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. When he wakes up the next morning, the Grail and the Grail Castle have disappeared and he must quest for years before he finds them again.
In childhood we all quest for justice; we want things to be “fair?.” Many of us were adolescents and young adults in 1960s when we formed our core beliefs about justice and politics. We had many heroes. For me, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was preeminent.
Taking this story back another generation, my father was Jewish, a World War II veteran. Yet it was the Great Depression more than the war that formed his worldview and his lifelong habits. He didn’t believe in God, but he did believe in FDR.
I doubt that Abraham Lincoln would recognize today’s Republican Party, but sadly many people still appear to think FDR would be proud of the current Democratic Party. They blame the defeat of corporate Democratic candidates on the 0.1% and on the 90%. Though not all UUs are in the 9.9% (see The Atlantic article “The 9.9 Percent is the New American Aristocracy”), it is the demographic we tend to attract.
UUSJ’s Advocacy Corps is doing great work on the Hill. And some of us have concluded that it would be great to have more receptive electeds to whom we could address our advocacy. UUSJ is also working with UUA on voter registration and get out the vote, for which they held webinar on July 17 and will be holding a second webinar in August (more info here).
However, taking a leaf from the Tea Party, the Indivisibles, the Poor People’s Campaign, and others, we know that we need to be continuously engaged in the fight for political justice. We need to elect candidates willing and able to fight for systemic change.
It’s time we flex our political and advocacy muscle. Within our congregations and within UUSJ and other UU organizations, there’s much we can do within the limitations of the Tax Code. Outside of our congregations and organizations, there are allies just waiting for our time, talent, treasure, and compassion. Let’s do this together!
Blessed be,
Rev. Earl W. Koteen
UU Justice Minister
Berkeley, CA
If you’d like to learn more, please send an email with “Roots of Justice” as the subject and including your phone number in the body, to info@uusj.org.