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.
Bodily Autonomy
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:
We are standing at a pivotal crossroads where the right to build a family and the ability to sustain one must finally meet. In Illinois, we are fueling the momentum for the NEST Program (SB3756), a bold strike against systemic poverty that puts direct power ($1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly) straight into the hands of Medicaid-enrolled parents. But our vision of liberation doesn't stop at birth; it demands Fertility Justice for every body. We are mobilizing to tear down the financial and heteronormative barriers to IVF and assisted care, ensuring that queer families, single parents, and those facing infertility are never priced out of their own futures. Many states (like California under SB729) are implementing mandates for insurance to cover IVF, while federal protections like the Access to Family Building Act remain critical.This is our collective call to bridge the gap between financial survival and reproductive freedom, securing a world where every family is welcomed with dignity and backed by the resources to thrive.
Take Action:
Illinois Residents: Call your State Senator to co-sponsor SB3756 (NEST Program) before the next legislative deadline.
Call your U.S. Representative and urge them to co-sponsor the Access to Family Building Act to protect IVF from state-level bans.
Resources:
Economic Security Project
National Partnership for Women & Families
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
Read:
"Proposal could line the NEST for new moms" (Capitol City Now) – A breakdown of the February 2025/2026 rally in Springfield and how the program aims to copy successful models that reduced NICU admissions.
"Senate Acts to Protect IVF Coverage" (NYSenate.gov) – A 2026 legislative update on "The Equity in Fertility Treatment Act," which provides a great blueprint for what inclusive coverage looks like.
Learn:
Full Text of SB3756 - Illinois General Assembly – Use the bill’s "Findings and Declaration of Policy" section (Section 5) as a cheat sheet for the religious or moral arguments for the program.
The Reproductive Justice Community Guide & Workbook (In Our Own Voice) – A comprehensive toolkit that centers Black feminist values and offers conversation scripts for advocating for fertility and birth justice.
Join:
Economic Security Illinois Action – Follow their social channels or sign up for their newsletter to participate in the next "Rotunda Rally" at the State Capitol.
#IVFdelivers Campaign (ASRM) – A digital advocacy event where patients and allies post vertical videos (90 seconds max) to Instagram using the hashtag to show lawmakers the real faces of IVF.
Watch/Listen:
The "Guaranteed Income" Explainer (Economic Security Project) – Short videos explaining how unrestricted cash transforms maternal health outcomes.
The Queer Families Podcast (formerly If These Ovaries Could Talk) – Excellent episodes on the specific barriers LGBTQ+ families face when trying to access fertility care.
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:
Unitarian Universalists know that no one is disposable, and yet our government acts otherwise. Nearly 10,000 civilians have been impacted by bombs funded by our taxpayer dollars since the US and Israeli airstrikes began on Iran, not including the bombs dropped on Lebanon, Gaza, and more. 18 Million Rising writes: “The bombs have polluted the air over Iran, causing toxic rain, and destabilizing the entire region. Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran have displaced millions across Lebanon, Gaza, Iran and Afghanistan. From the brutal intervention of Venezuela’s oil in January to ICE’s attack on immigrant communities, this authoritarian regime is a disaster for humanity and the world’s economy…. Our tax dollars are funding the largest U.S. military buildup in West Asia since the 2003 Iraq invasion.” Unitarian Univeralists know that justice rooted in care and community is not only possible—it’s necessary. That is why we put our values into action as we work to weaken the pillars the uphold the U.S. war machine.
Take Action:
Tech giants like Palantir are using our data to commit war crimes through lethal and extrajudicial drone strikes, join the campaign to #PurgePalantir.
Mapping Community Defense and Care in Our Neighborhoods — this is a worksheet Chicago organizers used to prepare for federal incursions in the days before Operation Midway Blitz began, while the threat of a National Guard invasion was also looming.
Resources:
Read:
Your Individual boycott is not working - article in Jacobin magazine
Learn:
The No Secret Police - Local Policy Toolkit from Indivisible and Local Progress is a call-to-action for local governments to wield their regulatory, procurement, and legislative powers to disrupt the rise in authoritarian tactics utilized by the Trump administration and protect community members across the country. Local governments are the last line of defense for residents’ right to safety in this era of rising authoritarianism and this toolkit serves to support them in answering the call. The toolkit features six priorities, each with model ordinances or how-to guides for each.
Know Your Rights: Protest Rights and Safety Practices (for all No Kings Attendees), March 18 from 8-9pm ET. (and this one in Spanish - Conozca sus derechos, March 23)
Join:
Stop the War: A Movement Call for Self-Determination and Freedom. Tuesday, March 17 at 5pm pt / 8pm et. Join Rising Majority for a webinar and panel discussion on the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and what it means for the Iranian people as well as for our fight against authoritarianism around the world.
UU Solidarity Initiative Work Permits Campaign Launch, Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 ET. A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule will effectively end asylum seekers' ability to obtain work permits. Push back is needed on the proposed DHS rule, and we Unitarian Universalists are answering the call. This event will serve as the launch for a month-long drive to write 1,000 unique comments on the rule.
Movement Call: Warehousing Immigrants Federal Detention Expansion and Community Resistance, Wednesday, March 18th, 7pm ET. This webinar will provide an overview of what we know about the federal government’s plans to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers. We will discuss locations that have already been purchased, facilities currently under consideration, and the potential impacts on surrounding communities. Participants will also learn about strategies that local advocates, community members, and public officials are using to push back against these projects.
Watch/Listen:
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:
March is notorious for wild weather, but this one has been particularly chaotic, and we’re only half way through. A tornado killed three people in Michigan, rated a 3 on the 5-point Fujita scale, it was the earliest in the calendar year a tornado of that intensity struck Michigan. On the East Coast, temperatures soared to record highs and in some places set records for the fastest temperature drops in a day. A blizzard in the Upper Midwest dropped two feet of snow - and made the storm one of the top 25 on record. High winds forced highways to close in Colorado. Nebraska experienced the largest wildfires in state history. Phoenix is expected to hit 100 degrees this week - a record for the earliest date to reach that high. Climate change increases both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather.
Our congregations are preparing for the storms. Monday, March 16 was the first meeting of the Creating Hubs of Climate Resilience Peer Learning Circle, a part of the UUA’s Wave Cohorts. As climate disasters grow in frequency and intensity, our congregations have a vital role to play in keeping our communities safe. For several months, a group of UUs will work together to explore the ways our congregations can serve as sanctuaries and centers of support during climate‑ and weather- related emergencies. Gathering perspectives and experiences from across the country will help transform knowledge that might otherwise remain siloed within individual congregations into shared strategies, tools, and materials that can be adapted and used movement‑wide for years to come. We’ll be leaning into curiosity as we explore the opportunities for community care in climate resilience.
When you think about congregations becoming hubs of climate resilience, what questions do you have? Email us at ClimateJustice@UUA.org to share your thoughts! Join us to learn more and engage together about hubs of climate resilience at our April Side with Love Gathering 4/13 and Green Sanctuary Community Meeting 4/15.
Take Action: (2–3 partner actions)
Check out the Climate Resilience through Disaster Response and Community Care Resources, especially the Disaster Preparedness and Response for UUs toolkit. Pick one of the activities to do with a small group in your congregation. Start thinking about what it would mean for your congregation to become a Hub of Climate Resilience
Resources:
Read: March Has Always Been a Month of Weather Extremes. But This Is Ridiculous.
Join:
Green Sanctuary 2030 Office Hours, Wednesday, April 1, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CT. Did you know that the completely revitalized Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice has just one requirement for annual Recognition? Monthly Office Hours are here to anyone with questions on how Green Sanctuary 2030 can support UUs to transform our congregations through climate justice. Review the short Orientation Video then come to the office hours to get all your questions answered. Current Green Sanctuary 2030 Teams, this time is for you, too!
April Gathering: Creating Hubs of Resilience, April 13, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM CT. In the midst of extreme weather and climate disruption, our congregations and communities can be powerful hubs of care, connection, and critical infrastructure. Rachel Myslivy, Side With Love’s Climate Justice Strategist, will break down what we mean by “hubs of resilience” that are adaptive to and grounded in their context. We’ll hear stories of how folks are creating spaces that are not only prepared to provide critical support in times of crisis, but also generate deeper partnerships and expanded possibilities in their communities. This month, activist Canedy Knowles will ground us in movement and possibility. The Gathering is Side With Love's monthly event to strengthen your spirit, make sense of the threats to democracy, and take meaningful action alongside others! Join us live or watch the recording later.
Deeper dive into Resilience Hubs at our April Green Sanctuary Community Meeting: Rolling out a Mobile Resiliency Hub in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM CT As congregations consider how to turn our buildings into hubs of climate resilience, the UU Congregation of Atlanta is taking the idea on the road with a Mobile Resiliency Trailer. Powered by solar panels with battery backup, the trailer will include a refrigerator, a water filtration system, induction burners for cooking, a washer and dryer, portable shower, and a mini-power station. The Mobile Resiliency Trailer is designed to meet emergency response needs, wherever that may be . . . but that’s not all! When not in use, the Trailer will also serve as a microgrid to supplement the congregation’s electricity and lower their carbon footprint. UUCA’s David Stewart will share their planning process and budget spreadsheet which you can use to replicate the idea in your local context. Don’t miss this conversation to take your resiliency planning to the next level.
Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.