2.18.25 Action Center Weekly Update

Side With Love

Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update.  Each week, we will provide a brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment, share immediate actions you can take, and provide helpful resources to deepen knowledge and practice of our collective work to side with love.   

Nothing is inevitable.  All justice movements are powered by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and build a loving world.  You are not alone.  We have power. Together we can practice and win a just and loving world where all of us thrive.   

Remember we build strong movements when we take action together. Organize teams and networks that can take these actions together.

We build strong movements when we take action together. Organize teams and networks to amplify impact. For support on practical organizing skills and support check out our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.

Democracy   

We are witnessing the consolidation of power in the hands of the few instead of the many.  Democracy is a process and practice grounded in our values of interdependence that affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all. We are the majority, but it will take organizing our communities to harness our power to defeat authoritarianism and build a truly multiracial democracy.  

The Update:   

The establishment of the rogue Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by an unelected billionaire Elon Musk is unconstitutional and a direct threat to democracy in all our institutions. The recent series of executive orders encompass actions such as dismissing inspectors general without proper notice to Congress, attempting to end birthright citizenship, and pardoning individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. This is an administrative coup, and it will require persistent action to block further erosion of democratic norms and build democratic power on the local, state, and national levels.   

Act: 

  • The Save Act would make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to register and vote by requiring strict proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, and other documents. Many Americans lack these documents, cannot easily or quickly obtain them, and cannot afford the fees for processing such documentation. The SAVE Act is a modern-day poll tax, and it is unnecessary and immoral. There is virtually no election fraud in our voting system, a minuscule number of people vote more than once—a tiny risk compared to a major obstacle to voting. -UUSJ    Tell your House member to preserve easy access to the vote!   

  • Building networks of care and support are essential for democracy. Review “25 Step You Can Take Beyond Protesting and Voting” from “In This Together LA” and build a team to support one or more of those actions.  

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Gender & LGBTQ Justice 

Every body is sacred.  Side With Love unapologetically affirms that trans people are divine, that abortion is a blessing, and that no one is disposable.  Attacks on identity is a part of a divide and conquer tactic that relies on the belief that one group's safety comes at the expense of another group's safety.  Solidarity is the moral and strategic mandate of our time, and we must rise to challenge these attacks and build communities of care and safety for all.   

The Update:   

State and federal attacks on trans people, abortion, and diversity, equity and inclusion have intensified.  The recent executive orders include directives to ban transgender individuals from military service and to restrict access to gender-affirming care for minors.  Abortion bans, staff purges, and the exclusion of people from sports, the workplace, and public life undermine everyone’s rights and protections.  Legal erasure, criminalization, and dehumanization are dangerous tactics that created the conditions for slavery, Japanese internment in the U.S., the Holocaust, and the current genocides in Sudan and Gaza.  We are clear that this administration will not act to protect and affirm trans individuals.   

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Decriminalization & Immigration   

Criminalization and dehumanization are a political and spiritual project. We must dismantle the false idea that safety for some must come at the expense of safety for others. As people of faith, we cannot affirm the worth and dignity of all while privileging the well-being of a chosen few. We proclaim a future where care and safety are abundant because our relationships are cultivated through mutuality, not domination.    

Migrant detention and deportation. The school to prison network and mass incarceration. Unceasing police violence toward Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Bills making protest and resistance movements illegal. Laws criminalizing poverty, gender identity and expression, sex work, abortion, accessing and providing health care. All of these forms of criminalization are used by the state to disrupt, disempower, and dehumanize our communities. 

Update:   

The Trump Administration’s executive orders have undermined the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and other critical humanitarian protections, targeting refugees, asylum seekers, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders, and immigrant communities. These policies and high profile deportations have stripped away fundamental human rights, created fear and uncertainty, and fueled xenophobia, Islamophobia, and division.  The Trump administration rescinded long-standing policies that prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from making arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The UUA has joined a lawsuit to halt immigration arrests at houses of worship. The US Congress will vote on the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act soon. The full text of the bill is available HERE. 

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climate justice   

A just and loving world is a flourishing world. If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence.   

The Update:   

Current policies pose significant threats to both climate stability and Indigenous sovereignty. The administration has aggressively reversed numerous environmental regulations aimed at mitigating climate change. Through executive orders, it has promoted fossil fuel production, dismantled programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement. These actions not only exacerbate the climate crisis but also undermine global efforts to address environmental degradation. Policies favoring oil and gas development on or near tribal lands have often proceeded without adequate consultation, threatening sacred sites, cultural practices, and the autonomy of Indigenous nations.   

In a move that endangers both environmental integrity and Indigenous sovereignty, the administration has taken steps to open protected areas, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to oil and gas drilling. This decision threatens the delicate ecosystems that we all need. UUs have long been at the forefront of the faith-based climate movement.    

With our commitment to love at the center and our willingness to show up, we are uniquely positioned to advance faith-rooted climate actions that nourish spirits and build community, especially in these difficult times.  The recently revitalized Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice process supports UUs in transforming our congregations through climate justice.  The new materials encourage more actions, less bureaucracy; more support, less paperwork; more manageable, less burnout.  Learn more about the NEW Green Sanctuary 2030 process at the New Materials release on Wednesday, February 19.  Join the Green Sanctuary 2030 community for shared learning and mutual supports for UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice.  

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  • Green Sanctuary New Materials Release: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 6:00 PM -  7:30 PM CT

    • The Green Sanctuary 2030 materials have been revised and updated to better serve the needs of our dynamic congregations. Join the February Green Sanctuary Community meeting to learn all about it and how these materials can help you advance climate justice and cultivate thriving communities! --- Green Sanctuary Community Meetings take place on the third Wednesday of the month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET for 90 minutes. Come together for shared leadership and mutual supports with other UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice.  

Watch/Listen: 

  • Theological Grounding for Climate Justice : Our October Green Sanctuary 2030 Monthly Gathering was a fireside chat with UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt and UUSC President Rev. Mary Katherine Morn on UU Theological Grounding for Climate Justice.  With all the stressors coming in from every direction, now’s a great time to ground our climate actions in our faith.   

  • Going “All In” on Climate in 2025