Resolve to make a difference this New Year, or, "Hey, that's my elbow!"

Many of us are excited about changes to come in the New Year, including new opportunities presented by the incoming administration and Congress.

In anticipation, the Unitarian Universalist Association is asking individual Unitarian Universalists to choose one of fourteen Legislative Objectives and pledge their support to take action on that issue.

Click here to see the list of Legislative Objectives for 2009 - 20010 and pledge your support for the upcoming year. When you do, note the photograph on the right-hand side of the page, which is captioned, "Before you get buried in new year's activities, resolve to make a difference." That's my elbow sticking out as I'm slowly crushed by the weight of hundreds of balloons. (Remember when we welcomed Adam as Acting Director by filling his office with balloons?)

Please, don't be like me: Resolve to support a Legislative Objective now.

UUs' Op-ed: Shall we be innkeepers or wise men?

An op-ed by Rev. Victoria Safford and Dan Hoxworth, Chair of the Economic Justice Initiative at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church, was published yesterday on MinnPost.com.

In Are We a Nation of Innkeepers or Wise Men, Hoxworth and Safford reflect on the Christmas nativity story to gain a new perspective on the immigration debate.

Read it here: Are We a Nation of Innkeepers or Wise Men?

Photo Credit to Prio, Creative Commons.

Web Banner Campaign for NRCAT

Last spring, thousands of houses of worship and religious spaces--including hundreds of UU churches and fellowships--hung banners outside of their buildings announcing that torture is wrong and immoral. This campaign was organized by the National Religious Coalition Against Torture (NRCAT).

NRCAT is asking religious communities to once again hang their banners to remind the new Congress and Administration that torture is not to be ignored.

But it does not end with churches, mosques, temples and synagogues. Now, you can "hang" a banner on your blog and/or web page.

The two banners look like this--

You can sign up to have the banners on your blog or web site by visiting nrcat.org

For more information on UUs and NRCAT, please see
uua.org- UUs Take a Public Stand on Torture
uua.org- Stop U.S. Sponsored Torture- Action of Immediate Witness
uuworld.org- UU a Leader in Campaign to End US Torture

New Bishop of Transylvania Unitarian Church

The current minister of First Unitarian Church in Kolozsvár, Transylvania, Rev. Bálint Benczédi Ferenc, was elected the new Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church on Friday, December 5, 2008.

Since First Unitarian Church in Kolozsvár is a common stop during pilgrimages to partner churches, Rev. Bálint is well known by many American UUs. By virtue of his years of international engagement, Rev. Bálint has become widely known as a strong leader and a wise minister.

UUA President William G. Sinkford sent congratulations to Rev. Bálint on December 8th, saying...

It was with great pleasure that I learned that you have been elected the next Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. I would like to extend both congratulations and best wishes to you from the Unitarian Universalist Association. The TUC will be very fortunate to have your leadership... I, and the Unitarian Universalist Association, look forward to continuing our close relationship during your tenure as Bishop. May your new ministry be a blessing for all.

Other newly elected leaders include:



The Vice Bishop - Rev. Nagy László , Dean of the Marosvasarhely District


and



The Provost - Rev. István Kovács, Minister in Sepsiszentgyörgy


A video-clip of the current Transylvanian Unitarian Bishop - Reverend Szabó Árpád - with Rev. Bálint Benczédi Ferenc following the election is available (in Hungarian) on You Tube

Victory for Republic Window Workers!

On Dec. 10th, the workers at Republic Windows & Doors voted to accept a $1.75 million settlement that will cover eight weeks of pay owed under the WARN Act, unused vacation days and two months of health care coverage. The settlement marked the end of a six-day factory occupation. Last Tuesday, Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) board members visited with and prayed over the workers. Below is a reflection by Rev. Aaron McEmrys, an IWJ Board member and Minister of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara.

Inside Republic Windows and Doors

Yesterday, in Chicago, Illinois, that strange place where they send their Senators to the White House and their Governors to jail – I got to pray with the heroes.
I was far from my home in sunny Santa Barbara for my first meeting as a member of Interfaith Worker Justice’s board of directors. IWJ is a network of people of faith from many different traditions that works to educate, organize and mobilize religious communities around issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits, and conditions for workers, and give voice to workers, especially workers in low-wage jobs. The other UU on the board is Susan Leslie, UUA director for congregational advocacy and witness. Together we bring an ‘institutional’ and ‘field’ perspective to the work.

We were doing all the usual things that happen at Board meetings – reviewing programs, talking about funding (or the lack thereof) and charting the course ahead – when we heard that the workers at Republic Windows and Doors had asked us to come down to their plant to pray with them.

I can understand why those folks might be in a praying mood.

About a week ago the owners of their company announced that they were closing their doors for good, saying that orders for doors and windows had dropped off. They gave their two hundred and fifty employees just three days notice - even though the law requires sixty. They also withheld the pay the workers had already earned, over a million dollars worth, I am told.

The company claimed they couldn’t pay the workers because their bank, Bank of America, refused to extend them any more credit. Talk about adding insult to injury - this is the very same Bank of America that had just been given 25 billion dollars of taxpayer bailout money!

Let’s take a quick look at the scoreboard:

• Republic Windows and Doors = closes Chicago location, doesn’t pay workers, buys new factory in Iowa where they won’t have to pay workers fair wages and benefits.
• Bank of America = receives 25 BILLION dollar bailout, paid for by the American people.
• Republic Employees = fired with three days notice and have their wages stolen three weeks before Christmas!

Enough was enough.

The workers occupied the plant. Following the example of the famous autoworker strike of 1936, the workers of Republic Windows and Doors simply sat down and refused to move!

They’d already been there for five days by the time we went to pray with them. They “work” in eight hour shifts, and are very well-organized, with cleaning crews, food crews and everything else they need to stay in there indefinitely. Nobody gets in or out except them - and, on this occasion – us.

We arrived at the plant and stepped out into a very cold grey rain that got even colder after you’d been standing in it for a while. There were already lots of folks gathered there: union members, people of faith and other well-wishers who’d been standing in the rain and would keep on standing in the rain for as long as necessary.

We started singing, and as IWJ’s Kim Bobo led us in “This Little Light of Mine” and “We Shall Not Be Moved” the rain and the cold seemed to fade far into the background. Some of the workers came out to say hello to the crowd and an enormous cheer went up. Everyone wanted to let the workers know that no matter how alone they felt we were all right there with them.

After a brief press conference (for the few remaining press crews who had not been diverted to cover the Governor’s latest and most breathtaking act of corruption), we clergy were ushered inside the plant.

The first thing I noticed was a plain white sign that said, “5 Days and Still Strong!” written on it in black magic marker – and then we were whisked in through the double doors leading into the plant proper.

Republic’s production floor is a big one any day, but with all the machines shut down it seemed even bigger, emptier and more cavernous. But it was warm and bright after the relentless chill outside – at least nobody had cut the power on them yet.
We all went our own ways, shaking hands and talking with the workers, many of whom didn’t have a ton of English but held out hands warmly and said, God bless you…God bless you…God bless you.” I speak plenty of English, but those were pretty much the only words I could find too.

In movies heroes are always portrayed as being special somehow – brilliant, powerful, beautiful, fearless, larger than life – but that’s not how life really is. The heroes I have been fortunate enough to meet in my life are never like that – they are always so normal. So ordinary. Just…people, like anyone else.
And those are exactly the kind of heroes I met on Republic’s factory floor. Just ordinary folks. And they were far from fearless, in their eyes and in their hands I could feel anxiety and fear as well as hope – and it was the hope that kept them going in spite of everything. Courageous people are not those who feel no fear (those people are fools), but those who keep on in spite of their fear – and those are the people I met in Republic – truly courageous people.

They are just ordinary people, the kind of people I might not even notice on a crowded sidewalk – unless they were clearing up my dishes at a restaurant or cleaning my hotel room. And this is my loss.

Ordinary people. But there they were, a couple hundred folks, mostly Latino and African American - occupying their factory and refusing to budge. And they aren’t just doing it for themselves – just to get what they are owed. It was so clear, visiting with them, that they understand themselves to be taking a stand for everybody! They are standing up for everybody who gets treated like dirt, whose wages are stolen and whose rights are denied. They are standing up against a system that bails out millionaires while families lose their homes and children go to bed hungry. What an incredible gift they are giving.

The workers moved together, into the center of the circle formed by we clergy. We laid our hands upon them and prayed. Some of the prayer was spontaneous and aloud – and much of it was silent.

I will always remember the texture of the fleece and t-shirts under my hands, and the human warmth beneath that. I will always remember the prayers – of courage, hope, love and healing - I will always remember the sound of breathing and the taste of tears. Words cannot possibly describe what happened in that little circle, but I will never forget what that inexpressible something felt like. We were together in that moment – and our circle was so much bigger than we were – somehow expanding to include all those who stood outside in the rain… and even farther than that…the circle stretched even farther than that…. and with such warmth and love and connectedness flowing through my body I opened my eyes and, through my own tears, saw that almost every face was wet.

This, I thought, is what is possible for us! These are my sisters and brothers, every single one of them. In that moment it was impossible to imagine letting harm come to them, to these good, brave – ordinary people!

I do not know what will happen now. I know that negotiations continue. I am optimistic that, at the very least, these workers will get the pay that was stolen from them. But is that enough?

What the workers at Republic want is not just a paycheck – they want their jobs! Good, decent, reliable jobs. They want to go to work every morning and build windows and doors. They want to buy Christmas presents for their kids and to know where they will be living next month. They want to work hard, to be treated with respect and to know that everything will be okay.

Is that so much to ask?

I don’t know how things will work out for those workers – those heroes – I prayed with yesterday in Chicago, but I do know this. They are not alone. How many workers, how many factories, how many children, how many hopes and dreams and futures hang in the balance in these troubled times?

Millions.

And so as far as I am concerned, any conversation about bailouts that does not include provisions for the ordinary heroes all around us is unconscionable, unjust, and downright sinful. We must do everything in our power to support our sisters and brothers at Republic Windows and Doors - and everywhere else our people need us.

The one thing those folks needed to hear from us more than anything is that they are not alone – and that’s what we told them. Now we need to prove it, come what may.
See Interfaith Worker Justice to learn more about this struggle and how you can support these workers and the faith community’s partnership with them.

Read There is Power in Union (PDF): A UU Guide to Worker Justice, by Rev. Aaron McEmrys.

More information:
UUA January Action of the Month: Living Wage
UUA Resources for Living Wage
UUA Resources for Immigrant Rights
Interfaith Worker Justice Report and photos!

Interfaith Action on Worker Justice

If you read our blog on December 2nd, then you already know that Subway recently agreed to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in making sure that the tomato pickers of Immokalee, Florida, are paid fair wages.

But I learned something new about the agreement a few days later, when I met up with some members of the CIW as they passed through DC on a tour to promote their campaign for fair food. They told me that a Unitarian Universalist minister had been present at the Subway-CIW agreement! Take a look at the photo below:

The woman in the blue flower print dress on the left is UU minister Rev. Lucy Hitchcock Seck, Board Member of Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community as well as South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice.

Rev. Hitchcock Seck became involved with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers through her work with South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice, and also through the CIW's outreach to faith groups.

The CIW relies on the support of faith groups not just in Florida, but across the country, who care about workers rights and ethical eating. Visit the CIW's website or email info [at] interfaithact.org for information about how your congregation can get involved. Participate in their postcard campaign as they urge Chipotle to follow Subway's lead.

"The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is to be commended for its persistent and inspired work to improve the labor rights, restore the dignity and livelihood of the farm workers who pick our crops, and eliminate farm slavery. The delegation pictured, which included workers, CIW organizers, clergy and laity from South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice and other supporters, is representative of the many who helped to convince the corporate executives of Subway to be part of this growing fast-food industry support of justice for those who supply their tomatoes. Please join our coalition of supporters of fair food! This is a deeply religious issue of compassion and justice. "

--Rev. Lucy Hitchcock Seck

Rev. Hitchcock Seck is also on the taskforce for one of the UUA's current Congregational Study Action Issues, Ethical Eating. For more information, see the UUA's page on Ethical Eating.

UU Activist Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Here it is folks, our second annual UU Activist Holiday Gift Guide!

Adam's suggestion: A subscription to Fast Company Magazine

A business magazine!?!?! Have you gone crazy Adam? No, I have not. It is the only magazine that I read cover to cover, every time I get one in the mail. To be an effective Social Justice advocate, it is important to see things from multiple perspectives, stay on top of emerging trends, and think outside the box. Fast Company is “Where people and ideas meet.” It often profiles leaders who are building companies or organizations in innovative ways. It has many features on emerging green businesses and products, as well as cutting edge technology. Two of my favorite articles were their profile of Adam Werbach’s work with Wal-Mart and their profile of Michelle Rhee, the chancellor of Washington D.C.’s public school system. The magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper – 85% post consumer. I encourage you to pick up a copy at a newsstand and check it out. If you have any fast thinkers among your friends and family, this may be the perfect gift.

Grace's suggestion: Etsy.com

Instead of buying gifts from a department store this year, check out etsy.com. This site allows people to buy and sell handmade items. You can support artists from all over the nation and surprise your loved one with a one-of-a-kind gift. The site is easy to use and allows you to narrow your search in a variety of ways; including geographical location, color, type of item and featured sellers. But remember, most of the items are one-of-a-kind so don’t wait too long!

Alex's suggestion: Cook Books

With the current recession, you and your loved ones may find that you are eating at home more. That is generally good for your health and pocketbook, as meals cooked at home tend to contain less fat and salt and more fresh ingredients. With increased home cooking, you may want to purchase a cookbook for your loved ones. But don’t just go out there and buy the first thing you find in the store. Remember, a cookbook is no help if it never gets opened. Here are a few tips to ensure your new book is a well-loved one.

1. Actually look through some books. Are the recipes well laid out in the book? Do they make sense? Are the ingredients easy to get? Are the pictures helpful? Does the author take the time to explain what is happening? Some authors, like Deborah Madison and Mark Bittman, are famous for explaining their recipes and teaching techniques in the books. I actually sat down with my copy of Madison’s book and read it cover to cover.


2. Avoid books written by celebrity chefs. Just because the cook in your life likes watching “Top Chef” doesn’t mean they want to make all the recipes on the show. Similarly, celebrity chefs aren’t always renowned for the ease of their ingredients or for the accuracy of their recipes.
3. Make sure the book fits the cooking style and ability of the cook. If your cook likes to make simple, light vegetarian food and lives in Portland, Oregon—then Mario Batali’s Mediterranean Grilling book would not be an appropriate choice. On the other hand, it might be perfect for the Californian griller in your life. Furthermore, if your cook is just learning their art, make sure your book is not too complicated.
4. Great places to look for cookbooks are thrift stores, used book stores, and rummage sales. Here, you will find some real gems. You can find gently used and well loved books that may be out of print.

Lisa's suggestion is to donate to GNOUU

GNOUU stands for Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists, which she blogged about earlier in the week. Like the rest of the Crescent City, the UUs of New Orleans are still in need of help from hurricane Katrina, and the recent downturn in the economy has made raising necessary funds all the harder. Make a donation in the name of a loved one. Before you do, think about the support that you’d like to receive from your extended UU family if your congregation ever experienced a disaster. After you make your donation, tell others about GNOUU!

Kat seconds Lisa's suggestion.

Inspirational Human Rights work in India continues

Derek Mitchell, is an ICWA (Institute of Current World Affairs) Fellow exploring the impact of global trade and economic growth on Indian society. He has been communicating with the UU Holdeen India Program about the incredible work of one of UUHIP's partners, Shramjeevi Sanghatana, and the transformational leadership of Vivek Pandit. Below is Derek's latest dispatch.

I'm sitting next to Vivekji in Usgaon right now and of course everyone here has been asking me when you're coming. Thankfully I have an answer this time! Are your dates fixed now? Steven Butler was here on his mid-fellowship visit last week and after three days in Varanasi I brought him to meet Vivekji. Any day with Vivekji is eventful but it happened that the day Steve and I came he was leading a protest march from the same parking lot you and I went to for a union meeting in Bhayandar—the meeting for the union of contract muncipal workers. We followed the union members as they marched to the local municipal corporation offices and then went inside while Vivekji and Dominica pressured the commissioner and a labor department official to pay minimum wages. I was so glad Steve was able to get a sense of Vivekji and his work. He seemed moved by the katgari girls' school and the sense of dignity that the members of the Sanghatana have, in spite of their poverty.

Since he left on Wednesday I've been accompanying Vivek to his meetings, for the union and for Shiv Sena. The cases that have come up have been fascinating; among them, he settled a dispute between a nearby Coke plant and the surrounding community. But topping it all was one of the most moving events I've experienced since you introduced me to the Sanghatana. A massive march of adivasis converged on the Thane collector's office last Thursday to demand that their forest rights be recognized. The event was an overpowering show of strength. At 11:30 we arrived at a dusty parking lot in Thane that was supposed to be the staging ground for the march. The event was to start soon but there were only a couple hundred of people there. We all wondered whether it would be the massive gathering everyone had predicted. But reports started coming in of hundreds of trucks flying the Sanghatana's flag converging on the city. The parking lot was soon teeming with people. I spoke with some young men who had just arrived from Vasai block. They were farm laborers who said the state had given them notice that their huts on government land would soon be demolished.

As the crowd grew, Vivekji climbed onto a jeep and led the crowds in booming chants of "Wage the fight!" and "If injustice continues for the poor, a storm will come to the earth!" The sea of people then began moving in highly organized, disciplined waves toward the collector's office. The entire 1 ½ km route from the staging ground to the office was blanketed with people. As the first wave arrived at the destination, the people sat on the hot pavement. The city along the route was paralyzed. Eventually a crowd of what the police estimated to be 70,000 filled one long road in Thane city. Jaanu led them in chants for justice and then Balaram said in his speech, "The Shramjeevi Sanghatana has always been peaceful but when you come to destroy our houses, we can't promise we'll stay peaceful. You let the builders make their illegal buildings, so why do you come to destroy ours? Why do you think we're living on government land? Because we don't have anywhere else to go!" Jagdish, the district president of the Sanghatana, told the marchers, "Shramjeevi Sanghatana is standing with you! The government won't touch your homes because we're behind you. If you receive a demolition notice, burn it!" After the Sanghatana leaders spoke, local leaders from the Shiv Sena, the opposition party, came to the lectern. The Sanghatana had invited leaders from every party to come, but what could the ruling party members say to tens of thousand who bear the brunt of their neglect? Eknath Shinde, a Sena member of the legislative assembly (MLA) said, "If you can unite like this when the next election comes, there is no way this government can stay in power…Shiv Sena will always stand with you!" Subhash Desai, an MLA and senior leader of the Sena, exclaimed, "The government must be shaking in fear to see the power you've shown today…You are adivasis and that means you are the original inhabitants of this land. Why can't the government recognize that? The government fails to provide you with housing and then comes to destroy the houses you build yourself…The Shiv Sena will always fight for the sons of the soil!"

As a cool shade spread over the thousands of sitting tribals, Vivekji stood to spoke. He led the crowd in crying out "Shramjeevi Sanghatana Zindabad!" and then declared, "We're showing our unity today to the Collector and we're showing the Congress that the next government will not be theirs! Martyrs like Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh died for one cause: that after independence our basic needs should be met. But Congress has never done that…In 2002 the government said slum dwellers would get rights to their land, but that still hasn't happened. They said the same thing in 1995, but instead they're now sending in bull dozers. If they send a bull dozer to your house then you should lie down in front of it; if they send in the bull dozers I'll be the first lie in front of them!...Will you join the next fight for independence? If our forces are this big, who can stop us?!" He explained to the union that Shiv Sena had given him responsibility for tribals in the whole state; this would strengthen Shramjeevi Sanghatana. He closed by demanding that the government divide Thane district to better serve tribals. "Before the next elections this district will be divided or you can expect an even bigger march on the Maharashtra Secretariat!"

As the event came to an end, the crowd moved in tightly organized groups back to the staging ground. Each group insisted on stopping to shake Vivekji's outstreteched hands. Policemen and bureaucrats came up to congratulate him and local people from Thane, whose city had come to halt because of the morcha, told him how moved they were by his speech. The newspapers the next day were filled with declarations that the Shramjeevi Sanghatana had sent a message loud and clear to the government: fulfill our demands, or else.

The local government had in fact already acquiesed. The day before, the Collector, anticipating how many people would be coming, met with the Sanghatana's leadership to ensure implementation of the Forest Rights law, declare status quo on demolition of illegal settlements, and improve the conditions of schools and health facilities. The morcha was a success. Vivekji's been absolutely jubilant since; the Sanghatana had never showed its strength like that before. And the state political establishment recognized all the more that the union, and he as its leader, is a force to be reckoned with.

The more I learn about the Sena and why Vivek joined the more his decision makes sense to me. The party may have a dark past, but it's the only credible alternative to the horrible Congress government here and the leader of the Sena trusts and respects Vivek, which means he will be given a role in shaping party policy. By joining he's able to use the party's resources to reach many more tribals and there's talk that if Sena comes to power next year (which seems certain) he'll be offered the post of Tribal Development Minister. It could all blow up in his face, by Sena inciting riots or being just as bad as Congress, but ultimately Sena really needs him more than he needs Sena, so I don't see him having much to lose in this.

Mumbai attacks: "The Roar of Creation Resolves into Music" - R. Tagore

Eboo Patel is the Director of Interfaith Youth Corp and was the Starr King School’s President’s Lecturer at General Assembly 2009. On December 1st he posted his reflections on the attacks in Mumbai to the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog.

My father's best childhood friend owns Joy Shoes in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. When I come back here to the city of my birth, after making the rounds of extended family, I go see Remu. He's usually sitting at the counter working the phones - land line at one ear, mobile at the other - chatting with the regulars who come by to browse some of the finest shoes in India. We talk about what the artist MF Hussein (India's most famous painter, and a friend of Remu's) is up to, what concerts and plays are on tap that week in Mumbai, how life is changing under India's booming economy... (link)

Partners of the UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) are also responding to the attacks. The following message from Henri Tiphange, the Executive Director of People's Watch, is one example:

Dear friends across India and the world,

We're all feeling the shock of the awful attacks in Mumbai. All our hearts go out to the victims and their families.

The attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity. If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feed on division. They also know they are radical extremists, and their only hope of reaching society as a whole is by turning the rest of us against each other.

Let's deny them that victory. We're launching a message to extremists on all sides and all our political leaders, one that will soon be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan. The message is that these tactics aren't working, that we're more united than ever, united in our love and support to each other, and determined to work together to stop violent extremism. If millions of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable, click here to sign it and please forward it widely:

It's time to speak out, let's do it together.

Thanks & Regards,
Henri Tiphange

(More than 55,000 people have signed on so far)

Both IFYC and UUHIP partners are holding out a vision of hope, peace and action following the terrible events in Mumbai. May we embrace that vision also.

Help the UU churches of New Orleans rebuild – Give to GNOUU

In August of 2005, flood waters from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita filled the homes and worship spaces of hundreds of Unitarian Universalists in the New Orleans area.

Three years later, repairs to First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans are still incomplete.

North Shore Unitarian Universalist Society needs funding to minister to affected members and re-grow their membership.

And in August, Community Church of New Orleans was forced to raze the remnants of their building due to revised FEMA regulations. Now the Community Church will have to rebuild their worship space from the ground up.

These three congregations have joined together to form Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists, GNOUU--pronounced "guh-new"). GNOUU’s goal is to raise 2.7 million dollars over the next three years to support the rebuilding of their churches and ministries. Currently, they are over 200,000 dollars short of reaching the first million.

This holiday season, please remember our extended UU family in the Gulf Coast, and show the kind of support that you would like to receive if your congregation was struck by disaster.

Make a donation to GNOUU in honor of a family member or a church friend, or challenge yourself to donate a certain amount each month and set up a recurring donation.

If you can’t afford to give a financial gift, consider participating in a service trip with The Rebirth Center, a volunteer service project stewarded by GNOUU.

Photo from http://communitychurchuu.org

What Is Marriage?

In the past few years, we have heard many arguments from the Religious Right concerning the definition of marriage. Many claim that civil marriage for same sex couples will fundamentally redefine marriage in American culture.

After the passage of California Prop 8 and Florida Prop 2, this debate has reemerged in the mainstream media. Many activists have made compelling and moving arguments for marriage equality. And some have even cited precedent for how redefining marriage has happened in the past and has made our nation better. In the past, marriage was a business arrangement between fathers. In the past, slaves were not allowed to decide who they got to marry, if at all. In the past, interracial marriage was illegal. In each instance, the social and legal definitions were fundamentally changed. And our nation has become more just for it.

But my favorite definition of marriage has come from a furry blue monster and a little boy. In this definition, we see that marriage has nothing to do with gender or sexuality. It has to do with love, commitment and support. This is what activists of civil marriage equality are fighting for. And I cannot think of anything better to be fighting for.

President Sinkford speaks on 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day

Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), spoke at an interfaith worship service (PDF) at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, on December 1, the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.

To learn more, see the news article at UUA.org.

Breaking News: Subway agrees to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Just this morning, Subway agreed to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to provide fair wages for the tomato pickers of Immokalee, Florida! Check out the CIW website to see a photo of Subway and CIW delegations reaching an agreement.

Subway, the biggest fast-food buyer of Florida tomatoes, was the target of a successful postcard campaign coordinated by the CIW to urge them to pay just wages. But the postcard campaign's second target, Chipotle, is still holding out. Take a look at our November post for instructions on how to participate in the postcard campaign to urge Chipotle to join with Burger King, Yum! Brands, McDonald's, Whole Foods, and now Subway in supporting tomato pickers.

Congratulations, CIW!

Photo credit to Kevin Saff, Creative Commons.

HIV-AIDS contexts during President Sinkford's pilgrimage

(cross-posted from President Sinkford's blog about his pilgrimage to Africa: uupilgrimage.blogspot.com

One of the major issues that President Sinkford and his companions have been in dialogue about during the Pilgrimage is the various responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the countries we’ve visited. This morning (November 21) we are on our way to Odumase in the Eastern Region of Ghana where the Manya Krobo people live. Since 2005 the UU United Nations Office has had a partnership with one of the schools for children who have been orphaned by the death of their parents from AIDS. While the transmission rates of HIV in Ghana are generally quite low as compared to other African countries (less than 2%) the rates in the Eastern region are considerably higher (9% down from a high of 19%), leading to a larger number of orphaned children in this area.


Millenium Development Goals Posters at UNICEF in Accra

Driving around Accra and towards Odumase the advertising campaigns are commonly along the roadside. The most frequent themes are “AIDS is Real and Kills” and “Use condoms to protect yourself and prevent transmission”, as well as the frequent abstinence messages


Examples of advertisements

Yesterday we met with leaders of 3 organizations involved in HIV/AIDS work in Ghana: the UN Development Program (UNDP), UNICEF, and the Ghana AIDS Commission – which is the central governmental agency responding to the epidemic in Ghana. During these meetings we learned a great deal about prevention strategies and the context in which strategies are implemented.


HIV/AIDS discussion at UNICEF in Accra

For example, while the official Ghanaian operating philosophy is ABC (Abstinence, Being Faithful, and Condomizing), the school system (which approximately 70% of children participate in) teaches abstinence-only as a prevention strategy. However transmission and other information about HIV/AIDS is integrated into all aspects of the Curriculum (Mathematics, Science, etc.) through the ALERT program – which is organized by UNICEF. The decision to only include Abstinence as a preventive strategy in the school curriculum is due to cultural and religious constraints – not unlike those experienced in the United States. The Ghana AIDS Commission assured us that the “Being Faithful” and “Comdomizing” pieces of the philosophy are taught through community outreach, and particularly through peer education programs – realizing that young people listen to young people more effectively than to adults.


Discussion with Ghana AIDS Commission


Discussion with Ghana AIDS Commission

We recall that the HIV/AIDS work led by leaders of The Triangle Project in Cape Town was often constrained to the ABC philosophy by donors, though they sought to assist school teachers with additional fact-based HIV information/strategies and are grateful for donors who don’t place constraints. In Uganda, Rev. Mark Kiyimba is planning to build the capacity of an HIV/AIDS education strategy that is not limited by either Abstinence-only or the ABC philosophy. Please contact the UUA's International Resources Office for additional information. The UU-UNO’s partner in Odumase – the Queen Mother’s Association – helps to assure that HIV/AIDS orphans are cared for by families in the community. We were told that this is a deeply traditional practice.

The Ghana AIDS commission described the importance of the school in Odumase – which certainly applies to similar schools in countries throughout Africa – as a way to prevent HIV/AIDS from creating a generation of children who haven’t been socialized and are not integrated into the community. This key aspect of this HIV/AIDS response is over and above the central importance of providing children with an education – which is a basic human right as well as a key strategy for personal development and the general alleviation of poverty.

The UU-UNO’s “Every Child is Our Child” partnership offers a straightforward way for American UUs to do something effective in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.


Photos from President Sinkford's visit to the UU United Nations Office partners in Odumase, Ghana.