Bending the Arc: A Social Justice Quarterly, January-March 2017

Transcription

1 Bending the Arc: A Scial Justice Quarterly, January-March 2017 Frm the Unitarian Universalist Church f Davis, CA Table f Cntents Lking back: scial justice activities in the furth quarter f 2016 Lking frward: scial justice activities in the first quarter f 2017 Black Lives Matter banner Addressing hmelessness The Peple Speak and act Yur leadership is needed Pht: Dan & Millie Braunstein, Sharn Hale, Dawn Student, Rbin Datel, and Stefan Harvey visit the African American Museum and Library in Oakland and the Truth Stne at UU Oakland next dr t the museum. Hw UUCD members and friends bent the arc in the last quarter f They... Shared a ptluck dinner at ur church s Sukkah n Oct. 21, cnnecting the histric Exdus f the Jews frm Egypt and their travel in the desert fr 40 years (a fcus f the Jewish hliday f Sukkt), with the current waves f refugees being frced frm their Middle Eastern hmes. In Octber, registered vters by participating in the Yl Interfaith Immigrant Netwrk vter registratin prject. Listened in ur sanctuary n Nv. 9 t UUA President Peter Mrales encurage us t engage in lcal effrts, including interfaith effrts, cngruent with ur principles and values, in the face f natinal electin results that signaled different principles and values. Cntributed multiple welcme kits, sets f basic husehld items, full children s backpacks, stuffed diaper bags, and cash fr the Internatinal Rescue Cmmittee in Sacrament t use in their resettlement f refugees lcally. Met with Evan Junker, Executive Directr f the UU Justice Ministry f Califrnia, n Nv. 30 t learn abut UUJMCA s Actin Teams fr Immigrant Justice, Ecnmic Justice, Envirnmental Justice, and Equity Ministry. Cntributed $1,554 t the Unitarian Universalist Service Cmmittee thrugh the Guest at Yur Table fundraiser.

2 C-spnsred a pst-electin cmmunity gathering n Dec. 4 attended by many frm UUCD, wh heard frm vulnerable lcal cmmunities and discussed ways t reduce thse vulnerabilities. Amng grups represented were the AB 540 and Undcumented Student Center at UCD, which Rev. Beth and thers frm ur church are supprting. Prvided hmemade and healthy snacks and drinks t the Internatinal Rescue Cmmittee fr their n-the-g refugee resettlement staff in Sacrament. Wrte hliday cards t the mre than 100 detained immigrants in the Ri Csumnes Crrectinal Center in Elk Grve as part f the n-ging Faithful Friends/Amigs Fieles justice and visitatin prject. Visited the SALAM Center and Msque in Sacrament n Dec. 16 fr dinner, cnversatin, and a prgram n Muhammad as a family man, mentr, and leader f yuth. Participated in an anti-islamphbia vigil, spnsred by Jewish Vice fr Peace and Cuncil n American Islamic Relatins, with Lve Yur Neighbr signs in hand, n the west steps f the State Capitl n Dec. 21. Gave $5,875 raised in third-sunday special cllectins t the Yl Interfaith Immigratin Netwrk (Octber), the Sacrament Office f the Internatinal Rescue Cmmittee (Nvember), Davis Media Access (December), and the Interfaith Rtating Winter Shelter (Christmas Eve). Hw YOU can help bend the arc in the first quarter f YOU can... Plant a Lve Yur Neighbr sign, created by ur frmer intern minister Laura Thmpsn, in yur frnt yard. Available in the Scial Hall befre and after services fr a dnatin f $5-10. The sign is ideal fr prtests and vigils. Get yurs sn! Deepen ur relatinship with lcal refugees by vlunteering with the Sacrament ffice f the Internatinal Rescue Cmmittee (IRC). We are explring new pprtunities at IRC s urban farm, New Rts, in West Sacrament. IRC has invited us t help refugees imprve their knwledge f nutritin and t learn hw t grcery shp wisely in Sacrament. Watch weekly bulletins fr mre infrmatin. Participate in a cmmunity service prject n Jan. 14 r Jan. 16 in hnr f Martin Luther King Day. Sign up in the scial hall after church n Jan. 15. Attend the Martin Luther King Day cncerts by the Free Range Singers, t benefit Empwer Yl. Sunday, Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m. and Mnday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. Bth at UUCD. Jin ur UU Campus Ministry in supprting the UC Davis Muslim Student Assciatin s secnd annual 5K run/walk n January 21. 8:00 a.m. t nn. East Quad Avenue, UC Davis. Funds raised g tward building wells abrad and prviding clean water t the residents f Flint, MI. Meditate, pray, and send a message f lving kindness int the wrld during the presidential inauguratin n Jan. 20. Cntact Lrraine Visher, lvisher@gmail.cm. Jin the Wmen s March n Sacrament (a sister event t the Wmen s Marches n Washingtn, San Francisc, Oakland and ther places n the same day), Saturday, Jan. 21. This inclusive event underlines a cmmitment t

3 prtect ur rights, ur safety, ur health, and ur families. March begins at 10 a.m. at Suthside Park; rally n the West steps f the Capitl starts at nn Read Just Mercy, Bryan Stevensn s accunt f the wrk f his Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated t defending the pr, the wrngly cndemned, and thse trapped in the furthest reaches f ur criminal justice system. Jin the cnversatin, spnsred by Uniting fr Racial Justice and led by Marty West, abut this awardwinning bk and criminal justice refrm, n Sunday, January 22, at 12: 45 in the church library. Yu can als watch a TED talk by Stevensn: and read an article in The New Yrker abut him: Related pprtunity: exhibits n the histry f the Black Panther party cntinue thrugh Feb. 12 at the Oakland Museum f Califrnia and thrugh Feb. 28 at the African American Museum and Library in Oakland. Participants in a recent (auctin) excursin t visit the exhibits pint ut hw the Black Panther Party was brn ut f a sense f utrage against the racially ppressive criminal justice system. Attend a presentatin n cmpassin by David Breaux, n Sunday, Jan. 29, at 12:45 in the church library. David has experienced hmelessness, and his talk will prvide cntext fr ur hsting f the Interfaith Rtating Winter Shelter starting the same evening. Fr backgrund, read: %E2%80%8A%E2%80%8Abreaux-actin-fr-cmpassin/. David s bi: David H. Breaux is a vtary fr cmpassin. His intent is t bring awareness t cmpassin by encuraging peple t think abut what cmpassin means t them. He ffers that space in dwntwn Davis at the crner f 3rd and C t think abut cmpassin and als facilitates discussins n the tpic. Thrugh these simple gestures, peple are mved t cntemplate cmpassin and inspired t act tward the alleviatin f suffering in the wrld. Help UUCD prvide a safe sleeping spt and fd fr up t 40 hmeless guests as we hst the Interfaith Rtating Winter Shelter, Jan. 29 Feb. 3. Sign up in the Scial Hall n Sundays t be part f a driving, cking, kitchen, hspitality, vernight, r set up/take dwn crew. Details frm Lindsay Westn, lawwestn@sbcglbal.net. Vlunteer t set up and serve at Davis Cmmunity Meals n the secnd Tuesday f the mnth, including Feb. 14 and Mar. 14. Cntact Kathy Byajian, katby3@gmail.cm. Attend the third Internatinal [Unitarian] Wmen s Cnvcatin, Feb , at Asilmar Cnference Center in Pacific Grve. Cntact Peg Swain f Dve & Serpent, mbswain01@gmail.cm. Vlunteer and/r attend the Yl Interfaith Alliance fr Climate Justice annual cnference, March 11, Cntact Lynne Nittler at lnittler@sbcglbal.net. Have fun n a Scial Justice Scavenger Hunt, a still-available auctin item fr all ages. Explre Davis by bike as yu fllw clues t places and artifacts that embdy the city s scial justice past and present. Ideal fr families with children wh bike. Saturday, March 25, at nn. Includes lunch and dessert at Central Park. $10 per adult; children free. Cntact Stefan Harvey, stefh2002@yah.cm. Justice Updates: Our Black Lives Matter Banner In Octber, the church received an frm a member f the public wh wrte, Hell, I nticed that there is a "black lives matter" [banner] in frnt f yur building. Is this yurs? If s, have yu cnsidered that all lives matter? Or are yu prpsing that sme lives matter mre than thers? Yu have the right t d what yu chse, but is this "selective" messaging really beneficial fr all peple? Here is the reply that United fr Racial Justice sent: Thank yu fr sending us a letter asking abut ur banner and expressing sme f yur cncerns. One f the purpses f the banner is t engage ur cmmunity in cnversatin abut these issues. On March 13, 2016 the Unitarian Universalist Church f Davis verwhelmingly vted t display prminently n church grunds a banner stating Black Lives Matter. This is part f a natinwide UU campaign t visibly demnstrate ur supprt fr the

4 mvement, Black Lives Matter, which has grwn in respnse t highly publicized plice vilence tward peple f clr in cmmunities natinwide. The mvement s values are cnsistent with ur UU principles, especially "t affirm and prmte the inherent wrth and dignity f every persn." Of curse we believe that all lives matter. Black lives have been valued less in ur cuntry s histry and that legacy lingers in ur institutins and culture, resulting in the necessity t state that Black Lives matter, t. The fact that this banner trubles peple makes the pint that race is indeed an issue. Discussing these difficult issues is beneficial fr everyne, s we can achieve cllective liberatin frm the damage dne t all f us by structural racism. We have held a wrship service n the tpic f Black Lives Matter, engaged in related discussins, and we cntinue t educate all ages in ur cngregatin t participate in the cnversatin surrunding this issue. Yu are welcme t jin us! Yu may als cntact us t discuss this issue further: Jen Higley-Chapman Leanne Friedman Tim Burkhardt Warmly, jhigleychapman@yah.cm ljfriedman@ucdavis.edu timthy.burkhart73@gmail.cm The Uniting fr Racial Justice Cmmittee, Unitarian Universalist Church f Davis The letter writer sent a further reply indicating that they were still uncmfrtable with ur psitin, but like the riginal message, it was civil and respectful. Uniting fr Racial Justice has als sent a letter f supprt t the UU Cmmunity f the Muntains in Grass Valley, which has had their Black Lives Matter banner stlen three times. The Scial Justice Crdinating Cmmittee, with the supprt f URJ, has asked ur Facilities Manager, Chris Hendrix- Chupa, t install a light n ur banner, s that it can be seen at night. Expenses t light the banner will be cvered with the SJ Crdinating Cmmittee budget. URJ has a secnd, mbile, Black Lives Matter banner fr use while tabling, marching, etc. Cntact URJ fr mre infrmatin. Addressing Hmelessness Beynd the Interfaith Rtating Winter Shelter, ur Yl Cunty cmmunities need mre husing that can reduce hmelessness. Valerie Olsn f ur cngregatin is n the advisry bard fr the Tiny Hmes fr the Hmeless grup in Wdland. They are prceeding with plans t frm a bard f directrs, create bylaws, incrprate, and begin fund raising. The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. n Jan. 17 at the Christian Church in Wdland. Cntact Val Olsn, valerielsn718@iclud.cm. The Davis Cmmunity Church is examining a Tiny Huse initiative in Davis as well. Als in Davis, the New Pathways prgram, a partnership between the City f Davis and Yl Cunty Husing, currently prvides shrt-term supprted husing fr fur chrnically hmeless adults. This effrt, which plans t serve 45 individuals ver three years, recently received a $233,000 grant frm Sutter Health. In additin t husing, it will prvide jb training, bridge rental assistance, and supprtive services. Last summer Yl Cunty received a $2 millin grant frm the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administratin t supprt peple struggling with hmelessness with substance abuse. The cunty will use these funds t wrk with Furth & Hpe, an rganizatin that perates mstly in Wdland, t prvide permanent husing and supprtive services. We encurage yu t participate in ur hsting f the IRWS and then cnsider getting invlved in hmelessness and related issues in ther ways. (Thanks t Cunty Supervisr Dn Saylr s Dec. 14, update fr sme f this infrmatin.)

5 The Peple Speak and Act Last September, abut 40 UUs watched The Peple Speak at three screenings (ne at church, ne at the Glacier Circle Senir Cmmunity, and ne at the Wdland hme f Val Olsn and Jhn McKean). The film is based n Hward Zinn s bk, A Peple s Histry f the United States. The bk and the film vividly cnvey hw injustice and inequality have needed addressing again and again in ur natin s histry and hw effrts t address them ften start small and at the bttm, but eventually gain enugh pwer t make significant prgress. Our church is reaching ut t grups in ur cmmunities wh are feeling particularly vulnerable in light f the recent presidential race and electin. We have ur wn leadership grups and activities as well as allies utside ur church wh are reaching ut t Muslims, immigrants, refugees, wmen, African Americans, thse wh identify as LGBTQIA, and thers. Earth s vulnerability is als n ur radar, as are issues characterized by intersectinality, fr example, indigenus peple s rights and climate change. We engage in scial justice wrk in varius ways, including educating urselves and thers, making individual behaviral changes, serving vulnerable cmmunities, and rganizing and advcating fr scially just laws, plicies, and prgrams. Grwing inequality, as well as the change in administratin at the natinal level, calls us at this time t step int prtest and advcacy rles. The imprtance f push back is captured in a piece by Bill Myers (shared with us by Valerie Olsn), which calls fr a shadw gvernment that will act as a watchdg f the new administratin. Read the piece here: And cnsider hw yu will participate and cntribute t the kind f histry revealed in The Peple Speak and A Peple s Histry f the United States. UUCD s 2017 justice agenda can expand t include new prjects; cntact Rbin Datel r Stefan Harvey with ideas and t learn the steps invlved in starting a new justice leadership team. Yur leadership is needed. In additin t participating in the activities listed abve, several unique pprtunities are pen. They include: Chair f Green Sanctuary Cntributing writer fr UUCD s Bending the Arc Plicy crdinatrs (develp an advcacy agenda: petitin signing, letter writing, public testimny and witness) fr ne quarter r mre mentring available. One way t begin is t visit the UU Justice Ministry f Califrnia website: Tw (2) at-large member psitins n the Scial Justice Crdinating Cmmittee Interested in finding ut abut any f these pprtunities? Cntact Rbin Datel, rddd@dcn.davis.ca.us, r Stefan Harvey, stefh2002@yah.cm. Written by Rbin Datel and Stefan Harvey; edited by Elli Nrris.