Exploring a Revitalized Social Justice Program at UUSS

Part 3

This is the final part of a three-part Article on reinventing Social Justice at UUSS. If you missed previous parts, CLICK HERE to read all three parts. Last time, we presented the idea of a congregation’s justice focus on a single, narrow topic where we can act strategically to maximize impact. We introduced the Six Circles of Social Justicewhich would be incorporated in that focused project. The six circles are explained more fully here:

Direct Service – These are activities like Family Promise, collecting calendars, mitten trees, third Sunday collections, etc. that help address needs and assist people whoselives are very challenging, perhaps because they are victims of injustice.

Education: This is training sessions, book discussions or personal and group activities to help inform us, and help us deeply appreciate the impact of systemic injustices in our society.

Witness: This is listening to stories from people who have experienced injustice. These may be vigils or special events such as a Truth Commission, or Poor People’s Campaign night watch.

Advocacy: This includes calling/visiting legislators, press conferences to highlight injustices, advocating for and with those who are working for change, marches, and demonstrations to press for change in systemic injustice.

Community Organizing: Bringing different groups and people in communities together in partnerships that amplify the frontline communities most impacted by the issue; those who have the biggest stake in the strategies working. By coming together, we can be more effective.

Leadership Development: the process of learning individually and collectively to do faithful justice work; learning from the masters who have made change in the past; learning from leaders and, more importantly, from communities who are doing work right now to improve life. This also includes a deepening of our UU identity and spiritual practices so that we may be better prepared to do all that this work calls of us.

It is also incumbent upon each of us to pass the knowledge and commitment to the struggle to those who will become future leaders so that their path might be supported, and the cause furthered in the next generation of community leaders.

By seeking ways to do all these areas of justice work, we provide a broader range of options for members of the congregation to participate, and we structure a project that will have the greatest impact on the area of injustice that we have chosen.

In the coming weeks, there will be opportunities for members of the congregation to participate in discussions on this new way of doing social justice work. Your voice matters and we hope you will take part.

If you want more information, or wish to share your thoughts, please contact John Reschovsky at jreschovsky@nycap.rr.com, co-chair, The Social Justice Action Team