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: The abduction of Venezuela’s president and his wife, and the killing of Renée Good in Minneapolis, fly in the face of democracy. At its core, democracy is government by and for the people—one that serves the people rather than ruling over them.
State violence is not new. The very creation of this country was carried out through unelected foreign power, genocide, and the imposition of rule by force. Those tendencies have never disappeared. Police brutality, lynchings, mass incarceration, abortion bans, and asylums together reveal the many ways the state has repeatedly rejected fundamental freedom and liberty.
This administration seeks to strip power from the people through force and design—by intentional impoverishment, by silencing through voter suppression and vote dilution, and by the threat and use of physical violence. Most recently, it has moved to change postmarking dates, a seemingly technical maneuver with profound democratic consequences. Delaying postmark dates threatens the validity of mail ballots and other official documents, undermining people’s ability to participate in civic life and have their voices counted. These actions are not isolated; they are part of a broader strategy to centralize power in the state while eroding the people’s capacity to govern themselves.
Take Action:
Write a letter to your Senators Condemning the Criminal Occupation of Venezuela and Our Cities
Resources:
Read:
“To the Many” Poem by Rev. Ranwa Hammamy
How this new mail rule could affect your ballot, your tax return and more
Learn:
Watch/Listen:
Recording of Side With Love’s “The Gathering” focusing on ICE and economic noncooperations
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.
The Update: Everybody is sacred, and yet transgender people are living under a growing climate of danger and terror. Across our communities we are witnessing escalating attacks on identity, autonomy, and belonging—through laws, policing, detention, and public rhetoric that mark some lives as disposable. These harms do not occur in isolation; they are designed to divide us, to make fear feel inevitable, and to sever us from one another. When trans people are targeted, our shared humanity is threatened. We know and affirm instead that trans people are divine, that reproductive freedom is life-giving, and that none of us is expendable.
In this moment, solidarity is both our moral calling and our strategy for survival. Faith leaders, organizers, and communities of conscience are gathering to name what is happening, to ground resistance in creativity and sacredness, and to care for one another in the face of state violence, surveillance, and displacement. We are called to protect trans youth, to learn our rights, to show up for migrants and those most at risk, and to give generously so that emergency support can reach those who need it now. We keep each other safe by refusing silence and choosing love made visible through action. Collective Care is how we resist.
Take Action:
Resources:
Read:
Experts Warn U.S. in Early Stages of Genocide Against Trans Americans
From the Lemkin Institute: “Genocide scholars are sounding the alarm over what they describe as escalating attacks targeting transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans in the United States.
Experts, including two former presidents of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), warn that the nation may already be in the early stages of committing genocide.”
Learn:
Transgender people and law enforcement interactions: Rights and Realities
“This guide is intended to briefly outline your rights when it comes to interacting with law enforcement officers and share some examples of the reality that law enforcement officers often disregard peoples’ rights. This guide is designed for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people, but a lot of the information will be helpful to others. This guide is not intended to replace your life experience, common sense, or ability to determine what makes you safest in any particular situation. You know best how to keep yourself safe, so trust your instincts. If you know you will have to interact with law enforcement, it is best to have trusted friends and family accompany you or be prepared to provide you support. We keep us safe.”
Join:
Congregational Leaders Conversation for “Glitter Blessing What is Sacred” on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM EST, 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM (CST), 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM (MST), 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM (PST), 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM (AKST), and 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM (HAST) - Registration
“Rev. Sean Neil-Barron and Rev. Jami A. Yandle will explore what is sometimes perceived as the gulf between cisgender/heteronormative and transgender/queer communities. They’ll also lift up the roles of creativity and sacredness as grounded, life-giving responses shaped by queer history and lived experience. Together we’ll engage in a timely conversation about what’s unfolding and what is most needed at this moment.”
Watch/Listen:
How ICE raids are impacting LGBTQ+ migrants video - via KPBS Public Media
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.
The Update: This week, Avelo Airlines announced they will be halting all deportation flights at the end of this month! Let’s be clear: Avelo Airlines didn’t wake up one morning and decide to pivot their business strategy. This is a direct victory for the movement. From the tarmac to the ticket counter, our organizing created a sustained pressure campaign that Avelo could no longer ignore. This week, we see the tangible result of that solidarity. We proved that when communities unite, we can dismantle the logistics of deportation. Avelo’s exit is proof that corporate complicity in human rights abuses is not a sustainable business model.
Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 ICE officers are on the ground in Minnesota (this is a massive escalation over the 600 deployed to Chicago). Side With Love is in solidarity with immigrant communities in Minneapolis and across the country who live under constant threat of detention, separation, and death at the hands of the state. We are in solidarity with the faithful masses of people showing up to build a world where the worth and dignity of all are held as sacred and unshakable truth. As people of faith and conscience, we are called by love to tell the truth about this violence, to accompany those most impacted, and to keep organizing toward fulfilling the promise of our communities and institutions to make safety, belonging, and freedom real for all.
Take Action:
Fortify our belief that we can win by sharing the story of the Avelo Victory in your community. (Side With Love Victory Post or at stopavelo.org)
Resources:
Read:
Side With Love’s Statement on the Killing of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Minneapolis journalist Georgia Fort’s great summary of where things are in MN. Georgia Fort is a deeply trusted local journalist who is doing incredible work telling the story of what is happening, in all its complexity.
Learn:
Join:
Organizing works: celebrating our Avelo wins & planning what next
Thursday, January 15th, at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT to talk about what we did, and what we’ll do next to take on Avelo and build immigration defense strategies, groups, and power in our communities. Our organizing is more important than ever.
Watch/Listen:
Nourish your spirit by listening to Aly Halpert’s “She is on her way”
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 plans to accelerate the extraction of Venezuela’s oil will similarly accelerate the climate crisis. By Trump’s own admission, Venezuelan oil is “the dirtiest, worst oil probably anywhere in the world.” with the highest associated greenhouse gas emissions of any crude oil - up to 1.5 times higher than light crude oil. These plans could consume almost 13% of the world’s carbon budget to keep global heating within 1.5C. “There is no other singular force more damaging to the climate, global economy, and democratic ideals than the extraction, sale, and burning of fossil fuels.” Apolinar Gonzales, Climate Advocacy Lab
Household electricity bills are up 13% since Trump took office. While he claims that Venezuelan oil will bring low prices, it will take a decade to restore Venezuelan oil production - so those promised “low prices” won’t make a difference for years, if ever. We are calling on every elected official in this country to condemn this administration’s reckless aggression.
Trump’s actions benefit the billionaire class while they jack up our rent, healthcare and groceries. Every dollar spent in wars overseas or at home is a dollar we paid for with our taxes - a dollar that could and should go to helping our communities thrive. We can have good jobs, better schools, access to healthcare and get our basic needs met. But not while our government works for billionaires and not for us.
Tell your elected official to oppose the criminal occupation of Venezuela.
Take Action:
Resources:
Read:
Learn:
Join:
Community is so important now. Connecting within your local community and with your UU community across the country can bring much needed solace, inspiration, and resolve. Join the annual Green Sanctuary Celebration to learn about and celebrate the good work UUs are doing to transform our communities through climate justice.
Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.