Last night we attended The Gathering, a time for grounding, connecting, and learning hosted by Side With Love, our Unitarian Universalist Association’s social justice organizing strategy team. During the chalice lighting, attendees across the country kindled flames of inspiration and solidarity. After a very full weekend and Monday, the simple act of lighting a chalice was a reminder to breathe more deeply, to become more aware of our interconnection and interdependence with all that is, to know that our worried and weary hearts are not alone, and that the values in our UU faith are worth working for.
There are so many places and people who need all of us to live our UU values out loud. If you’ve been reading along at home with T. Snyder’s On Tyranny or other resources, you are seeing in real time the thirst for revenge and power when the so-called President calls out the National Guard and now the Marines against our own people. Call your elected officials. Call elected officials in CA. Express your outrage. We have UUs there on the ground. Don’t be distracted by a few folks who throw things or set an empty car on fire. They are likely not connected with the protests but are provocateurs planted by law enforcement. Any act, whether vandalism or peaceful will be branded as riots and violence by this regime. When the mainstream media stay on that message, the disinformation spreads, and once thoughtful people think-well, they really shouldn’t block roads, or yell so loudly. We are in DEEP DEEP trouble. T-p is testing us-will we tolerate what he is doing or will we resist? The protests are not riots. Protest is one of our fundamental rights and it is being threatened.
This Saturday, if you are able, go to a ‘no kings rally.’ There are over 1800 of them all around the country. https://www.nokings.org/ visit this website, and sign up for the pre-march trainings if your schedule allows. There is one tonight (we’ll be with our UUSS Board) and one later this week. Get prepared. Be smart. Raise your voice. This is not a drill. We have been preparing for this moment for months, years even. If you can not or it is not safe for you to go to a rally on Saturday, then get on the phone and call every elected official you can and give them the message (in these or your own words):
“No kings. Not in my name. I am a Unitarian Universalist. My faith supports democracy. My faith supports justice and equity for all people. My country values due process and three branches of government. Stop this maniacal regime before it is too late.” And if it is not safe or you are not able to call elected officials, reach out to friends and family and ask them to do whatever they can to resist these unconstitutional actions. And while we’re all doing whatever we can do-let’s add some spiritual practices: Pray for peace. Meditate for justice. Sing for equity. Hike for the Earth. Knit for beloved community. Quilt diverse patches of beauty together. Weed out negativity, greed, and fascism. Plant seeds of possibility. All with LOVE at the center.
The first couple of calls may feel a little hard to make. But you’ll start to get the groove. If they hang up because you are not a constituent, well, at least you tried. If we’re going down, at least we’ll go down swinging for justice, compassion, and equity.
With care, and in faith,
– Rev. Lynn and Rev. Wendy