We are a movement, not a machine.
Beloved,
Are you tired? I am. Are you mad as hell? Me too. Are you figuring out how to get out of bed, go to work, and carry on while day after day you are stunned by the cruelty of our leaders and our laws? If I am honest, I too have chosen a nap instead of a meeting. I have reached out to connect with friends, instead of taking every action that falls into my inbox.
And that’s ok. We are a movement, not a machine. Caring for ourselves, our communities, and our spirits are essential to sustaining our movements.
Our work is as complex as our movements. But there is nothing complicated about injustice. We are clear that Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and extractive capitalism are the forces that threaten our democracy, our bodily autonomy, our climate, and our lives.
The truth is, we know that we as individuals and our communities are impacted differently. But, I believe James Baldwin when he wrote, “if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.” If we have learned anything from this decades-long campaign of right-wing authoritarianism, let us learn that when power and profit are the singular goal, no person, no community is safe. Privilege is a thin and flimsy shield. Solidarity and collective struggle is the moral choice that we must make if we are to dismantle these systems of oppression and create the beloved community that we seek.
Beloveds, we must be in this work together.
So I offer you this; a place to come when you are ready to take action, when you are fired with righteous rage or heavy grief, and when you are yearning for understanding about what this means and how we move through. Your community is here. Together, we learn, act, and grow our spirits and our movements toward justice, equity, and liberation.
Here’s what I will be doing to take care and take action.
Join us for music, grounding and connection at Write to Vote. Come dance, sing, and listen with Emma’s Revolution and Vote Forward. We’ll have time to connect with one another, write letters to voters, and learn how each of us are taking shifts to UU to Vote in the midterm election. Bring a friend. Bring a neighbor. And bring your pen. Monday, May 9, 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT
Join us at our Fun and Spiritual Nourishment Squad training. Come together to learn ways we care for our communities and fill our cups on the long journey for justice. Our volunteers host spiritual gatherings and integrate practices of care and grounding in our national event. Wednesday, May 11, 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
Join us for Heart to Heart Abortion Conversations and Action for a post-Roe World with our partners National Network of Abortion Fund. As the Supreme Court looks likely to overturn or critically undermine Roe v. Wade, it seems more and more likely that access to safe and legal abortions will be even further diminished everywhere. This 90-minute event will be a learning and practice space for supporters to engage with the Heart-to-Heart campaign materials in community and interact with NNAF and other participants in compassionate abortion conversations. May, 17, 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT
Join us for Fostering Local Climate Resilience through Disaster Response and Community Care. Rachel Myslivy, Side With Love Climate Justice Organizer as well as UU leaders such as Rev. Karen Hutt, Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry; Halcyon Westall with the UUA Disaster Relief Fund and Faithify; and Rev. Cynthia Cain. From wildfires to floods, climate disasters impact our communities. How do we cultivate community care in response to climate disasters? With this event, we hope to better understand the threats to your community and the resources available to help UUs show up for their communities. Thursday, May 19 at 6pm ET/ 3pm PT.
In faith and solidarity,
Nicole Pressley
Field and Programs Director