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Unitarian Universalist minister, staff member of the Southern Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and Holly Springs, Mississippi, resident the Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith has publicly declared himself a candidate for U.S. Congress. In an interview, he emphasized some of his early policy priorities, which include achieving permanent legal status for Dreamers and addressing issues of economic inequality, gerrymandering, and the Electoral College. (Daily Journal – 9.15.17)
Other news from UU congregations
When tickets for a Dave Matthews Band concert to help heal their hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, were diverted away from the local community to online sales at massively inflated prices, there was a strong outcry. People who won the initial ticket lottery are now being encouraged to donate their tickets to the racial justice committee at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church for redistribution to people and groups targeted by white supremacists like the ones who led last month's tragic Unite the Right Rally. (c-ville.com – 9.14.17)
Nearly one-fourth of the 800,000 Dreamers impacted by President Trump’s recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program live in California. In Petaluma, the Unitarian Universalist congregation recently held a training for volunteers to serve as legal observers, equipping them to witness, accompany, and advocate on behalf of immigrants subject to deportation. Congregation member and trainee George Beeler said, “This is a country built on immigration, and farming is very hard work that people don't do unless they have to. The DACA crackdown is adding insult to a grievous injury already inflicted on immigrant communities.” (Bohemian.org – 9.13.17)
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, Georgia, is holding a public “Just Dinner” fundraiser to challenge the community to support sustainability. The dinner will include locally sourced, organic, and free-trade food while raising funds for new solar panels to power the congregation's sanctuary. An anonymous donor is matching funds up to $10,000 for the event. “It’s a great way for those concerned about the community’s carbon footprint to get involved even if you can’t install on your own home,” said the congregation’s minister, the Rev. Katherine Hawbaker. (Marietta Times – 9.12.17)