[Sac-news] Witnessing in the Electoral Season
Susan Leslie
SLeslie at uua.org
Thu Sep 21 19:31:16 EDT 2006
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SOCIAL ACTION CHAIR (SAC) NEWS
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Dear SAC-News Readers:
As we enter the 2006 electoral season we have an increased opportunity
to bring UU values and the voice of liberal religion into the public
conversation. Raising awareness about the terrible toll the Iraq war is
taking on US troops and Iraqis and the need for a just minimum wage here
at home (and the impact of race and class) are two important efforts in
which we have joined coalitions to lend our strength and support.
THE GROUND TRUTH (http://www.thegroundtruth.net)is a new documentary
film featuring returned Iraq War veterans. It opened in major cities on
Sept. 15th and is being shown in thousands of congregations and
community centers during the week of Oct. 4-11. See below for more
information, to sign up for a screening, and help these voices be heard.
The LET JUSTICE ROLL LIVING WAGE Campaign is holding Living Wage Day
events on Oct. 7-8 & Oct. 14-15. Legislative efforts to raise the
federal minimum wage are gaining strength and a growing number of states
have minimum wage campaigns, including six states with ballot
initiatives coming to a vote this November: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri,
Montana, Nevada and Ohio. See the worship resources and information
(prepared by UUSC, Let Justice Roll staff, and me!) at
http://www.letjusticeroll.org/.
In addition to entering the public debate, people of faith need to
protect the electoral process. UUs for Verified Voting are encouraging
UUs to join Poll Workers for Democracy http://themmob.org/pollworkers/
to ensure that informed and concerned citizens keep elections
accountable and accessible to all voters.
We can also use our financial resources for justice to invest in
communities often deprived of capital and to hold corporations
accountable for their action and encourage moral business practices.
Learn how on the October 7, 14, 21, 28 & November 4 free 1 hour
teleconferences being offered by the UUA Committee for Socially
Responsible Investing (SRI) on "Making a Difference with Ideals, Impact
and Involvement." See
http://www.uua.org/finance/sri/SRI-TeleConference-FlyerFall06.pdf.
Lastly, the UU United National Office has created a UN Sunday Resource
packet to observe the Oct. 24, 1945 anniversary of the birth of the
United Nations. The theme for this year's UN Sunday is "Peacebuilding
and Sustainable Development in Our Interdependent World Community." See
http://www.uu-uno.org/?. Participation is also one way to engage in
study and reflection on the new GA Study Action Issue on Peacemaking
(See http://www.uua.org/csw/issues_pm.htm).
For faitfhul democracy, Susan
*Need help strengthening, focusing, and growing your social justice
program? Bring in the Social Justice Empowerment facilitators! See
http://www.uua.org/programs/justice/ep/.
Also see JUUST Change Consultancy at
http://www.uua.org/programs/justice/antiracism/consultancy.html.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1) The Ground Truth: Oct. 4-11
2) Living Wage/Just Minimum Wage Days: Oct. 7-8 & 14-15
3) Pledge to be a Poll Worker Now for Nov. 2nd
4) SRI Teleconferences: Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28 & Nov. 4th
5) UN Sunday: Oct. 22nd or Oct. 29th
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1) THE GROUND TRUTH stunned filmgoers at the 2006 Sundance and Nantucket
Film Festivals.
Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's
searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir
audiences. The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans -
ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq
- as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and
the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible
conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a
prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers
returning home - with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an
indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier
becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other
veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of
all - the truth.
Please join us for the national community opening of THE GROUND TRUTH
and HOST A "GROUND TRUTH GATHERING" OCTOBER 4TH - OCTOBER 11TH
Join 1000's as we gather across America in churches, universities,
community centers, town halls, coffee houses and living rooms to screen
THE GROUND TRUTH, engage in conversation, and listen to Iraq veterans.
See http://thegroundtruth.net. To order a DVD, get a Gathering Kit, and
register your event go to http://groundtruthstore.seenon.com/?pa=uua.
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2) LET JUSTICE ROLL LIVING WAGE DAYS: OCT 7-8 & 14-15
The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, a fast-growing partnership of
more than 80 faith, labor and community groups working to raise the
minimum wage at the state and federal level, invites you to JOIN US in
LIVING WAGE DAYS WORSHIP SERVICES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS IN OCTOBER. You
are a critical component in the success of the Living Wage Days and in
raising the minimum wage around the country. We hope you will join us.
Last January, over the Martin Luther King Holiday Weekend, Let Justice
Roll sponsored hundreds of Living Wage Days services and events across
the country, including Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where campaigns have already
led to legislation increasing state minimum wages.
Now, it's time to take nationwide action again with Let Justice Roll
LIVING WAGE DAYS SERVICES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS to inspire, educate and
mobilize support for raising the minimum wage at the federal and state
level.
Legislative efforts to raise the federal minimum wage are gaining
strength and a growing number of states have minimum wage campaigns,
including six states with ballot initiatives coming to a vote this
November: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio.
We hope that you will host or co-host a Let Justice Roll LIVING WAGE DAY
worship service or event during the weekend of either October 7-8 or
October 14-15.
We have a variety of RESOURCES at WWW.LETJUSTICEROLL.ORG to assist you
in preparing for Living Wage Days, including:
-- The newly Revised and Updated "Resources for Living Wage Worship
Services and Community Events."
-- "A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future." You
can download the PDF and/or order perfect bound hard copies at DISCOUNTS
of 25% to 40% for distribution at Living Wage Days and other events.
-- The interactive "Just Neighbors" Toolkit, designed to educate and
empower congregations about poverty and wages, is being offered at
discount for Let Justice Roll.
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PLEASE LET US KNOW if you are planning to host or co-host a Living Wage
Days event.
You can sign up for Living Wage Days at
http://www.letjusticeroll.org/livingwage-signup.html.
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3) POLL WATCHER FOR DEMOCRACY - SIGN UP FOR NOV. 2nd
The Poll watchers for Democracy (P4D) action has gone live nationwide.
Please distribute the message below to your mailing lists and groups.
Poll watchers for Democracy, an effort by Mainstreet Moms, Working
Assets, VotetrustUSA, and Verified Voting encourages everybody to
participate actively in the voting process. Please go to
http://themmob.org/pollworkers/ and sign up with Poll workers for
Democracy to work at the polls or, if that is not possible (too late to
sign up for this year, or if your party registration status excludes you
from working at the polls) to be a poll watcher. Please sign up with P4D
even if you are already a poll worker. We will provide you with
information, training and, after the election, with an online reporting
form for election incidents you have observed. This information will be
entered into a national database of voting incidents.
Please take action. There is an effort to privatize our election. Do not
allow them to do that!
UUs for Verified Voting
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4) FREE 1 HOUR SRI TELECONFERENCES! OCT. 7, 14, 21, 28 & NOV. 4
The UUA Committee on Socially Responsible Investing is proud to present
five free one hour learning teleconference sessions, including a repeat
of our three successful sessions from last spring. The theme is "Making
a Difference with Ideals, Impact and Involvement." Each session will
teach one of the key strategies of the socially responsible investing
movement. You'll learn concrete steps to get strategies implemented in
your personal life or within your congregation.
Each session is on a Saturday morning for one hour from 1:00pm EST to
2:00 EST.
Start times in other regions: 12pm Central Time, 11am Mountain, and 10am
Pacific.
**Saturday, October 7th, 1:00pm EST
Where Is Your Congregation Along the Spectrum of Involvement?
**Saturday, October 14th, 1:00pm EST
Impact - Community Investing
**Saturday, October 21st, 1:00pm EST
Ideals - Investment Screening
**Saturday, October 28th, 1:00pm EST
Involvement -- Shareholder Activism
**Saturday, November 4th, 1:00pm EST
IW Financial - A Screening Tool
Details for all calls are on the flyer posted at
http://www.uua.org/finance/sri/SRI-TeleConference-FlyerFall06.pdf
Please join us for one or all of these.
Register at least three days before the session by emailing Audra Friend
with your name, phone number, congregation or other affiliation, and
your role/title at: afriend at uua.org. She will reply providing the call
in numbers needed to participate.
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5) UN SUNDAY: OCT. 24 or OCT. 29
2006 UN Sunday: Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development in Our
Interdependent World Community
FROM THE UU UNITED NATIONS OFFICE:
Dear Minister, Director of Religious Education, Chair of Social Justice
Committee, Envoys, and Friends of the Unitarian Universalist United
Nations Office,
October 24, 1945 marked the birth of the United Nations. Unitarian
Universalist congregations across the U.S. and Canada celebrate the
birth of this organization with UN Sunday, a service focusing on the
work of the UN and its relation to the Unitarian Universalist
principles. The theme for this year's UN Sunday is "Peacebuilding and
Sustainable Development in Our Interdependent World Community." Last
year's theme explored the connections between Unitarian Universalism and
the steps towards peace outlined by the UN's Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). This year's builds upon that by focusing on the importance
of building sustainable peace in order to build sustainable development.
In conflict and post-conflict areas, it is not enough to send UN
peacekeeping forces who deal with the symptoms of human rights
violations, the causes of these abuses must be addressed. These themes
reflect our own principles, particularly our goal for world community
with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
Each congregation that celebrates UN Sunday is free to do so in its own
way. However, the UU-UNO has created a UN Sunday Resource packet to
offer ideas and suggestions for congregations. The packet includes
background information on UN Sunday in general as well as this year's
theme in particular. It also includes service ideas with suggested
readings and music. Additionally, the Resource packet contains sample RE
worships and activities and also opportunities beyond UN Sunday. Go to
http://www.uu-uno.org/?q=taxonomy_menu/10/54 to download the UN Sunday
Resource Packet. To order the Resource Packet and materials to be mailed
to you, click here http://www.uu-uno.org/files/UN%20SundayOrderForm.pdf.
As the UU-UNO contact person for UN Sunday, please feel free to email
me, Alex Horton, at ahorton at uu-uno.org, or 212-986-5165, and I will be
happy to answer any of your questions.
Thanks in advance for sharing your planning with the UU-UNO, and
reporting about your UN Sunday experiences and the impact they have on
your congregation mission.
Alex Horton,
Program Associate
Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office
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>From Susan:
Please let me know if this information is useful and if you are
receiving it in a timely way and if your congregation is participating.
I try to let you know about upcoming campaigns so that you can save the
date while awaiting materials. You can also see our UU Social Justice
Calendar for a heads up of upcoming events at
http://www.uua.org/programs/justice/
Susan Leslie
Director for Congregational Advocacy and Witness Unitarian Universalist
Association
25 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108
(617) 948-4607; sleslie at uua.org
www.uua.org/justice
Subscribe to SAC-News, Advocacy-News, JTW-News & SRI-News at
www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo
Susan Leslie
Director for Congregational Advocacy and Witness
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108
(617) 948-4607; sleslie at uua.org
www.uua.org/justice
Subscribe to SAC-News, Advocacy-News, JTW-News & SRI-News at
www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo
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