[JTWNews] In the Wake of Katrina & More

[Susan Leslie]

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JOURNEY TOWARD WHOLENESS (JTW) NEWS
September 12, 2005
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Dear JTW-News Readers:
 
I was away on  vacation when the devestation of Katrina and the further
devestation created by the government's lack of a coordinated response
occurred -- and continues.  However, my colleagues have been very busy
and on the job 24/7.  So just back, this issue of JTW News is to catch
you up on the UUA  and UUSC's response, including an impassioned letter
by Bill Sinkford, and other related news.  This issue also contains
annoucement of a Special Review Commission established by the Board of
Trustees as part of their response to the series of racist incidents at
General Assembly and efforts to be an anti-racist/ anti-oppressive
religious community and institution.  AND a report about the latest
developments in the battle for marriage equality in Massachusetts and
California.  Lastly, important info. about the anti-war and stop torture
activities in Washington DC Sept. 24-26.
 
How good to come back to work for this faith that is witnessing and
taking action for justice and for peace.  In faith, Susan
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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(1) A  Pastoral Letter from President William Sinkford - A Gentle Angry
People http://www.uua.org/
(2) UUA & UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund
http://www.uua.org/news/2005/050831_katrina/donate.html
(3) Reports from our partner organizations in New Orleans -- A People's
Institute for Survival and Beyond http://www.pisab.org/ and ACORN
http://www.acorn.org/ 
(4) UUA Board of  Trustees Establishes Special Review Commission
http://www.uua.org/TRUS/050901_letter.html
(5) CA Legislature Passes Marriage Equality Legislation -- See UU
Legislative Ministry of CA http://www.uulmca.org/main.html
(6) Challenge to Marriage Equality in MA -- UUA Response
http://www.uua.org/president/050909_marriage.html
(7)  Sept. 24-26: Stop Toruture & Stop the War
http://www.uua.org/uuawo/new/
 
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(1)  A PASTORAL LETTER FROM PRESIDENT WILLIAM SINKFORD - A GENTLE ANGRY
PEOPLE
 
(Tuesday afternoon, September 6, 2005) 

I am so angry. I've had to stop watching coverage of the disaster along
our Gulf Coast. The statements from our political and military leaders
that we have "turned the corner," that we have a unified disaster
command with "perfect coordination," in response to this "natural
disaster" are more than I can bear. I cannot watch one more press
conference with congratulations for the "heck of a job" FEMA and the
military have done. 

Natural disaster? Katrina was certainly a force of nature, although
there is substantial evidence that the global warming so many deny
increased the fury of the storm. But we cannot lay responsibility for
our response at the feet of Mother Nature. 

Perfect coordination? I shudder to think that our nation's delayed and
inadequate response to the suffering left in Katrina's wake might be
proudly claimed as a plan. 

I am fighting not to sink into paranoia, though as a person of color I
have a lifetime of experience which would provide ample justification. 

These last days have provided a picture of what racism and classism and
privilege look like. Racism is not about individual prejudice. Classism
is not about individual poverty. And privilege is so often allowed to be
invisible. 

I am so angry. Look at New Orleans.  FOR FULL STATEMENT Go To:
http://www.uua.org/

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(2) UUA & UUSC GULF COAST RELIEF FUND

By September 1st the UUA and UUSC had created the UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast
Relief Fund to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  As of September
11th, the relief fund has received $627,174. To donate  go to:
http://www.uua.org/news/2005/050831_katrina/donate.html.

The Fund works closely with Advocacy & Witness staff, Southwest &
Mid-South District staff, and UU clergy and lay leaders in New Orleans,
Baton Rouge, and Mississippi.

To read Bill Sinkford's message on the establishment of the fund see
http://www.uua.org/president/050830_katrina.html
<http://www.uua.org/president/050830_katrina.html>  and for his special
appeal see http://www.uua.org/president/050903_katrina.html
<http://www.uua.org/president/050903_katrina.html> .  See UU World's
Report on UU relief efforts and affected congregations at
http://www.uuworld.org/ <http://www.uuworld.org/> .

For more information on the fund, see
http://www.uua.org/news/2005/050831_katrina/panel.html
<http://www.uua.org/news/2005/050831_katrina/panel.html> .  You will
also find resources for children and familiess and word from the UUA
Trauma Response Ministry.

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(3)  PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND, NEW ORLEANS

The UUA has an ongoing partnership with this outstanding anti-racism
training organization which also consists of a strong community
organization that was based in New Orleans.  Ron Chishom, Barbara Major,
and our own Jayphia Christos are all fine and with family.  However, the
organization's offices have been completely destroyed.  See
http://www.pisab.org/ <http://www.pisab.org/>  for a full report and how
you and your congregation can help.

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ACORN - Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

The UUA and UU congregations worked closely with ACORN to register
voters and get out the vote in 2004.  Many UU congregations partnered
with ACORN's Project Vote.  We are also working together now in the Let
Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign coalition.  The UU Funding Panel has
supported many ACORN inittiatives and UU congregational participation.

ACORN has lost its office in New Orleans and is helping with search
efforts for local members.  They have also organized a major relief
effort and coordinated the Mobile Action Center.   After a three day
journey from Flint, Michigan, the ACORN Mobile Action Center arrived in
Houston, Texas on Sunday, September 11th. The van made stops at ACORN
offices in several cities on its way to Houston, collecting relief
supplies and donations for the ACORN Hurricane Recovery and Rebuilding
Fund. 

In Houston, the Mobile Action Center will travel to shelters, churches,
motels, and apartments housing hurricane survivors. Over 250 Katrina
survivors and Houston ACORN members met on Friday in Houston to begin
organizing a Hurricane Survivors chapter. The van will help promote the
organizing drive, and connect survivors to the services they need. See
http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2716  for more news and information.

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(4) UUA BOARD ESTABLISHES SPECIAL REVIEW COMMISSION FOLLOWING RACIST
INCIDENTS AT GA

A Message from Gini Courter and Bill Sinkford:

As many of you know, at the meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees
immediately following the close of the General Assembly in Ft. Worth,
the board heard reports of a series of distressing incidents involving
UU youth of color. The board subsequently authorized the issuance of an
open letter concerning these incidents.
(http://www.uua.org/TRUS/050706_letter.html
<http://www.uua.org/TRUS/050706_letter.html> )

In order to continue the process of gathering information on this series
of events, we have appointed a Special Review Commission. The following
Unitarian Universalists have generously agreed to serve on the
Commission:

Hafidha Acuay (Portland, Oregon)

Rev. Jose Ballester (Houston, Texas)

Rachel Davis (Teaneck, New Jersey)

Janice Marie Johnson (Brooklyn, New York)

Rev. Margaret Keip (Grants Pass, Oregon)

The charge to the Special Review Commission is to review the trajectory
of events which impacted the Unitarian Universalist community of color,
especially the youth of color community, leading up to and during the
Ft.Worth General Assembly. The goal is to identify learnings about the
structures of racism and agism both within and outside our faith
community which we must address in our journey toward wholeness. We
expect no recommendations about the behavior of specific individuals;
institutional learning is our goal. We request that the SRC offer a
preliminary report to the UUA Board of Trustees at their October meeting
and a final report at the January Board meeting.

If you feel you have information relevant to the Special Review
Commission's investigations, please send an email to src at uua.org.

In faith,

Gini Courter, Moderator of the UUA

Bill Sinkford, President of the UUA

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(5)  CA LEGISLATURE MAKES HISTORY! 

Assembly Joins Senate in passing Marriage Equality Legislation 

Message from Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director
<http://www.uulmca.org/programs/me.html#ca_legislation> 


September 7, 2005

Last night was amazing. At the tipping point of history, love and
conscience and courage prevailed. By a vote of 41 to 35 (three
abstaining) the CA State Assembly passed AB849 (Leno) the Religious
Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act.

A good contingent of UUs joined with others mobilized from around the
state to sit in the Assembly gallery (all day!). We served as witness
and visible conscience. We were there to support those legislators who
had abstained on the last vote, but were with us in the privacy of their
own souls.

When both Assemblymembers Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Gloria Negrete
McLeod (D-Ontario) spoke eloquently of their support, and of their
regret that they had abstained in previous votes, we knew that we were
one vote away from the 41 votes needed to win. 

For full statement go to
http://www.uulmca.org/programs/me.html#ca_legislation

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(6) UUA TAKES A STAND AGAINST PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO
REVERSE MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN MA

Statement from President Rev. William Sinkford in Support of Equal
Marriage in Massachusetts (September 8, 2005)

Dear State Senators and Representatives of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts,

On September 14th at the Constitutional Convention, you will be faced
with a momentous decision: will you vote to uphold the basic civil right
to marriage for the gay and lesbian citizens of the Commonwealth, or
will you vote to turn back the clock and once again make our gay and
lesbian brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors, second-class
citizens? I strongly urge you to vote against the proposed
constitutional amendment that would deprive same-sex couples of the
right to marry that they have enjoyed since the historic and courageous
decision of our Supreme Judicial Court in November, 2003.

As the elected representatives of the citizens of the Commonwealth, you
need to know that there are many people of faith in Massachusetts who
support marriage equality for same-sex couples. Unitarian Universalists
have been on record in support of civil marriage for same-sex couples
since 1996. In accord with their religious beliefs, all communities of
faith are free to decide which marriages they choose to bless, and
nothing in the ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court infringes on any
faith group's free exercise of religion. But marriage equality is a
civil right that belongs to all citizens regardless of the beliefs of
any one faith group.

For full statement see http://www.uua.org/president/050909_marriage.html

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(7)  SEPT. 24-26 WASHINGTON DC - STOP THE WAR AND STOP TORTURE

The UUA is participating in the UU Service Committee Stop Torture
Campaign on Sept. 24-26 and we are organizing for and promoting the
United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) Anti-War Mobilization to End the War
in Iraq.  The UUSC has been in communication with UFPJ and there will be
ample opportunities to participate in all these activities on what will
be a critical weekend of witness in this country.

The big anti-war march is on Saturday.  The main Stop Torture events are
on Sunday.  Educational events, relgious services, and lobby days have
also been organized.

Highlights:  Bill Sinkford will be participating in an interfaith
service at All Souls Unitarian (Washington DC) on Sunday morning.  

Martin Sheen will be playing Donald Rumsfield in the UUSC mock trial on
Sunday afternoon.

See the UUA Washington Office websiteat
www.uua.org/uuawo/new/article.php?id=671 for details and check-in around
mid-September for the UU convergence point for the Saturday march and
rally.  We are receiving word from many congregations organizing
contingents to march and participate.

Please share your congregation's news at
http://www.uua.org/programs/forums/index.php?action=vtopic&forum=1.

Susan Leslie
Director for Congregational Advocacy and Witness
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon Street, Boston MA  02108
(617) 948-4607; sleslie at uua.org <mailto:sleslie at uua.org> 
www.uua.org/justice <http://www.uua.org/justice> 
Subscribe to SAC-News, Advocacy-News & SRI-News at
www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo <http://www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo>