Advertisement
Democracy is a core religious value for us
The Unitarian Universalist fellowship in Humboldt, California, declared its support for Measure K, a county ballot measure which would prohibit local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials. The congregation’s minister, the Rev. Bryan Jessup, wrote, “Harking back to the history of the Hebrew people in Egypt and harking back to the history of early European immigrants to North America, the congregation urges people to remember we are all immigrants on this earth and we all need one another’s care.” (Times Standard, 10.18.18)
Three activists (Emma González, David Hogg, and Alex Wind) from Parkland, Florida, survivors of the school shooting there, spoke recently at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, Vermont, while on tour promoting their new book, Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement. “We shouldn’t be normalizing lockdowns,” Wind said. (Burlington Free Press, 10.19.18)
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, sponsored a Rally for Justice, featuring keynote speaker Marissa Ocampo, a youth organizer for American Civil Liberties Union Wisconsin. “Democracy is a core value for us. It’s a religious value for us. That is what drives our commitment to democracy in our community,” UUFL’s minister the Rev. Krista Taves said. (LaCrosse Tribune, 10.12.18)
Progress in gender equity among UU clergy; significant gaps remain in racial equality
A new report by Eileen Campbell-Reed, associate professor at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee, notes that women clergy are increasing in number, and that the increases are most striking in the UUA and the United Church of Christ. In the UUA, women are more often serving large congregations, though for women clergy of color “significant gaps remain.” (Religion News Service, 10.18.18)