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. For support on practical organizing skills and support check out our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.
Democracy:
The Update:
The Trump regime defied court orders as it abducted and deported more than 200 people it alleges are Venezuelan gang members over the weekend. Trump claims he can invoke powers created explicitly for wartime in 1798 to deport noncitizens while denying their constitutional right to go before a federal judge. Trump officials claimed, without evidence, that the abducted individuals were “conducting irregular warfare“ and sent them to a brutal prison in El Salvador.
The Trump regime is choosing to start their defiance of the courts with carefully chosen cases involving victims who are easily smeared but be assured: if the regime simply flouts the law and constitutional rights of immigrants and we do not revolt en masse, any political dissidents will be vulnerable to being disappeared.
See the Research Collaborative’s messaging guide on the Trump regime’s illegal abductions and false claims.
Act:
The balance of power on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will be determined by voters on April 1, and the stakes are huge. The court’s rulings on voting rights and gerrymandering cases may decide the balance of power not just in WI’s legislature, but in the U.S. House of Representatives. Elon Musk is doing his best to corrupt the election, spending millions to help elect a judge who will represent his beliefs instead of the law and Wisconsin residents.
You can help ensure Wisconsinites are informed and have a plan to vote by volunteering at any one of six phonebanks this week and next.
Hands Off 2025 - April 5th Distributed Days of Action: On April 5th, 2025, communities across the country will mobilize for a national day of action to resist state repression, war, and corporate greed. The decentralized protests aim to build solidarity among grassroots movements fighting for justice and liberation.
Tesla Takedown Actions: Activists have launched the Tesla Takedown campaign, organizing protests and direct actions against Tesla for its poor labor practices, environmental harm, and CEO Elon Musk’s growing political influence. The campaign seeks to hold the company accountable and pressure it to adopt ethical labor and sustainability practices.
Read:
To dig deeper on the story of the deported Venezuelans and the threat it poses to all our rights, see Timothy Snyder’s essay, The Evil at Your Door.
SWL/UUSJ Statement on CR: Side With Love and Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice denounce the passage of the FY25 Continuing Resolution as a moral failure that empowers authoritarian governance while gutting public services. Their statement criticizes Senate Democrats for surrendering leverage, allowing mass deportations, deep budget cuts, and unchecked executive overreach, and calls for leaders to show the same courage as everyday Americans fighting for democracy and justice.
Watch/Listen:
The third instalment of the influential series, “Eyes on the Prize,” is now available to stream. Unlike the first and second “seasons” that ran starting in 1987 on PBS, the new episodes were produced by HBO and include episodes centering female and queer leaders--stories that were largely missing previously.
“Eyes on the Prize,We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015.” is currently streaming on HBO.
Learn: Dig deeper into this acclaimed civil rights documentary series with: Teaching Eyes on the Prize, Teaching Democracy.
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:
The update this week is that the ACLU and Lambda Legal continue to resist unlawful executive orders against our trans kin. Unitarian Universalists turn towards Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st) as the UUA is working on communication and promotion surrounding this day. Additionally, organizations such as SACReD continue to show up and fight for bodily autonomy.
While it is easy to get swept away in the negativity, scary, and unknown, taking care of us and one another is an important spiritual practice. Sometimes, we may grow tired and will need to take a break, often, it is hard to forget what to do in times of chaos. Being gentle with one another and honouring boundaries, necessary pauses to breathe, and moment sof respite is how we will survive.
Act:
Consider a donation to Sacred Collective, a trans and queer led organization working against anti-trans legislation in Iowa.
Read:
Important updates from Lambda Legal:
“Attorneys representing families and doctors from across the country filed a motion in federal court today asking the court to enforce its nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from taking steps to restrict funding for providers of gender-affirming medical care to people under 19.”
An article published by Time magazine - “Reverends: Trump’s Anti-Trans Attacks Are UnChristian” by Rev. Dr. Serene Jones & Rev. Frederick Davie.
“President Donald Trump and his right-wing supporters have long grounded their anti-trans actions in “religious freedom” for Christians. Trump and his allies purport that God created two genders—male and female—and any interpretations to the contrary violate the fundamental tenets of Christianity. However, the conservative "Christian" crusade against trans rights is deeply un-Christian.”
Gavin Newsom’s New Anti-Trans Position: California Governor Gavin Newsom has broken with many in his party by publicly opposing trans women competing in women’s sports. His stance has drawn backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue that it plays into right-wing narratives and undermines trans rights.
Learn:
Educate yourself on the ID document policies in your state, resource offered by Advocates for Trans Equality
Join:
The Criminalization of Pregnancy Outcomes (Webinar from ReproAction)
Monday, March 24 at 2pmET / 1pm CT / 12pm MT / 11am PT
“We’ve seen lawmakers and prosecutors increasingly weaponize pregnancy to punish and control people, with devastating consequences. It’s critical to understand how and why pregnancy criminalization is on the rise—and what can be done to fight back. Join ReproAction for their webinar, ‘The Criminalization of Pregnancy Outcomes,' on March 24 to hear from experts about the legal, political, and personal stakes of this growing crisis.”
Watch/Listen:
Recording & Resources from Speak Up for Trans Lives: Spokesperson Training
Hosted in March 2022, this training featured Sam Ames, Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project as well as Side with Love staff Rev. Ashley Horan, Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, and Adrian Ballou.
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.
The Update:
Linda Sarsour wrote yesterday “the leap from disappearing the undocumented to disappearing visa holders to disappearing green card holders to disappearing naturalized citizens to disappearing natural born citiczens is no leap at all, but a series of tiny steps. It’s only a matter of time if you don’t speak up now.” Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder, remains in ICE custody after being abducted 10 days ago. Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport 300 Venezuelans and defied a court order for their flights to return to the United States. United We Dream says “this is an attack on all of us. We cannot allow the President of the United States to kidnap people based on his whims, without due process for every person. We are dangersouly close to repeating a horrific, shameful history, and everyone should be alarmed. It’s time to act.”
Act:
Take action to release Mahmoud Khalil and protect all student activists. The UUA Signed on to Congressional Demands regarding Khalil’s abduction, and UUs for Justice in the Middle East released this statement, with a great collection of actions to take. (In a hurry? Here’a one click sign on)
Take action with United We Dream by texting HERE TO STAY to 787-57 to stand up against the kidnapping of members in our communities, family separation, and the attacks against our loved ones.
Donate and organize a Share the Plate Offering for a Bail Fund near you. The National Bail Fund Network has a directory of community based organizations that can post bond as a donation here.
Read:
Why We Need To Hold Ground On Immigrant Rights
En todo el país, people are refusing to sit still: the State of the Movement: a glimpse at resistance (Instagram post uplifting ways people are resisting by Mijente)
Learn:
Interrupting Criminalization Self-Guided Curriculum on decriminalization
Join:
Melting ICE: How Legal Search Engines Fuel the Deportation Machine – Tuesday, March 18th at 4pm PST/7pm EST
Join End the Contract Coalition’s virtual law school teach-in on March 18th at 7pm EST / 4pm PSR, to learn about how Lexis and Westlaw are wrapped up in mass surveillance and deportation. You’ll hear from law professor & librarian Beth Jennings from Widener University Delaware Law, organizer Cinthya Rodriguez from Mijente, and staff attorney Dinesh McCoy from Just Futures Law, on how this legal research duopoly contributes to mass deportation.
Transformative Justice Under Authoritarianism webinar , Wednesday, March 26 from 5:00-6:30 ET
Join us for a discussion about abolitionist organizing rooted in transformative justice in the current context of authoritarian Argentina with Yo No Fui, a collective in Argentina that uses art, poetry, and popular education to organize across prison walls with incarcerated queer folks and women in Argentina. Spanish interpretation and live captioning will be available.
Criminalization 101 and 202 for Library and Information Workers by For The People Leftist Library Project (FTP) and Interrupting Criminalization (IC) with Mariame Kaba, Megan Riley, and Bean Yogi.
Recorded Criminalization 101 for Information Workers
Live Criminalization 202 workshop on Thursday, March 27 at 6:30-8 PM ET: Join for a live workshop focused on:
⚡️ resisting and disrupting ICE in library and information work and workplaces;
⚡️ de-escalation in library spaces; and
⚡️ abortion and reproductive health information criminalization.
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:
EPA is taking a wrecking ball to environmental law and moving to criminally charge major climate groups. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims to be “driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion” by targeting dozens of environmental regulations and attacking the basis for the Clean Air Act. This chaos-making will result in more toxic chemicals, more cancers, more asthma attacks, and more dangers for pregnant women and their children. Even as communities mourn the 42 people who died in this weekend’s tornadoes, wildfires, and dust storms, Trump’s administration is firing the people who keep us safe. These continued attacks on climate at the federal level alongside less accurate and less timely information on hurricanes, tornadoes, and other extreme weather threaten the health and safety of our communities.
While you may be thinking, “there’s nothing we can do about climate for the next four years,” the reality couldn’t be farther from the truth. Local organizing is critical. We can’t stop the extreme weather from striking, but we can turn our congregations into emergency shelters and partner with immigrant rights and LGBTQIA+ organizations to make sure that those most at risk of climate disruption have somewhere safe to shelter. We can continue advocating at the city, county, and state levels for climate plans that reduce pollution and improve public health in our communities. We can continue to break down the silos that create competition artificial scarcity which diminish our potential. We can act as if love was the center of our faith by connecting, caring, and collaborating with others.
Act:
Sign the petition to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Fossil Gas Expansion – A Moral Imperative
Tell Congress: “Stand strong for climate!”
Read:
Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink offers strategies, tactics, and tips for how everyday Americans can fight back together wherever we live.
Modeled after Indivisible’s Guide, Save EPA created “A Practical Guide for Resisting Trump’s De-Regulatory Agenda” to help the public fight back against the attacks on climate, health, environmental, workplace and other protections. This guide describes how to fight rule rollbacks by commenting during the federal rulemaking process, enlisting members of Congress, and taking other actions.
Green Faith CERA Protests: Faith-based climate activists with GreenFaith disrupted the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston to protest fossil fuel expansion and demand bold action on climate justice. The protest highlighted the role of faith communities in resisting corporate interests that prioritize profits over people and the planet.
Learn:
Messaging Guide: Stopping DOGE (pronounced “dodgy”) from our partners at Declaration for American Democracy.
Join:
Working with the new Green Sanctuary materials
March 19, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM CT online
In February, we released the new Green Sanctuary materials which are designed to be more manageable, accessible, and impactful for all congregations! During our March meeting, we'll hear from one of the Green Sanctuary teams working through the materials. The UU Church of Berkeley will share how they're Exploring the Possibilities for Mitigation. Learn from each other and build community! -- Come together for shared learning and mutual supports with other UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice! Green Sanctuary Community meetings take place on the third Wednesday of the month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET for 90 minutes.
Watch/Listen:
This short informational video will tell you everything you need to know about how to engage with the new Green Sanctuary 2030 Process