June 18 - 22, 2025" in orange, and "Meet the Moment" in purple at the bottom. Behind the logo, several pairs of diverse hands are clasped together in unity against a softly blurred background.
Registration
Housing Reservations
Sponsorship, Exhibiting, and Advertising

View this email as a webpage

DIAMOND SPONSORS

Starr King School for the Ministry
Meadville Lombard Theological School
Liberal Religious Educators Association

PLATINUM SPONSORS

logo image
QuickBooks Made Easy for Nonprofits & Houses of Worship

GOLD SPONSORS

logo image
UU Addictions Ministry
uusc-logo-color image

Visionary. Journalist. Changemaker. Imara Jones is Our 2025 Ware Lecturer.

Each year, the UUA President invites a visionary leader to share their wisdom as the Ware Lecturer at General Assembly—and we’re thrilled to announce that Imara Jones will take the stage in 2025! An award-winning journalist, thought-leader, and changemaker, Imara is known for challenging conventional thinking and inspiring bold action to transform our world.

Imara, whose work has won Emmy and Peabody Awards, is the creator of TransLash Media, a cross-platform journalism, personal storytelling and narrative project, which produces content to shift the current culture of hostility towards transgender people in the US. As part of her work at TransLash, Imara hosts the WEBBY-nominated,  TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones as well as the investigative, limited series, The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality. In 2020 Imara was featured on the cover of Time Magazine as part of its New American Revolution special edition. In 2019 she chaired the first-ever UN High Level Meeting on Gender Diversity with over 600 participants. Imara’s work as a host, on-air news analyst, and writer focuses on the full-range of social justice and equity issues. Imara was also the first Journalist-in-Residence at WNYC’s The Greene Space where she hosted the monthly program Lives At Stake. Imara has been featured regularly in The Guardian, The Nation, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, Mic, and Colorlines. Imara has held economic policy posts in the Clinton White House and communications positions at Viacom. Imara holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia. Imara is a 2021 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow and a 2019 Soros Equality Fellow. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to serve on the New York City Commission on Gender Equity. She also serves on the boards of the Transgender Law Center, Anti-violence Project, GLSEN, the LGBTQ+ Museum, and the New Pride Agenda. Imara is also part of the Move to End Violence. She goes by the pronouns she/her.

The Ware Lecture is Saturday, June 21at 7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm CT / 5:00 pm MT / 4:00 pm PT. To witness this extraordinary moment, be sure to register for General Assembly. Your registration gives you access to the live-streamed lecture and on-demand video—don’t miss this opportunity to be moved, challenged, and inspired!

Strengthen Your Congregation – Strengthen Your Faith

A large audience sits in rows of chairs in a convention hall, watching a speaker at a podium on stage, with the speaker also shown on a large screen above. Two people sit on the floor in the foreground, one wearing a shirt that reads “Live in Paradise, Work at UUCON” with a message above that says “Are you our next minister?” Several attendees use mobility devices, and the atmosphere is focused and attentive.

Meet the Moment: Connect. Inspire. Transform.

GA workshops and sessions offer practical tools to help your congregation thrive—whether you’re growing membership, boosting stewardship, or engaging volunteers. Learn from congregations nationwide, develop leadership skills, and bring back fresh energy to your community. GA is an investment in the future of your congregation. Be part of the movement – register now.

Join us! Register today!

GA 2025 Updated Health & Safety Policy

red puzzle piece with the words "HEALTH AND SAFETY" in bold white letters is shown fitting into a white puzzle. The surrounding puzzle pieces are white, and one piece is missing, emphasizing the importance of health and safety as a crucial part of the whole.

Grounded in the 2024 Action of Immediate Witness calling us to center the needs of the most vulnerable, the UUA has developed a health and safety policy for in-person participation at General Assembly 2025. The policy is informed by public health advisors, accessibility advocates, and lessons learned from previous gatherings.

Key Measures:

  • All attendees must have completed a full course of COVID-19 vaccination (medical exemptions allowed).
  • Please take a rapid COVID test before traveling.
  • Anyone with symptoms of illness should participate online.
  • Masks are required at all GA-sponsored indoor events in the convention center, including the registration concourse and exhibit hall (except when actively eating or drinking).
  • Masks will be available onsite.

These steps reflect our commitment to collective care, especially for disabled and immunocompromised participants. GA 2025 will also offer a robust virtual participation option, with flexible registration for in-person or online attendance.

Read the full GA 2025 Health & Safety Policy

Ready to Take Collective Action?

A close-up image of a printed page where the word "Justice" is highlighted in green with a green highlighter. The surrounding text is partially visible and appears to be from a dictionary or legal text.

Are you fired up about an issue that demands urgent attention? Lead Unitarian Universalists in resistance, action, and witness by submitting an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) for the 2025 General Assembly!

AIWs are a powerful tool to mobilize our faith community around timely, critical concerns. When you propose an AIW, you help amplify our shared voice and inspire UUs across the country to act together for justice.

Submissions are due by Friday, May 12 – don’t miss your chance to spark real change.

Learn more and submit your AIW

Help Shape the Future: Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) Process is Back!

Three people participate in a street protest holding handmade signs. One person holds a bright pink sign that reads "Justice 4 All." Another holds a large black sign that says "I Want to Be Heard." The third person’s sign reads "We are Equal," with colorful, mixed-case lettering. They stand against a backdrop of buildings and a clear sky, expressing determination and solidarity.

After a brief hiatus, the Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) process is returning—and we invite your congregation to be part of it!

CSAI is a powerful tool for Unitarian Universalist congregations to come together around a common issue for study, reflection, and action over a three-year period. The goal? To deepen our collective understanding, shape Unitarian Universalist public witness, and strengthen our ability to make meaningful change in the world.

At the end of this process, delegates at General Assembly can vote to adopt a Statement of Conscience (SOC)—a formal expression of the values and policy positions of the UUA on that issue.

Feedback Sessions for Proposed CSAIs for 2025

This year, your input will help shape one of these timely and compelling CSAIs. We want to hear from you! Join us at one of our upcoming online feedback sessions to learn more, share your thoughts, and connect with others engaging these topics.

Abolition is Faith Formation

Tuesday, April 29 4:00pm PT / 5:00pm MT / 6:00pm CT / 7:00pm ET

Register here

Fat Liberation: Building Justice and Inclusion for Larger Bodies Thursday, April 17 5:00pm PT / 6:00pm MT / 7:00pm CT / 8:00pm ET Register here

Housing: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Monday, May 5 4:30pm PT / 5:30pm MT / 6:30pm CT / 7:30pm ET

Register here

Your voice is essential in shaping the UUA’s future commitments and actions. We hope you’ll join us!

Poll Question
Looking ahead to GA 2026, which format would you most prefer? (We’re exploring possibilities—your input will help shape the direction!)

Option 1: A fully virtual General Assembly, with all programming and business sessions online

Option 2: A virtual GA with business sessions online plus one large, UUA-organized national in-person gathering for worship, programming, and community

 

Option 3: A virtual GA with business sessions online plus programming resources for individuals, groups, and/or congregations who organize their own gatherings

Please select your preference
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Before You Go
Take a moment to revisit a powerful moment from General Assembly 2021. Watch “Diamond”, a moving rendition performed by Jake Zyrus alongside youth and young adults from First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. Featured in Sunday worship that year, this performance continues to shine with beauty and resilience.
YouTube link
A joyful attendee at General Assembly engages with the crowd, pointing and smiling. In the foreground, a fabric banner with "UU" in multicolored letters is visible. The background shows a diverse gathering of people in a lively and welcoming atmosphere. An orange banner in the bottom right corner reads: "MEET THE MOMENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2025. Register now: uua.org/ga," alongside the GA 2025 logo.
Facebook  Instagram  Web  Email
Unitarian Universalist Association | 24 Farnsworth St | Boston, MA 02210 US