Let’s Reclaim Our Democracy, In Ernest

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Photo: April 21, 2025 Rally at First Parish in Concord

 

My name is Fred Van Deusen, and I have the honor of being both the Leader of the Reclaim Our Democracy group at First Parish in Concord, MA, and a member of the UUSJ Democracy Action Team. The UUSJ Democracy Action Team comprises a group of volunteers, nearly all of whom lead democracy groups within their local congregations. This helps keep us grounded in practical actions that our congregations can undertake. This article primarily focuses on the work done by my local group in Concord, while also providing a broader national UUSJ perspective.

The Reclaim Our Democracy team was formed in 2016, as the First Parish in response to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Congregational Study Action Issue titled “The Corruption of Our Democracy”. Our goal is to “reclaim our democratic rights as citizens of the United States of America to have a government that truly represents and supports the needs and desires of all people”.

I’m proud to say we’ve accomplished some very good things in the past nine years.

Lots of great organizing, volunteer elbow grease, and cause for celebration behind each of these — all good. But where are we now? How do we move forward to meet the moment? How do we defend and support those who are vulnerable? These are the questions we Unitarian Universalists are asking ourselves, each other, and those beyond UUism. 

None of us has ever faced an attack on our democracy like the one we face now. Our basic values as Americans, as UU’s, as human beings, are under attack by the current administration and its supporters.

It’s not going to be easy to confront this attack, and it’s going to take some time to get the country on a better track. But we must act with urgency and purpose. The authoritarian playbook has been developed over centuries and is difficult to counter. But many countries have managed to do just that. Now it’s our turn in the U.S.

Here is what my networks are discussing and thinking:

Faith groups such as ours can utilize a moral framework to speak to abuses of power and leverage our influence to strengthen democracy. We can model loving defiance through courageous acts of noncooperation and civil disobedience. Common values can unite us with other groups, despite differences in outlook and specific interests. We can provide physical infrastructure, interpersonal networks, and other practical resources to aid the movement. We can help a lot.

The 2025 UUA Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism, a Call to Action: Reaffirming Our Covenant for Democracy and Freedom encourages us to do this work in several ways, offering concrete steps to get started on execution:

  • develop and pass a congregational resolution (or statement if that is easier) that rejects authoritarianism and supports our commitment to democracy
  • collaborate with other social action groups in the congregation, join other local pro-democracy groups, and build a local interfaith coalition to oppose authoritarianism
  • offer education and nonviolence resistance training
  • participate in community events to protect vulnerable populations, and
  • promote and participate in national mobilizations and rallies

The Reclaim Our Democracy team has begun working directly with the First Parish Immigration Justice Task Force on joint activities, such as the ICE standouts in Burlington, MA. The First Parish Social Action Leadership Council members will seek opportunities to collaborate on joyful, synergistic actions and events, such as the Democracy Festival, aiming to bring our community beyond its silos, both within our walls and beyond.

Working with Concord Indivisible, we are sponsoring and co-sponsoring important events and rallies such as the No Kings rally held recently at the Old North Bridge. 

And we are keeping an eye out for upcoming mobilizations, like the November 7th student-led event organized by Frontline For Freedom and Sunrise. 

We also have a strong connection with the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ), who authored and presented both the immigration and democracy actions of immediate witness at the last UUA General Assembly. (UUSJ is also a partner and endorser for November 7th.)

The UUSJ Democracy Action Team has been holding monthly meetings with democracy team leaders in congregations across the country for the past 18 months and is working with them to implement the democracy Action of Immediate Witness. It’s very exciting to see this come together.

And yet, it’s easy to be discouraged. But action is the antidote to despair.

It’s often not obvious what individuals can do to overcome this feeling of hopelessness. 

Let’s start by really listening to what other social action teams in your congregation are grappling with, working on, or promoting. Start internally. Then, sign up for the newsletter of your favorite UU organizations: UUSJ, SWL, UUMFE, UUJEC, UUSC, or UUTV.  Consider reading Substack newsletters (e.g., Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Reich) as you gain a deeper understanding of the landscape and justice-making ecosystem.

Follow the guidance in the AIW. Join or form a team to work together in fellowship and community. That could be within your congregation or in your local community. Wherever you are, represent our faith tradition’s commitment to democracy and solidarity with those being harmed. Intentionally connect with interfaith or secular coalitions active in your community—there are so many.

Get into the regular practice of signing up to participate in the actions where UUs can and should be present and visible. UUSJ maintains a current list of Actions and Events you can reference. Move beyond turfism in this fight for our democracy.

Doing these things can position you and your congregation to be brave in thinking about what else? What next?

We are taking an important step at First Parish in Concord; I encourage you to join us in this effort as well. We have developed a Draft Resolution that we want the congregation to adopt. We aim to achieve a shared understanding of the stakes and then foster unity of purpose regarding our response. We heard UUSJ’s call for faithful defiance, and we are moving to meet the moment. 

As we do this work, we think of the words of our First Parish benediction. They mean more now than ever before, and we must live them – really live them – to the fullest.

We say Go out into the world in peace

We need to be involved in what is happening to the world and to this country. The actions we take must continue to be nonviolent.

Have courage

Courage is essential in this moment – we can not give in to tyranny.

Hold on to what is good

Our basic values, our families, our friends, our church

Return to no person evil for evil

This has been challenging for some of us, when we think of particular individuals that are causing great harm. Resisting this harm is definitely not evil. It is both good and essential.

Strengthen the faint-hearted

In this moment, many of us are the faint-hearted. We need to join with others to build our strength and overcome the authoritarian attacks on all of us. We are stronger and more powerful together.

Support the weak, help the suffering, honor all beings

Our empathy is much needed. Our actions to support those being attacked are essential. This is a time of great need. We are the ones to provide it.

This benediction needs to serve as a reminder to all of us. Each week as we say our benediction together, please think of it as the motivation to participate in this movement to save our country. It can be a small act or a greater contribution. Our country needs us now, perhaps more now than ever before. Let’s do this together.

Perhaps the benediction you say in your congregations can be adapted this way. Join with us in this effort to save our country. In numbers we have strength!

 

By Fred Van Deusen