By Bennett Minton A series of textbooks written for the fourth, seventh, and 11th grades taught a generation of Virginians our state’s history. Chapter 29 of the seventh-grade edition, titled “How the Negroes Lived Under Slavery,” included these sentences: “A feeling of strong affection existed between masters and slaves in a majority of Virginia homes.” … Continue reading Lies our textbooks told my generation of Virginians about slavery
“One discovers the light in the darkness, that is what darkness is for, but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light.” James Baldwin As Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ), we are called by our principles to promote social justice and to vehemently oppose unjust, inhumane public policies everywhere. The recent murders … Continue reading Juneteenth 2020: Racial Justice Cannot Wait
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
