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In its investigation for the Podcast White Lies, NPR uncovered FBI records that could have solved the cold case murder of the Rev. James Reeb, a UU minister and civil rights activist who was killed in Alabama in 1965. While three suspects in the murder were acquitted, evidence discovered by NPR includes an eye-witness willing to identify the acquitted suspects and identifies a fourth suspect. The fourth suspect, the only one who was still alive during the NPR investigation, died two weeks after being identified. (NPR, 7.9.19)
Vigils call for liberty, justice
Members of Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, with locations in Salisbury and Charlotte, North Carolina, were among many UUs who hosted and participated in “Lights for Liberty” vigils across the country. The vigils called for an end to the cruel treatment of migrants and asylum seekers. The Rev. Mary Frances Comer, minister of Piedmont, said, “We’re calling for a country we claim to be: a place where the tired, the poor and hungry are welcome, and where they can find liberty. And so may we usher in that reality.” (Salisbury Post, 7.13.19)
Service features blessing of mobility devices
The Rev. Lisa Perry-Wood of First Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts, co-led a “Blessing of the F(l)eet,” a celebration of the many mobility devices people use, including feet. Based on the idea of senior center resident Anne Umansky, the service was created by Rabbi Jim Morgan of Center Communities of Brookline, who recruited Perry-Wood to help make the event interfaith. According to Morgan, “Rev. Lisa blessed all of the walkers, scooters, rollators, and canes that people had brought with them. Her last blessing was for the Baby Bjorn worn by Julie Miller, a Research Associate from MIT’s AgeLab who had joined us for the afternoon with her 3-month-old son, Ezra.” (Wicked Local, 7.15.19)