Opinion Articles on Social Justice topics
(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
I was listening to a 2015 speech by former California congress member and former Oakland mayor Ron Dellums, who died recently of cancer, called “Vietnam: The Power of Protest.” He shared how young people have asked him about the difference between his generation–the generation of the Black Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War protests–and … Continue reading Elisabeth Geschiere on “Why I Believe Nonviolent Direct Action* is Imperative”
Sitting in the hot tent I could feel the damp air rising from the ground while I held my two-week old baby. I found myself in an unintentional sauna in DC. Just two hours before, 25,000 people gathered across the National Mall for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (PPC: NCMR). … Continue reading Rev. Tanner on “I Was A Wearied Kind of Ready: Lessons from Poor People’s Campaign”
There are many versions of the Grail legend. In one of them, Percival, the original Grail knight, sees the Grail when he is an adolescent. However, he fails to ask the critical question: Who does the Grail serve? He does not ask because his parents have taught him that it is impolite to ask questions. … Continue reading Rev. Koteen on “Discovering the Roots of Injustice: How Political and Economic Inequity Are Foundational to All Oppressions”
