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A pair of competing protests took place in Montgomery County, Maryland—one opposed to a recent executive order about immigration and one in favor of it. The Rev. Abhi Janamanchi of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda spoke at the latter protest, saying, “We are here today to say 'no' to all the systems and structures of oppression. . . .But we are also here to say 'yes' . . . to listen to the call of love and answer to the call of love with the yes of our lives. . . . We are here . . . to stand in solidarity with our county leadership who have courage in their convictions." (Patch.com, September 13)
Three months ago, members of Borderlands UU Church in Amado, Arizona, began protesting the federal government’s treatment of immigrants. These weekly protests have grown to include a broader group of participants, including Elsa Rodriguez, a “Republican with faith-based values.” Rodriguez asked, “What kind of a society are we if we don’t look out for the most vulnerable, the elderly, the children, the homeless, the persecuted? It’s what the Bible tells us to do.” (Green Valley News, September 11)
The Santa Rosa UU Congregation in Santa Rosa, California, recently displayed an exhibit called FACES, a series of photographs of local homeless residents. The photographer, Salvador Sanchez-Strawbridge, said, “Until we are in solidarity with the most disenfranchised of our community, we’re never going to be free.” (Press Democrat, September 13)
The Rev. Charlotte Arsenault, minister of Georgia Mountains UU Church in Dahlonega, Georgia, joined a number of her colleagues in gathering church members to protest a local rally organized by a white supremacist. (WSBTV, September 14)
UU mystery writer tackles heavy topics
The Rev. Judith Campbell, who is both a UU minister and a mystery writer, was recently profiled in the Boston Globe. Campbell said, “My books address some pretty heavy topics, but I don’t preach or give my opinion one way or another. . . . What I do is hold up difficult issues for people to consider. I raise the questions, but I don’t give the answers. It is a very different approach to writing a novel.” (Boston Globe, September 11)