Category: Commentary

Opinion Articles on Social Justice topics

An Interfaith Effort With Our Muslim Neighbors By Marc DeFrancis, UU Church of Arlington, VA

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It was a blessedly sunny Saturday afternoon in early December, and there in Falls Church, Virginia, more than a hundred of us–Muslims and Catholics and Protestants and Jews and UUs–had converged on the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center to help pack the thousands of blankets and coats the mosque’s members had been collecting for months … Continue reading An Interfaith Effort With Our Muslim Neighbors By Marc DeFrancis, UU Church of Arlington, VA

Will You Join Me to Take Action to Reduce Gun Violence? By Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson, UUSJ Secretary & member of Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church

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My wife and I were in Budapest four years ago and one evening we were on Castle Hill, a culturally and historically significant place in Budapest. It was late evening and we had missed the bus to the train station so we decided to walk the under a mile distance. We passed a modern building … Continue reading Will You Join Me to Take Action to Reduce Gun Violence? By Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson, UUSJ Secretary & member of Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church

What the Right to Vote Means to Me by Rev. Dr. Linda Olson Peebles, Faith in Action Minister, UU Church of Arlington, VA & President, UU Ministers Association

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This year, the day August 18 took on greater meaning for me than it has in the past. August 18 is the day 95 years ago in 1920 when the 19th amendment to the US constitution was ratified. That amendment granted women the right to vote. Why is the date more notable to me this … Continue reading What the Right to Vote Means to Me by Rev. Dr. Linda Olson Peebles, Faith in Action Minister, UU Church of Arlington, VA & President, UU Ministers Association

Environmental Justice: When Only Love Is Enough by Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, River Road UU Church

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I grew up as a rather prayerful Catholic girl in the middle of nowhere. And perhaps more than any innate sense of justice-seeking, more than any clearly delineated theology – the hallmark of my religious sensibility in those early years was the fact that I was absolutely enamored by the beauty of the sacred. In … Continue reading Environmental Justice: When Only Love Is Enough by Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd, River Road UU Church

Reflections on Labor Day: Automation — Job Enhancer rather than Destroyer? by Terry Steichen, UU Church of Fairfax

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Labor Day calls attention to the concern that many are worried that increasing automation within the workplace will further accelerate the already-unacceptable level of job loss.  As is clearly evident, the  growing gap between the dividend-clipping wealthy and those who make their living with real, salaried jobs is huge and still growing, exacerbating the wealth … Continue reading Reflections on Labor Day: Automation — Job Enhancer rather than Destroyer? by Terry Steichen, UU Church of Fairfax

“Act for a Livable Climate” Action of Immediate Witness Passes at 2015 UUA General Assembly by Doris Marlin

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As heat records were being set for the month of June in Portland, Oregon, Unitarian Universalists were stepping up to leadership for a Strong and Compassionate Global Climate Agreement in December 2015.  The 10+-person “Act for a Livable Climate” Clipboard Team collected 500+ signatures that led to the overwhelming Action of Immediate Witness adoption by the 2015 General … Continue reading “Act for a Livable Climate” Action of Immediate Witness Passes at 2015 UUA General Assembly by Doris Marlin

Why I Believe Black Lives Matter by John Harris

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As a Unitarian Universalist who takes the seven principles to heart, I do believe that “All Lives Matter”. So, why do I wear a button that reads “Black Lives Matter”? First let me clear up a misconception; “Black Lives Matter” does not say that other lives don’t matter. There are sections of our society that are saying (overtly or covertly) that black lives matter less.

Rev. Terry Ellen, former UUSJ Executive Director – What the Pope’s Encyclical Means for UUs and Everyone Else

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  I’d like to share with you why the Pope’s encyclical on climate is so important and what we can do in support. I began my interest on climate when the evidence became clear that our warming world was having disastrous consequences for the poor, marginalized, and most vulnerable – children of course included – … Continue reading Rev. Terry Ellen, former UUSJ Executive Director – What the Pope’s Encyclical Means for UUs and Everyone Else