Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we’ll share:
A brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment
Immediate actions you can take
Resources to deepen knowledge and strengthen our collective work to side with love
Nothing is inevitable. Justice movements are built by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and nurture a loving world. You are not alone. We have power. Together, we can create a just and thriving future.
Movements are strongest when we act together. Organize with your teams and networks, and take these actions in community. For practical tools, see our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.
Democracy
Core Principle: Democracy is not a destination but a practice rooted in interdependence and the worth and dignity of all. While authoritarianism consolidates power, we are the majority—and we must organize to build a truly multiracial democracy.
The Update: Last week, we witnessed the FBI’s plans to categorize trans people as “Nihilistic Violent Extremists,” grappled with the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, and continued to see ICE raids and military takeovers in American cities. Political violence is not new in this country. From the targeting of trans communities, to the lynching of Black people, to the assassinations of political leaders, systems of violence and intimidation have long been used to enforce fear and uphold authoritarian power.
As we confront the current wave of political violence, we must understand that the work of building democracy is inseparable from the work of protecting our people and defending our values. Democracy is not only about ballots and elections; it requires the conditions in which communities can live with safety, dignity, and care.
This is why UU the Vote 2026 is launching a new safety and security program. Our democracy work extends beyond mobilizing voters—it is about strengthening the foundations that make democracy possible: safety, care, and community building.
Resources:
Read:
Join:
Civil Servants Demand an End to Executive Overreach
Join federal workers from across the government as we urge Congress to pass nothing less than a continuing resolution (CR) that reasserts Congress's constitutional powers, upholds our democracy and protects the American people. Allies outside the government are now welcome to sign in support (use the pull down to indicate your status!). We will provide regular updates on the signer breakdown.
Watch/Listen:
Gender & LGBTQ Justice
Core Principle: Every body is sacred. We affirm that trans people are divine, abortion is a blessing, and no one is disposable. Attacks on identity are designed to divide us—solidarity is our moral and strategic mandate.
Resources:
Learn:
A Trans/Latine Journey Through Language and Legacy (By TransLash)
TransLash media has put together this new resource guide for Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming People in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. Centering the experience of trans and gender-expansive Latine people in mind, this guide offers both context and resources to support LGBTQ+ Latinx community members this month and beyond.
Join:
September URGE Member Town Hall (Tuesday, September 30 at 6pm ET)
Join Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity (URGE) for their September Town Hall, focusing on the key impacts of cuts to Title X funding. Access to birth control, STI testing and treatment, and sex education are just some of the ways we are seeing policies of control and the criminalization of bodies. URGE's policy department will also share more about the ongoing impact of the Hyde Amendment as we approach its 50th anniversary, and the harm it perpetuates in low-income and BIPOC communities.
Join Nicole Pressley, Director of the UUA’s Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team, for the final installment of the Faithful Futures Training Series. In a time when reproductive justice organizing carries both profound moral clarity and real political risk, how do we move forward with courage, care, and collective strength? This training is designed to help individuals and communities assess and navigate risk in today’s climate. Together, we’ll explore spiritual, embodied, and practical tools to support wise action; deepen our ability to discern what’s needed and what’s possible; and share resources for communicating clearly and showing up responsibly with others in shared struggle. Come ready to root in your values, reflect on your context, and rise in community. Registration closes September 28!
Decriminalization & Immigration
Core Principle: Criminalization and dehumanization deny the dignity of our communities. Safety cannot come at the expense of others. As people of faith, we proclaim a future of care, abundance, and mutuality—not domination.
Take Action:
Dig into immigrant defense in your area—join a local solidarity fund, ICE watch, or 4th amendment workplace/Signs of Solidarity campaign. If you don’t have one in your area or want to skill up, check out Defend and Recruit’s upcoming Immigrant Defense Strategies trainings on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 at 8pm ET (also Oct. 23, Nov. 17, Dec. 10)
Resources:
Read:
United We Dream’s Immigrant Youth Abduction Tracker is exposing the nearly 20 DACA recipients and dozens more immigrant youth are detained
Physicians for Human Rights’ new report: Cruelty Campaign: Solitary Confinement in U.S. Immigration Detention
Learn:
Tips, tools and how-tos for safer online communications from the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Join:
How did Authoritarianism Enter the Mainstream? (Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30pm ET)
Understanding the potent and prevalent hate of immigrants. Hosted by UUs for Social Justice.
Watch/Listen:
Hear testimonies from organizers on the ground in Chicago in this week’s episode of Movement Memos: Raids, Retaliation, and Radical Solidarity in Chicago
Climate Justice
Core Principle: A just and loving world is also a flourishing one. A fossil-free future is possible, where clean energy is a human right and all beings thrive. To get there, we must create new systems, norms, and practices.
The Update: The Trump administration’s consistently pushing to repeal climate regulations, but scientists are fighting back. As we’ve shared recently, EPA is proposing to repeal their own 2009 Endangerment Finding which found that human caused climate change endangers human health and safety. This attempt to revoke pollution limits was based on an Energy Department Report that was thrown together by climate deniers. In the 16 years since the Endangerment Finding, the Earth has continued to warm, already exceeding 1.5 degrees—the point scientists believe that the effects of climate change will likely be impossible to reverse. The last ten years have been the hottest years on record; climate change is no longer something that might happen in the future, it’s a lived experience impacting people’s daily lives.
The scientific community came out in force with a public, point-by-point rebuttal of the Energy Department’s report and a lawsuit that ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the group. Climate Researchers described the report as a mockery of science that is “grossly misleading, lacking in substance and peer review.” The American Meteorological Society also published a report detailing the Five Foundational Flaws in the Department of Energy’s 2025 Climate Report.
The Trump Administration dissolved the group that authored the controversial report, but the DOE has not withdrawn the report. Instead, they are promoting it even as they’ve deleted all congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment reports and fired the scientists working on the next iteration of the report.
One of the United States’ most respected scientific bodies has rejected the administration’s claims with a report of their own. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine rejected the Trump Administration’s claims, emphasizing that rising temperatures are a risk to public health and that scientific evidence of climate change is beyond scientific dispute.
Take Action:
Download the Climate Action Now App and commit to taking at least one action every day
Resources:
Read:
UUA President Sofía Betancourt Statement on the Endangerment Finding
Climate change ‘beyond scientific dispute,’ National Academies report says
Join:
Claiming Our Power: Renewables for Power (Thursday, September 25 at 7pm ET)
The Georgia Public Service Commission may have passed an Integrated Resource Plan that comes at a high environmental and economic cost, but we can still push for critical, life-saving change. Join the UU Georgia Legislative Action Network to learn how we can use the “Requests for Proposals” process to continue to claim our power and create a more just Georgia. Together we will: learn about the process and concerns for Climate and Equity, commit to our next steps in our Climate Organizing Work, collaborate with other Unitarian Universalists and Faith Partners, identify tools and resources to use for action for October and beyond! Hosted by UU Georgia Legislative Action Network Georgia Interfaith Power & Light Partnership for Southern Equity.
Watch/Listen:
Georgians Claiming their Power for some inspiration on how UUs are fighting for a clean energy future
Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.