UUANI Newsletters
August 2024:
Taking Action for Democracy and Climate Justice
PROMOTING DEMOCRACY WITH UU THE VOTE IL / VOTELOVE ‘24
At least 18 Illinois UU congregations are empowering our neighbors locally and around the country to participate in the democratic process – with a nonpartisan, values-based approach – and vote in this year’s elections. Activities range from sending postcards to voters of color in Southern states…to registering voters at local Pride and other community events, high schools, colleges and the DMV…to knocking on doors and texting friends and family.
Congregations are also engaging their members in this process through pulpit talks, working with other groups in the congregation, and postcard writing parties. One congregation is getting all ages involved by having seniors in nursing homes and children stamp postcards, and offering party boxes so people can host their own postcard writing parties. Another has a Democracy Central display at coffee hour that sits out in front of the building during the week. The energy, creativity and joy bubbling up are inspiring to hear about!
Upcoming Actions You Can Take
If you’re not already involved, let us know and we can get you started and probably connect you with someone who’s already doing something near you. Or come to our next statewide meeting at 7pm Thursday Sept 5. Let’s do this together!
Weekly Phonebanks with UUtheVote: Tuesday 6-8pm Central
Beginning in late August, UU the Vote, local State Action Networks and local partner organizations will launch an ambitious voter contact program to bring our people deeper into relationship with each other and our partner organizations.
Call voters in other states in a supportive Zoom session with other UUs. Talking to people can be daunting and hard but it doesn’t have to be.
Aug 27: North Carolina (Abortion Rights)
Sept 24: North Carolina
(Abortion Rights)
Oct 8: North Carolina (Abortion Rights)
UUtheVote In-Person Mobilizations
We are excited to add canvassing to our 2024 electoral work! There’s nothing like a face-to-face conversation to make an impact. In person canvassing has the possibility of changing us and the community members we connect with.
Folks participating in our in-person mobilizations will be provided with training and overview of the campaign goals and strategy. Talking to people can be daunting and hard but it doesn’t have to be.
Aug 29 Huddle for All Mobilizations
Sept 6-7: Philadelphia PA with Sofia Betancourt
Poor People's Campaign Canvassing in Illinois: Friday-Sunday September 13-15 and October 4-6
The Illinois Poor People's Campaign is planning two weekends of door-knocking and tabling in areas where poor and low wage earners live. A training is planned for the week of September 1. Contact us for more info.
CONNECT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
Faith In Place Environment and Spirituality Summit: Sunday-Tuesday Sept 22-24
Join our partners at Faith in Place for their Annual Environment & Spirituality Summit (formerly known as the Green Team Summit). This year's Summit will explore the theme of 'Grounded & Engaged,' welcoming speakers who will delve into how our spiritual practices can anchor us as we strive to care for Mother Earth and create a healthier and more just world.
All sessions will be hosted on Zoom, with some in-person watch parties for Sunday's keynote session with Buddhist minister, author and activist Lama Rod Owens. Register here
UU Climate Justice Revival: Saturday-Sunday September 28-29
The UU Climate Justice Revival is an opportunity to build relationships between climate justice organizing and democracy work. This two-day celebration includes an Organizing Hour focused on relational organizing in this election cycle, anchored by the event's worship and interactive workshops that invite UUs around the country to collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future.
Ten IL congregations are signed up to host so far. If your congregation isn’t already participating, register your congregation here for this powerful, two-day celebration. Register your congregation here
Report from Poor People's Campaign Assembly and March
UUANI BIPOC Catalyst Kay'te Ingram brought a group from Illinois to Washington DC in June for the Poor People's Campaign Assembly & March. Here is her report:
In this campaign, folks united from all across the country. Those folks included diverse populations, faith groups, action-led organizations, and people from every walk of life. In this campaign, there were 4 hours of power-filled testimonies. Folks brought their hearts, minds, and bodies to call attention and action to the power we hold that has been forgotten.
We zoned in on that: we the poor people are the swing vote. We the folks disenfranchised are the swing vote and we are tired of outdated systems together. For we are the majority and have always been the majority. Nothing separates us except the boxes created for us and when we come together music is made. Each song sung of transformation and hope connects us.
The most powerful piece was when we left, the children stated, “We have power.” I, a girl from a small city in Tennessee called Jackson, would never have imagined that coming from the mouth of a child. Especially one expected to stay in a child’s place. However, it does not stop there. As a confession, I did not make it on time. I screamed, marched, and sang to the live stream in transit. This was the option for folks who could not make it because of finances, obligation, or circumstance. A good sacrifice as the seeds remain planted.
The journey for me was a bit different, with the transit being most of the trip, but beautifully so. In transit, I passed through the states mentioned throughout the campaign: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Also lost my undercarriage in Pennsylvania on the way out, but it taught me when not enough is just enough.
With $340 and some hope, 4 folks and a baby were able to see the power of the people up close. We were able to see the parts of the city where disparity lives as we lived with the people we stood with. We had short lessons about asking questions when curious, transforming, starting conversations, what are the branches of government, and what this means for us.
With plenty of help on the way from you all, the Springfield Faith Coalition for the Common Good, All Souls Unitarian Church with food, and other nurturing community with directions and conversation. Although the world was filled with pain the people brought art and peaceful art. We had the opportunity to see that and in the coming years will ensure that more folks can have access to do the same. To see what power looks like in numbers, diversity, voice, and love.
In America poverty is one of the leading causes of death and more of the population is below the poverty line than not... You all, if you get nothing from this, it is no question that “We are the swing vote.” For the lives lost to corporate and political greed, those names spoken and unspoken deserve justice alongside their families left behind. It is up to us to stop allowing systems of power to prey on our ignorance, youth, and silence, speaking for myself who has yet to vote as a 24-year-old educated person. We are taught we are powerless at work, in our homes, and in the streets, however. We have a choice, a chance, a voice to say enough.
We are revitalizing organizing, we hope to see you all as we continue this work for justice. This work can not be done without each other. Also, the pictures below were beautiful art from the DC Alley Museum which is free. We learned about history through free art and music mostly since the kids are artists. Thank you to those who have helped on the journey, those who stopped to talk with us, and those who registered to vote after this campaign.
You can still contribute here to cover expenses for Kay'te and her group's journey to DC.
June 2024:
From Legislative Victories to UUtheVote
Springfield Spring Scorecard
UUANI working with our partners helped win approval of a number of bills that are in line with our values. Several other measures passed the House or Senate and may get further consideration in the November 12-21 “veto session.” Here’s an update on progress to date:
Restorative Justice/Decarceration
A big victory, led by the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, was winning passage of the Pretrial Success Act to expand access to vital services for those awaiting trial. It supports the Pretrial Fairness Act's success in ending money bond in Illinois. The Department of Human Services will get $15 million to distribute to local government health and human services agencies and community-based organizations for these services, starting with a pilot program in January and expanding statewide next July.
The effort to end unlimited solitary confinement, led by Restore Justice and others, moved forward with House passage of the Restrictive Housing Data Publication and Verification Act, which mandates the collection and reporting of data regarding the use of this inhumane practice. Increasing transparency will lay the groundwork for future legislation to actually restrict solitary confinement. We will seek Senate passage in the veto session.
Despite the efforts of several UU congregations to secure support from their legislators, the bill to establish Elder Parole was not called for a vote. This may reflect lingering anxiety about appearing "soft on crime" after the passage of the SAFE-T Act in 2021, despite the successful rollout of those reforms.
Migrant Justice
UUANI supported the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in advocating for a Fund our Futures budget, centered on winning resources for essential programs that empower families to thrive, regardless of their immigration status. Wins in the budget include $50 million to create a new state child tax credit, $629 million to fund health benefits for immigrant adults and seniors and $182 million to fund services for new arrivals, as well as over $160 in new revenue through reform of the retailer's sales tax discount.
LGBTQ+/Gender Justice
UUANI also backed three bills sought by Equality Illinois, two of which passed. One urges the Illinois Supreme Court to require cultural competency education for attorneys, judges and courtroom staff to counter the harm LGBTQ+ people, especially those of color, disproportionately experience in the criminal justice system.
The other requires nonprofits with the greatest financial power to disclose the aggregated demographics of their boards of directors. Such disclosures are already required in the private sector and public boards and commissions.
A third bill, HB 5164, passed the House. It would advance safety of transgender people, adoptees, survivors of domestic violence and others by repealing the archaic, expensive and harmful requirement that an individual must publicize their name change in a newspaper.
Climate Justice
Working with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, UUANI helped pass the Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act, which provides some of the strongest standards in the country as well as a moratorium of up to two years on CO2 pipelines. This legislation was crucial as fossil fuel interests driven by lucrative federal tax incentives have pushed huge projects to capture carbon and transfer it to rock formations under Illinois farmland with high pressure CO2 pipelines.
UUANI members also filed witness slips successfully opposing one bill that would have stopped most solar projects in the state, and supporting another bill which will speed up the change from fluorescent bulbs to LED bulbs.
January 2024: Looking Back with Gratitude, Looking Forward Together
All Aboard
UUANI has a full nine-member Board with the addition of two new members this year: Rev. Beth Johnson from the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale and Kristin Clowes from Second Unitarian Church of Chicago. Welcome, Kristin and Beth!
Catalysts Multiplying
Nancy Ford is our new Unity Temple Congregational Catalyst, while former intern Kay’te Ingram is now our Statewide BIPOC Catalyst. Allyson Rosemore continues as UU Rockford Congregational Catalyst, with more to come!
More GRACE than ever
Our current GRACE* training has 23 participants from 8 congregations: ALUUC (Springfield), Bloomington, Carbondale, DeKalb, Evanston, Second (Chicago), Third (Chicago) and Unity Temple (Oak Park). Previous participants have:
led faith in action visioning sessions in Sunday worship
launched congregation-wide social justice campaigns as well as more targeted efforts
organized neighborhood mutual aid projects
ramped up their own leadership in social justice and other congregational ministries
become Congregational Catalysts
created statewide networking spaces for social justice leaders.
We look forward to seeing what participants in this year’s cohort will do!
*GRACE: Grounded, Relational, Accountable, Capacity-building, Effective
Advocating with Those in Prison
17 people from 9 congregations showed up for the first meeting of our new Restorative Justice Advocacy Team, a collaboration between UUANI and the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois. Grounded in relationships with people who are currently incarcerated, this team will share updates about current campaigns and engage in targeted advocacy with key elected officials. First on the docket: getting Elder Parole over the finish line so incarcerated seniors can apply to return as contributing members of our communities.
Register Wisconsin Voters
The Unitarian Church of Evanston will be getting out the vote in Wisconsin again this year with the Milwaukee Voter Project, a grassroots group of non-partisan volunteers who are working to ensure that all citizens, especially those in underserved communities, are registered to vote and are aware of upcoming elections. Join your fellow UUs at these upcoming trainings.
Engage Your Neighbors Around
Climate Justice
UUANI is offering a Climate Justice Teach-In to learn about three new campaigns around clean and equitable transportation, buildings/heat and power from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, of which UUANI is a member. Building on this Teach-In, we are proposing to do three interactive Listen, Lead, Share events (one on each campaign) to solicit input and engagement from our congregations and our neighbors in these multi-year campaigns. Come to the Teach-In to find out how your congregation can participate.
7pm Thursday February 8
Engage Your Community Around Reproductive Justice
The UU Church of Urbana-Champaign spearhead a community-wide Reproductive Justice Week last April. They're inviting other congregations to consider doing a version of this in your own communities. Come to our Reproductive Justice Team meeting to learn more.
5pm Tuesday February 27
Save the Date
You are invited to join the Illinois Poor People’s Campaign in Springfield as part of a nationwide action to mobilize people to their state houses and to the polls! On March 2 we will gather in Springfield to bring our demands and let our commitment be known. More info here.
Saturday March 2
Looking Back with Gratitude
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Actions of the Week, meetings with legislators, Advocacy Days at the Capitol and more. Our 2023 Annual Report recaps the legislative and other victories we were part of. And thanks to everyone who helped grow connections and build power in our congregations and communities locally and statewide. Together we continue to Build Community and Bend the Arc Toward Justice.
Click here for ways you can
get involved in our work together
10th Anniversary Edition Newsletter
UUANI 10th Anniversary:
A Day of Celebration, Community and Commitment
More than 140 UUs from 22 congregations across the state gathered online and at Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Church in Springfield to celebrate UUANI's first ten (plus) years. It was a joyous time to be together, woven with acknowledgment of the depth of the world's sorrow, grief and injustice.
We shared the story of all the people who brought us this far and all we've done as UUs in solidarity with partner organizations, helping win victories such as marriage equality, the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Pretrial Fairness ending money bond, ending immigrant detention in Illinois, and engaging well over 100,000 voters in various elections.
We sang and ate cake!
And we explored a wide range of ways we can continue working to bend the arc toward justice in accountable friendship as we strive toward beloved community.
Click here for ways you can
get involved in our work together
Thanks to our amazing tech team, here are recordings of each session:
Opening with Music, History of UUANI, Keynote & Panel Discussion
An overview of all that's happened since our founding, followed by Nicole Pressley's inspiring message highlighting the importance of accountable friendship in our work for justice.Engaging Your Congregation with GRACE
(Grounding, Relationships, Accountability, Capacity & Effectiveness)Organizing Your Congregation for Advocacy:
Legislative Action Teams & Rapid Response NetworksMutual Aid: Meeting Our Neighbors Where They Are
Migrant Support: Welcoming New Arrivals to Illinois
Climate Justice with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition
Gender Justice with Equality Illinois & Midwest Access Coalition
Restorative Justice with the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois & Faith Coalition for the Common Good
Voter Engagement with VoteLove / UU the Vote
Thanks to everyone who made this such a wonderful event!
August 2023 UUANI Newsletter
UUANI 10th Anniversary Celebration: Building Community, Bending the Arc!
Nicole Pressley from Side With Love/UUtheVote
Join UUs from across Illinois as we celebrate all we've done together over the last ten years, all the new things happening and all that's coming up. Nicole Pressley from Side With Love/UUtheVote will be our keynote speaker. We'll showcase congregational social justice work around the state as well as current campaigns with our statewide partners. This event will be both in-person at Abraham Lincoln UU Congregation in Springfield and online via Zoom. We're encouraging those who can't make it to Springfield to join a watch party at your congregation.
10am to 3pm Saturday, November 4
What’s New with UUANI
New Vision & Logo
Just in time for our 10th Anniversary Celebration, we have a new logo (above) reflecting our new vision: "Building Community, Bending the Arc!" Thanks to Jean Ruth from Unity Temple UU Congregation for her many hours creating a fresh look for UUANI!
New Partners & Intern
In collaboration with DRUUMM and the UU College of Social Justice, we have a new intern organizing UUs of color across the state: Katecia (Kay'te) Ingram at the UU Church of Bloomington Normal. You can contact her through our Contact Us form. Welcome, Kay'te!
New Congregational Catalysts
Working with UUANI a few hours each week organizing their congregations, Jeletta Brant (left) at the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship and Allyson Rosemore (right) at the UU Church of Rockford are connecting newcomers to social justice opportunities in their congregations and with their communities. Thanks to both catalysts and congregations for piloting this initiative, which we hope to expand to other congregations around the state.
New GRACE Training Model
Building on our previous Social Justice Leadership Corps training, we're training leaders to develop Grounded, Relational, Accountable, Capacity-building, Effective social justice programs in congregations around the state. We're starting another training cohort this fall.
New Action Council & Issue Teams
Composed of representatives from congregations around the state, the Action Council is a networking space for congregational organizing (applying the GRACE model) and joint advocacy across issues. We're also developing Issue Teams:
Reproductive Justice Team: Laura Randall from UUSC will join our next meeting at 5pm on Tuesday August 22 to talk about the intersections between reproductive justice and trans rights, including partnering with trans organizers to get trans families and individuals out of unsafe states to safer states like IL and offer temporary housing, assistance with job searching, and community welcome.
Environmental Action Team: We're planning to meet in September to talk about stopping CO2 pipelines and other campaigns.
Carceral Justice Team: UUANI is partnering with the UU Prison Ministry of IL to launch a joint advocacy team to send a delegation of legislators to prison, establish parole for elders, and ultimately end death by incarceration in our state.
New Digital Platform & Website
Those who have been following closely may have noticed slight changes in our emails and online actions as we've switched from Salsa to EveryAction. Our apologies for the hiatus in our Actions of the Week while we got up to speed on this transition. Our website is also under construction but will be back up soon.
From Our Partners
Surprise Lessons in Congregational Transformation
First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor had a history of environmentalism that mostly focused on mitigation, decreasing their carbon footprint. The Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice framework guided them to rethink things - to look more at climate justice (yikes! that's hard!) and congregational transformation (what is that?). As a result they have sparked more cross-group collaborations, increased community outreach activities, and, well, maybe they're having more impact!
6pm Wednesday, August 16
Court Watching and Canvassing for Pretrial Fairness
On July 18th, the Illinois Supreme Court declared in the strongest possible language that the Pretrial Fairness Act is constitutional and will take effect on September 18. No longer will the racist and unfair money bond system destabilize communities by pulling away from their homes, loved ones, jobs and more—simply because they could not afford to purchase their freedom.
Join the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice to watch pretrial hearings across the state to monitor implementation of the new system. Or join a community canvassing team to spread awareness of the Pretrial Fairness Act, defend it against attacks and ensure our communities are informed on their rights. Both efforts include training to help you feel comfortable and confident in what you'll be doing.
Multiple dates in August and September
Multiple locations around the state
Sign Up:
2023 Illinois Environmental Legislative Session Debrief
We've won some victories on issues we've advocated for through UUANI's Actions of the Week, including the governor's recent vetoes of bills repealing Illinois' nuclear moratorium and allowing privately operated tollways on Interstate 55. Join Faith in Place for a webinar to debrief this Spring's IL legislative Session and ways you can get involved to advocate for healthier communities.
6pm Tuesday, August 29
Racial Justice as a Spiritual Practice
Beloved Conversations is a program for people seeking to embody racial justice as a spiritual practice, to heal the impact of racism on our lives, in order to get free together. In recognition of the different spiritual needs and learning goals of people with different experiences of race and racism in our world, the program is run in two separate sections: one for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) called Gathering Our Selves, and one for white people called Un/Learning for Liberation.
Registration open through August 31
Time to Send Voter Postcards Again
After a long break, Reclaim Our Vote is postcarding, phoning, and texting for key races in the November 7 General Election in Virginia. It is an incredibly important election for voting rights, reproductive rights, and education. Postcards can be sent starting September 8; in-person early voting starts September 22.
The Kentucky UU State Action Network (KUUJAN) is also asking for help getting out the vote for their statewide elections this fall.
LGBTQ+ Immigration Panel
In case you missed it, you can hear Equality IL Deputy Director and UUANI Board member Mony Ruiz-Velasco in Equality Illinois' virtual discussion about what is happening with immigration in Illinois for the LGBTQ+ community.