Apr 7

Apr 7 Love is stronger than fear: Responses to RFRA

Last week, Unitarian Universalists throughout the country showed up in support of LGBTQ people in Indiana as they contested the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). We know that Indiana’s bill is just one in a series of recent of bills nationally that dehumanize people, limit their protection under the law and will impact civil rights, LGBTQ rights, reproductive justice, healthcare access and more. Because several state legislatures are considering similar bills, we encourage you to stay up to date with your UU State Advocacy Network (see if there is one in your state here) or other trusted voter awareness groups in your state.

Over twenty UU clergy in Indiana, along with many other UU Ministers, issued a statement in response to the RFRA.

“Ours is a faith tradition that has long supported the rights of all, including same-sex couples. Already under Indiana law, no faith or religion is forced to marry same-sex couples or recognize same-sex marriage within the context of its religious beliefs. As people of faith, we affirm that the right to both believe in our faith and to act on our beliefs is fundamental and protected in the state and federal constitutions. We also know that our faith does not give us the right to ignore laws or to harm others.” You can read their full statement here.

Apr 2

Apr 2 Telling Better Stories of Justice Together

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Mar 26

Mar 26 Going to General Assembly? Let us support your creative change-making!

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We are excited to announce our upcoming Standing on the Side of Love workshop at that 2015 UUA General Assembly, called: Beacons of Light: Inspire and Fund UU Changemakers. This workshop will be an exciting chance to hear from folks who are on the frontlines of creative change-making, including leaders like Jen Hayman, who together with her congregation at All Souls Church Unitarian DC, helped create a flash mob for voting rights on the steps of the Supreme Court.

We know all of you are committed Love Activists, and we are always looking for ways to bring new folks into our spiritual and justice communities, right? Infusing our justice work with not only love, but the arts and creativity is a phenomenal way to encourage more multigenerational involvement, and pique the interest of folks who may not otherwise get engaged in justice work.

Mar 24

Mar 24 Let's Get Free

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Reflections by Chris Crass from recent work with Unitarian Universalists in Minnesota and the Selma 50th Living Legacy Conference in Alabama.

With nearly 200 UUs joining the March 17th webinar on Black Lives Matter led by two justice movement leaders and young adult Black UUs, Jova Lynne Vargas and Kenny Wiley, I want to share some of the powerful ways UUs are putting our faith into courageous action for Black Lives Matter. I had the recent opportunity to lead workshops with the Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance and at the Marching in the Arc of Justice Selma 50th conference, where I spoke with UUs about the work we’re doing for racial justice.

Mar 19

Mar 19 Healing the Waters, Healing Ourselves

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There is a potent stream running from the 50th anniversary of the civil rights struggle in Selma, through the fast-growing movement of Black Lives Matter, to our Unitarian Universalist-inspired Climate Justice Month, which begins on World Water Day this Sunday. The stream springs from stories of pain, resistance, and renewal, and it is enlivened by the truth that these stories are intricately and inherently connected.

This weekend we, and forty others, were bathed and renewed, hearts changed in that stream at the “Healing the Waters” conference organized by DRUUMM (Diverse, Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) and ARE (Allies for Racial Equity).

Mar 13

Mar 13 Join the Border Justice Education Program: May 21-26th, 2015

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This new year marked a time of hope and anxiety for those of us dedicated to the immigrant rights struggle – both for people and families whose lives are deeply impacted by U.S. immigration policy, and for those of us committed as allies. In February we learned that President Obama’s executive order on immigration, which would allow up to 5 million undocumented immigrants to stay with their families in the U.S., was threatened threatened by a court ruling of a Federal District Court in Brownsville, Texas, and was temporarily stopped.

After many years working with No More Deaths - a humanitarian aid and social justice organization on the U.S./Mexico border, and a ministry of the UU Church of Tucson, Arizona – I always ask what these developments will mean for the death and suffering occurring at our border. While working with people being deported to Mexico, I have heard the stories of many parents aching, and risking everything, to return to their children in the U.S. I have also met hundreds of Central Americans fleeing both gang and government violence. No matter what relief comes for parents and young people currently in the U.S. without papers, the devastating and deadly effects at the border will continue as long as the border is treated as a “security” issue rather than a human rights issue.

Mar 11

Mar 11 Join Us: Black Lives Matter- A Webinar Tuesday, March 17 4pm EST/1pm PST

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Join us on Tuesday, March 17 at 4pm EST/1pm PST to hear from two UU young adult leaders who have been on the front lines of the Black Lives Matter movement. Jova Lynne Vargas and Kenny Wiley will be talking about accountability, faith, action and movement building for racial justice.

Click here to join the webinar on Tuesday March 17 at 4pm EST/1pm PST. If you prefer or are only able to only participate via phone you can call: 213-416-1560. When prompted, enter the PIN: 687 914 579#.

Mar 10

Mar 10 Welcome to Our Stories, the new SSL Blog Roll!

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We are excited to share our new blog roll with you, called Our Stories! Since the start of the campaign, sharing stories from our personal, lived experiences has been a core way that we have learned how to better stand on the side of love with each other.

You'll be glad to know that many stories from our old blog roll can be be found here, and we are working to archive all the stories from our past site so we can continue to access them in the future.

We also invite you to share YOUR story with the Standing on the Side of Love community. Here are some ideas on the hows, whats and whys of sharing your story!

Mar 9

Mar 9 After Selma@50: Keep Marching!

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My heart and spirit were in Selma this weekend, where more than 500 UUs, including many of our faith’s leaders, joined together with the families of Jimmie Lee Jackson, Rev. James Reeb, and Viola Liuzzo. While I couldn’t be there in person, the vivid images and stories coming out of Selma from our fellow UUs, Love People and justice partners made it feel as though I were. You can listen to the recordings from visionary leaders like the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a veteran of the civil rights movement with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Opal Tometi, one of the founders of #BlackLivesMatter and Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Rev. Dr. William Barber II, leader of the North Carolina NAACP and Forward Together movement, along with many others, on the Living Legacy Project (LLP) website. While there, you can watch the the Reeb, Liuzzo, and Jackson families being given Courageous Love Awards, recognizing the sacrifices of their family members.

Mar 9

Mar 9 Drumroll please… announcing our new website!

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Over the past few months, we have been busy at work creating a brand new website for Standing on the Side of Love. We are excited to let you know that the soft launch of our new site is… today!

Our major goal in redesigning our website is to better provide you with updated resources you can easily access, feel inspired by and bring to your congregations and communities. Last fall, we asked for feedback from the Standing on the Side of Love community on what you want to see next in the campaign and your thoughtful suggestions have guided our work, especially as we have redesigned the website to be more helpful to you!

Many of our colleagues and friends have spent the past few days in Selma Marching in the Arc of Justice as part of the 50th anniversary of the voting rights campaign. We are launching our site with powerful images fresh from Selma, so click here to check it out!