Opinion Articles on Social Justice topics
And now we add Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta Georgia to the list… The moving protests–in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought together young and old, working and retired, every ethnicity and racial background in the past weeks since the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Tony McDade. This defining moment … Continue reading Systemic Racism & Poverty
A couple of years ago, I was at a rally in front of the Maryland statehouse in Annapolis calling for stronger police accountability in cases of police brutality and misconduct. A local reporter, seeing my clergy collar, asked why I was there. I’m a former journalist so I began by giving a detailed synopsis of … Continue reading Calling Us to Ground Justice Work in Our UU Faith
I recently returned from walking for 18 days and 275 miles through the mountains of northeastern Portugal and northwestern Spain—my third time walking the Camino de Santiago (a network of ancient Christian pilgrimage routes in Europe and Spain). For me, walking the Camino was a precious opportunity to leave the busy-ness of my day-to-day life … Continue reading Rev. John Saxon on You Can Run (or Walk), But You Can’t Hide
(By Larry Underwood, UUSJ Board member from Bull Run Unitarian Universalists, Manassas, VA) In July I re-visited the Alaska I had lived in for 22 years, when it was largely pristine wilderness. I joined the annual summer tour of Alaska sponsored by four Alaskan UU congregations. I went seeking the beauty, excitement, and wildlife for … Continue reading Can We Keep the Climate Crisis From Becoming A Climate Catastrophe?
It started with the question I was asking myself and my friends, what can we do to highlight the unfair separation of children from parents? And a realization of personal conviction that “no child should go to bed without a parent or loved one to tuck them in at night.” This came to my mind … Continue reading Alex Kohn on Where are the Children? (June 9, 2019)
My Grandma Rose Siciliano and Grandpa Louie Scrivo both came to this country as children in about 1907 from southern Italy. Their peasant families sought refuge from the poverty, exploitation and violence that gripped their daily lives. They dreamed of a better life. Like today’s immigrants, they and their families left all they knew – … Continue reading Rev. Karen Lee Scrivo on Immigration Journeys
The shutdown is over — for now — perhaps better stated, it’s on pause, certainly so on the political front, as the new February deadline looms. But the economic and social costs have yet to be fully tallied or analyzed. Early work suggests pervasive effects and consequences will be felt. And, deeply divisive legislative and … Continue reading Pablo DeJesús on the Shutdown “Pause” – Notes for Justice Seekers
As the nights become longer, and our days become colder, I feel my body slowing down, craving warmth and demanding in no uncertain terms: rest. I have spent the last 24 months, not unlike many of you, protesting almost daily, working in overdrive and drinking too much coffee. And I know I am not alone. … Continue reading Alicia Sanchez Gill Freemyn on The Politics of Inherent Worth & Dignity — Our Continuing Journey
The summer of 2018 was rough. It began with several difficult transitions and then, in August, I was told that my position was being eliminated – the second time in two years I faced unemployment. I found another job with my employer quickly, so I thought I’d celebrate with a long weekend at the beach … Continue reading Patricia Malarkey on Talking Back to Corporations
The federal policy of separating families – children from parents, income-earners from dependents – is not new. In June, it jumped into bold relief with the U.S. Department of Justice’s action to criminalize people for exercising their right to seek asylum, then incarcerate them without tracking where they and their children were sent. But detention, … Continue reading Eleanor Piez on the Federal Policy of Separating Families
