Standing Up for Racial Justice Counter-Rally on August 12

As you’re probably aware, the white nationalists that were in Charlottesville last year will be coming to Washington, DC on August 12. There will be a counter-rally in Freedom Plaza and All Souls member, Constance Young will be speaking. She is also the lead organizer for a march to the rally commencing at the confederate monument in Judiciary and ending at the rally point, Freedom Plaza.

For the march, she is envisioning it being led by clergy, faith groups and ethical communities. But anyone that isn’t a white nationalist is welcome to participate, of course.

We hope that UUs will be present in support of this call to racial justice!

For more information contact:

Constance12@protonmail.com

Immigration Advocacy Event at Cedar Lane UU Church

This Sunday, June 23^rd, Representative Jamie Raskin will gather with the Cedar Lane UU community and friends in the sanctuary in a solidarity event to support all immigrants, DACA, and TPS holders. There will be inspiring music by members of the DC Labor Chorus and reflections from faith and community leaders to try to offer solace and hope for everyone demoralized and anguished by this Administration's policies.

We know this is short notice, but times call us to move swiftly to build a more just world. As we confront a new round of anti-immigrant hysteria and roundups, we must come together in solidarity with immigrants and immigrant families.

We hope you can make it to Cedar Lane this Sunday at 7 to show support for our immigrant neighbors.

Address: 9601 Cedar Ln, Bethesda, MD 20814

Candidates Forum on Affordable Housing

Join Cornerstones and the candidates for Hunter Mill District Supervisor as they share their ideas on economic growth and the housing affordability crisis for the workforce, returning graduates, seniors, and low-income and vulnerable individuals and families in Fairfax County.

The forum will be held on Monday, May 13th, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the Heritage Fellowship Church (2501 Fox Mill Dr. in Herndon, VA). Our own Rev. Debra Haffner will be the moderator and Kerrie Wilson, Cornerstones' CEO, will host.

Please register here.

Energy Efficiency Workshop

An energy efficiency workshop will be held at the Unitarian Univerversalist Church in Reston on May 5, from 11:45am - 1:45pm.

The workshop will be led by Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) and will focus on how to make your own and others’ homes more comfortable while reducing climate pollution and saving money on energy bills.

Workshop participants will be taught how to perform simple upgrades to achieve energy and water conservation. After reminding ourselves where our energy comes from and why it matters, this hands-on workshop will train participants of all skill levels to confidently undertake energy upgrades. This workshop is open to people aged 13+ and is free of charge.

FACS is a faith-based, interdenominational, non-partisan organization engaged in advocacy and education in Fairfax County. FACS helps people of faith develop local solutions to the climate crisis. They empower and unite neighbors of all faiths to achieve real climate solutions, right now.

Click here to learn more. RSVP by Monday, April 29.

Child Advocacy in Fairfax County

Information session on how to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to be held on March 31st

Every few days, an abused or neglected child in Fairfax County is placed under Court protection. These children need advocates to protect their fundamental rights. CASA volunteers are the solution.

The first step in becoming a CASA volunteer is to attend an information session. At the sessions, guests have the opportunity to hear from a CASA volunteer and a CASA supervisor about the process of advocating for a child who has been abused or neglected. It’s the best way to get the full picture of what’s involved. On March 31, 2019 at 11:30 AM CASA will hold an information session at UUCR in the sanctuary. Come find out about how you can get involved.

RSVP here.

Environmental Justice Panel Discussion

The Green Souls group at All Souls Church Unitarian in DC and Interfaith Power and Light are hosting a panel at All Souls on March 3rd at 1 pm on Interfaith Perspectives on Environmental Justice and Activism. After the panel attendees will be invited to interact and get involved with local climate and environmental justice organizations.

Interfaith Perspectives on Environmental Justice and Activism

Join the Green Souls group at All Souls Church and Interfaith Power and Light for an interfaith panel on environmental justice and activism. Speakers representing the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist traditions will discuss these topics through the lens of their faith framework.

Panelists will include environmental attorney Ambereen Shaffie, social organizer Robin Lewis from Beloved Community Church UCC, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb from Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, and Rev. Rebecca Parker from All Souls. Panel attendees will be provided with resources for engaging with environmental activism in DC. The panel will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St NW, Washington DC 20009.

The Well: A Family-Friendly Retreat Tending the Wounds of Racism

When is The Well? July 24-27, 2019

Where is it held? Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center on the Atlantic coast town of Saco, Maine. Ferry Beach is a 32-acre beach-front camp with 19 buildings. Steeped in the values of Universalism since 1901, it affirms readily that all are loved and welcome.

What is the Well?

The Well is an intentional gathering space of spiritual healing for individuals and families who are directly impacted by racism. It is a culturally proud, welcoming and unapologetic space that centers the experiences and expressions of communities of color.

The Well is a life-giving retreat. Just like a communal well in ancient times, we gather at the Well, share wisdom and learn from each other, talk about things that matter, and fill our vessels with resources that sustain us.

As a rare multi-generational opportunity for children, youth, and adults, programming of the Well explores our spiritual paths, including rites of passage that bear witness to our experiences. There will be food, music, sports, history, arts, and bodywork that nurtures our souls, and worship, rituals and networking that uplift our spirits.

Who can attend the Well?

The Well welcomes those who are directly impacted by racism: families and individuals of color, as well as white families raising children of color, and multiracial families.

Although you do not have to be a UU to attend, we ask participants to resonate with the Unitarian Universalist values of equity, justice, inclusion, and compassion.

We recognize that the imperfect and complex ways we talk about our racial identities is how “racism” continues to cause spiritual harm. The Well hopes to be a mediating space of guidance, support and reconciliation for those who experience the sting of racism in their everyday lives.

Historically, that list refers to those who have experienced social and structural oppression: African Americans/Blacks, Caribbean people, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Middle Easterners, Latin America/Latinx, Indigenous peoples across the Americas, and mixed-race people.

Receive more information about The Well by emailing thewell@ferrybeach.org

WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS - stories of global displacement

Exhibit at the Phillips collection through September 22nd

Here are examples of special programs associated with exhibit; before you go, buy tickets online:

JUL 25, 2019 / OPEN DISCUSSION

Phillips Book Club: The Refugees

JUL 27, 2019 / FILM SCREENING

Goin' to Chicago

AUG 1, 2019 / PHILLIPS AFTER 5

Night Market

AUG 3, 2019 / FILM SCREENING

After Spring

AUG 15, 2019 / THURSDAY CONCERTS

Music and Migration: PostClassical Ensemble

AUG 17, 2019 / FILM SCREENING

Illégal

UUs going to Richmond on 1/21 for MLK Day of Service

Three UU Congregations have chartered a bus to Richmond for MLK Day of Service, Monday, January 21st, 2019. Congregations have subsidized over 50% of charter fee – Riders pay only $10 each.

Please join our Unitarian Universalist neighbors as we lobby Virginia State Legislators at the General Assembly on a range of social justice issues:

• Gun Violence Prevention
• Gerrymandering Reform
• Voting Restriction Reforms

Also, the Equal Rights Amendment, tax policy, education, environmental issues, civil rights, immigration, transportation, homelessness, veterans rights, mass incarceration, and solitary confinement.

The bus will load at UU Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd. in Oakton at 9:00 AM, then leave at 9:30 AM from its 2nd stop at West Potomac H.S. in Alexandria, then to Richmond.

The bus will return the same day, leaving Richmond at 5:30 PM, stopping first in Alexandria, then at UUCF in Oakton about 8:00 PM.

There will be short speeches at the Richmond Bell Tower from 2-3 PM by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Atty. General. Advocates then proceed to the Legislative Offices of their choice.

This is a 54-passenger bus: Seats are set aside for UU congregation members until Jan. 10, then open to the general public.

Advanced reservations are required. Please use the Sign Up Genius link below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a044dacae23a02-mlkday

Third Annual Women's March

Join us on Saturday, January 19th, for the 3rd annual Women's March on DC.

https://actionnetwork.org/events/womensmarch2019?source=direct_link&

We will meet at the Wiehle Metro station at 9 AM for the march and 11:45 AM for the rally. Be sure your metro card has enough money on it, so you won't have to stand on line. RSVP here (link to be provided in early January).

What to bring:

• Signs
• Pussy hat (especially of the rainbow variety)
• Water (refillable bottle; there will be water stations)
• Snacks
• Comfortable shoes
• Poncho
• Dress in layers

Don't bring anything heavy, bulky, or that could be mistaken for a weapon.

• DC Gathering Location (10 AM): Freedom Plaza, for a 1/2 mile march at 11 AM.
• Rally Location (1:30-4:00 PM): Freedom Plaza
• Main Support Station: Freedom Plaza. The area will have porta-potties, water stations, heating tents, medic stations, and a lost person tent.
• Wooly Mammoth Theater (641 D St NW) will open its doors from 9:30 am until 4 pm to serve as a meeting place, organizing space, and rest stop for the general public in support of the March. If you’re planning to stop by Woolly Mammoth, here are a few things you should know:
• Their gender-neutral bathrooms will be fully stocked and are fully accessible.
• They’ll have cheap, hot drinks (coffee, tea) available.
• They are NOT able to store your personal belongings for you while you visit the march.

Check back here regularly, as arrangements may change as the national organizing committee's plans become more clear. Last update: 19 January, 11 AM.

Right Relations with Native Peoples

On Sunday, November 4, Paint Branch UU Church, Adelphi, MD will sponsor a Worship Service and Film Showing/Discussion on right relationship with Native Peoples. The Leader, Paula Palmer, is a sociologist, writer, and activist for human rights, social justice, and environmental protection. As director of Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, a project of the Boulder Friends Meeting (Quakers), she creates and facilitates workshops about Native Peoples. The Sunday Service will begin at 10:00 am, followed by a light lunch, and then by the Film Showing/Discussion to begin at 12:00 pm. A free will donation of $10 will be greatly appreciated. Childcare will be provided.

Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church

3215 Powder Mill Road

Adelphi, MD 20783

Where are the Children?

Join us to oppose family separation at the border

UUSC and other organizations are sponsoring an event on the National Mall this Sunday to oppose family separation at the border. Originally organized by teenagers at the UU Church in Columbia, it includes a display of children's pajamas to highlight the heartbreaking cruelty of such policies. More details follow, as well as at wherearethechildren.us.

Thousands of children, some younger than 12 months, are separated from their families and housed in government detention centers. We believe the Trump Administration’s zero tolerance policy of separating immigrant families is immoral, unjust, and un-American. This cruel policy must end, and families must be reunited at once.

Please join us on International Children’s Day, June 9, 2019 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm to oppose this injustice. National Mall in Washington, D.C ., between 12th and 14th Streets.

We will display thousands of pajamas hung on clotheslines to represent the separated children. Each pajama is a stark reminder of forcibly separated families and parents spending nights away from their children.

Minister’s Salon with the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State for 25 years

(Reston, VA) – The Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston will welcome the Rev. Dr. Barry W. Lynn, former Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to the Minister’s Salon on October 17, from 7:30 - 9:00pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston (1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston, Virginia). Rev. Lynn will share his perspectives on religious freedom and the current political context in the United States.

From 1992 until his retirement in 2017, Rev. Lynn served as Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In addition to his work as a long-time activist and lawyer in the civil liberties field, Rev. Lynn is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, offering him a unique viewpoint on church-state issues.

An accomplished speaker and lecturer, Rev. Lynn has appeared frequently on radio broadcasts and television to debate and discuss First Amendment issues. Rev. Lynn writes frequently on religious liberty issues and has had essays published in outlets such as USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Nation.

In 2006, Rev. Lynn authored Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault On Religious Freedom (Harmony Books). In 2008 he coauthored (with C. Welton Gaddy) First Freedom First: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State (Beacon Press). His latest book is God & Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism, and Freedom of Conscience (Prometheus Books), published in 2015.

Members of the public are invited to attend this interesting and thought-provoking event.

Advance registration requested by Friday, October 12. To learn more about Rev. Lynn and to register, visit UUReston.org/salon.

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For almost 50 years, the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston has been a progressive, vibrant and active congregation serving individuals and families in Reston, Herndon and surrounding areas. UUCR welcomes people of all ages, sexes, races, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, classes, abilities, languages, and cultural backgrounds.

City of Charlottesville Unity Days

In August 2019, there will be "Four days of activities focusing on education, honor, inspirations, and solemn remembrance" and UUCR's Racial Justice Task Force is planning to attend on Saturday August 10th. More information about Unity Days here.

Gas Pipeline Evaluation Event

On July 26, at 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663) Buckingham, VA 23921, the UU Legislative Ministry of VA (UULMVA), the UU State Action Network of VA, requests participation by UUs in the DMV, for an evaluative event regarding Dominion’s plan to situate a natural gas pipeline compressor in a historically African America community.

UULMVA is supporting this event hosted by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy at Union Hill Baptist Church, 1496 Union Hill Road (Rt. 663) Buckingham, VA 23921. The day’s evaluation will be centered on a deterrent response to the proposal.

For more info contact: Dean Wanderer (deanwanderer@verizon.net) of UULMVA and UUSJ.

Attendees need not be VA residents to share expertise, experience and input. UUs that have knowledge about the environment, energy policy, and environmental justice advocacy or care about the plan, are warmly invited to attend, but leadership will be situated among VA stakeholders and the affected community. UUSJ is pleased to spread the word on this event.

The proposed schedule is as follows:

• 9:45 am Gather at Union Hill Baptist Church (coffee and rolls provided),
• 10:00 am Opening Session
• Opening prayer
• Introductions/Welcome
• Overview of the pipeline and compression station by environmental experts: Robert, Jeeva, Heidi, Chad
• Residents share their concerns
• 11:45 am Community Tour, visit:

- Proposed compressor site

- Affected homes/communities

• 1:00 pm Lunch and conversations
• 1:45 pm Making a Plan

- Preparing a report

- Sharing with others

- Approaching decision-makers

- Other

• 3:00 pm Closing prayer and adjournment
• 3:30 pm OPTIONAL Yogaville tour

Betty Guthrie to speak on Immigration Issues

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville (UUCR) Immigration Action Group would like to invite you to a presentation on Sunday, June 24 at 11:30 am. Betty Guthrie has been visiting immigrants in detention since 2013. Frustrated and curious about the process she saw immigrants going through, she began learning more about immigration law and became especially interested in the African and Haitian asylum seekers she met in detention. She has volunteered with immigration attorneys as a French-English translator and legal assistant. She recently became a fully Accredited Representative, meaning that she can represent clients in immigration court, under the guidance of an attorney. She is eager to share with others the stories of struggle and survival that she has heard from asylum seekers in detention and beyond.

We are asking that those interested in attending RSVP via Eventbrite so we will have an idea about how many refreshments to provide. https://immigration-discussion.eventbrite.com/

“A Ripple of Hope” Film Viewing and Discussion

Sunday, September 23, 7-9 p.m.

The 2008 documentary tells the dramatic story of a powerful speech delivered by Robert F. Kennedy on the night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot. Through archival media, photos, and interviews, we will witness the impact of RFK’s moving, extemporaneous plea for peace. Following the film, we will explore how and why RFK could be a credible spokesman for reconciliation across racial communities.

River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation

6301 River Road Bethesda MD 20817 (at Whittier)

Fireside Room

Please Register here or at the RRUUC website: https://www.rruuc.org/

Virginia Report

Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on YouTube, Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming or Verizon Channel 1981. Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference.

TONIGHT: Wednesday, June 27 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Rev. Debra Haffner about the recent Reston Pride Festival.

UUCR to Exhibit at 5th Annual NoVa Pride Event

https://www.novapride.org/festival/

The 5th Annual NoVa Pride Event at Bull Run promises to be entertaining, inclusive and educational, with scores of exhibitors, invited speakers, live music, and more.

NOVA Pride is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to cultivate and grow a coalition to educate, advocate and celebrate in service to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community of Northern Virginians and our straight Allies.

Sign up to staff the UUCR booth at this event here:

• http://www.uureston.org/calendar/

When: Saturday, September 29th, 2018 from 11 AM to 8 PM

Where: Bull Run Special Events Center, Centreville, Virginia

Fall Calendar of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

— September 16, SUNDAY — 2:00 pm: Candidate Forum for Congressional District 11 -Gerry Connolly, Jeff Dove, Stevan Porter https://www.lwv-fairfax.org/candidateforum/

— September 26, WEDNESDAY — 6:00 pm: VICPP 2018 Annual Celebration and Awards Benefit; NoVA Chapter is sponsoring a table — Anne Murphy needs table mates — come along and join her! Contact Anne Murphy (anne.murphy2244@gmail.com) about carpooling and if you are coming. ALSO: perhaps your house of worship would be a table sponsor? Check out how on the website, www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org or call Liz at 804.643.2474, x102

— October 17, WEDNESDAY — 7:00 pm: Candidate Forum for Congressional District 8 — Don Beyer, Thomas Oh https://www.lwv-fairfax.org/candidateforum/

— October 24, WEDNESDAY — 7:30 pm: Candidate Forum for Congressional District 10 — Barbara Comstock (invited), Jennifer Wexton https://www.lwv-fairfax.org/candidateforum/

— November 6, TUESDAY — VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

— November 15, THURSDAY — 8:30 am - 4:00 pm: 9th VIRGINIA IMMIGRANT SUMMIT at Annandale United Methodist Church — registration and information at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/9th-virginia-immigrant-summit-tickets-49286612585

Disrupt the Deportation Pipeline.pdf

HOW TO DISRUPT THE DEPORTATION PIPELINE

Wednesday, August 22, 7-9 PM Kings Park Library Main Conference Room, 9000 Burke Lake Road, Burke, VA 22015

Interactive workshop where people can learn about the deportation pipeline in Fairfax County, its impact, and working with others to disrupt it through organizing and advocating for county-level policies.

Community Forum on Immigration in Fairfax County

Sponsored by Fairfax for All coalition (which includes CASA, Centreville Immigration Forum, DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, Herndon-Reston Indivisible Immigration Issues Committee, NAKASEC, and Tenants & Workers United) and ACLU People Power Fairfax.

This event is free. Registration requested but not required.

Download the flyer here below.

HERNDON-RESTON INDIVISIBLE HOSTS YOUTH FORUM on July 17th, 2018

Local young activists will share their stories/experiences on current issues impacting their lives. This July 17^th meeting of Herndon-Reston Indivisible (HRI) will be held at 6:30 PM at the Sunset Hills Montessori School, 11180 Ridge Heights Road, Reston, VA 20191. These young millennials, recognized for their community involvement, will discuss how to tackle key issues facing younger generations.

Following their presentations, there will be a round table discussion by the speakers, and an inter-generational exchange with the audience about the issues raised. The meeting is open to all local residents, elected leaders and the media.

“The Education Committee of HRI is excited to host this timely discussion and invites the entire community to attend,“ said Paul Walsh, leader of the Committee.

Contact: Paul Walsh

Email: HRI4Education@gmail.com

Save the date: September 29th NoVa Pride Festival

The 5th Annual Northern Virginia Pride Festival will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 11 AM - 8 PM at Bull Run Special Events Center in Centreville.

This year’s festival theme is “United in Pride,” and we are inviting everyone in the pro-equality community to attend our festival united by our shared appreciation for diversity and acceptance.

“Our community's incredible diversity, capacity to embrace intersectional issues, and just overall resiliency in the face of adversity... it's inspiring. I look forward to the entire Northern Virginia community to come set an example, being United by Pride during such a divided time in our history.”

– Brian Reach, President & Executive Director

With hateful rhetoric, tribalism, and division sometimes seeming to be the only news out there, we invite everyone in the pro-equality community to stand United in Pride, setting an example for unity through diversity and strength through intersectionality. Come and celebrate yourself, celebrate those around you, and celebrate community in a safe space.

Volunteer

Want to become a volunteer? We’d love for you to be a part of it! For day-of volunteers we need a team of well over 100 volunteers, but we encourage the community to get involved with the planning committee. Join our 100% volunteer-run organization! Click here for the volunteer form.

Vendors

Become a vendor at this year’s festival! The purpose of the festival is to celebrate the history, progress, and diversity of Northern Virginia's LGBTQ+ community and its straight allies, enjoy unforgettable entertainment, provide a unique and critical opportunity for local LGBTQ+ groups and individuals to network, and showcase pro-equality businesses and organizations in the community-at-large.This is your chance to promote your Business or Organization at Northern Virginia’s largest annual LGBTQ+ community event!

Click Here to sign up.

Always fight for your right to live openly, as your most authentic self, despite any barriers thrown your way, and in whichever way is safest for you. Fight homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism. Especially now, more than ever! We hope to see you there!

Poor People's Campaign June 23rd Rally

All of us are trying to figure out how to respond to the national climate we find ourselves in--how to add our voice, our presence, our power to the fight for justice. On June 23, we are invited to show up, to be counted as part of a national campaign that seeks to center the voices of those most marginalized in our country. Whether or not we share that identity ourselves, we can be part bringing the spotlight to the moral crisis in America. Come on--be part of history. Show up.

UUs will gather by 9:30am at 7th Street NW & Indiana Ave. NW (near Starbucks) closest to Archives/Navy Memorial metro station and head into the rally as a group. This event is intended for families and working folks who could not make a Moral Monday during May or June but feel called to show support.

For June 23:

• RSVP with local UU organizers so we know you are coming.
• Post to the PPC June 23 Facebook Event Page so the energy builds.
• Pledge with UUSJ to keep moving forward to build the Moral Revival Movement online. You can also download a copy of the pledge for use at your church or on buses.
• Volunteer or connect to transportation through the PPC.
• Participate in a phone bank at River Road UUC or through the PPC directly.
• PPC event flyer for distribution and motivational flyers to build excitement.

Poor People's Campaign Final Moral Monday

On Monday June 18, please join the Poor People's Campaign (PPC) for the final Moral Monday effort here in D.C. The week’s theme is “A New and Unsettling Force: Confronting the Distorted Moral Narrative.” Direct Action training and the rally will take place at the PPC Tent on the National Mall, at the Gravel walkway on 9^th St between Madison Dr NW and Jefferson Dr SW. Please go to the UUA PPC page to get the whole picture and sign-up. For additional D.C. activity week 6, see the PPC list of local events. PPC June 18 flyer available.

Stop Separating Immigrant Families!

Please join the DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network and Faith in Action in a mass interfaith action at the Capitol this Thursday!

Date/Time: Thu., Jun. 21, 11:30 a.m.

Location: Russell Senate Office Building rotunda, 2 Constitution Ave NE Washington, DC

On Thursday, more than 50 children supported by the community and clergy will process into the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda and lie down on Mylar blankets. The children will symbolically represent the thousands of children separated from families on the border, sleeping on floors and held in cages (see image above from McAllen Detention Center).

Clergy and other's attending will pray with the children and call for action in Congress to reunite families, stop separations and criminalization, and defund the Department of Homeland Security. Simultaneously, with the event in the rotunda, clergy, leaders and children will deliver letters, mylar blankets, and cages to congressional leadership.

All allies are welcome to join in solidarity and to help sponsor the event.

Rev. Dr. William Barber to speak at Cedar Lane UU Church on June 10th at 6 PM

Join us for a Mass Meeting for the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival and hear the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II will co-lead the mass meeting with the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and local community leaders.

At this time of intensifying political, economic, and moral crisis, with the lives of the most vulnerable and the spirits of all under vicious attack, people in growing numbers around the country are fighting back for their lives, communities, and deepest values.

Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called for a Poor People’s Campaign to begin a “revolution of values” in America. We are reigniting these efforts to unite the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalized to transform our nation’s political, economic and moral structures of our society.

Join us on Sunday, June 10 at 6 pm for this important regional Mass Meeting for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Special edition of Just Acts: Next Steps on the Poor People’s Campaign—Join Me on May 21st.

(If you would like to subscribe to Just Acts, sign up here.) It includes an Op Ed from UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray titled I Got Arrested Today While Praying the US Finally Confronts Poverty and a blog post from Rev. Michael Crumpler, UUA LGBTQ & Intercultural Programs Manager, Arrested for Justice, on being arrested for the first time in his life and his reflections on the experience of doing so with the Campaign.

Next event: May 21st, 2PM. Prior training required.

If you are coming to Washington, DC to take direct action you will need to be at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 21^st to be trained. Be sure to have your ID, $50 in cash, and a water bottle and power bars or some kind of snack. You will receive lunch after the training and before the rally. It’s also a good idea to have a good breakfast as it may be a while before you eat again after lunch.

CANCELLED:

Documentary Film: Birthright

BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY is a feature-length documentary that examines how women are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America.

You are invited to join the Accotink UU Church Social Justice Committee and NARAL for a documentary showing and discussion of "Birthright: A War Story" on Saturday, May 19th from 7:30-10:00 pm in the sanctuary. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP for attendance and childcare by May 11th. If you have any questions, please contact Erica Steele at ericalsteele@gmail.com.

Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 10125 Lakehaven Court in Burke, VA. Parking is free.

Escalating Economic Inequity (EEI) - Issues Strategy & Planning Session

Saturday May 19 RSVP/Register

Gather at 1:30pm; meet from 2:00-4:30pm; small groups 4:30-5:00pm

Location: Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Lane Alexandria, VA 22307

Connect in fellowship with other UUs concerned with EEI matters to discern on what policies will be in our team’s issue set during the coming year. Help UUSJ plan to further the advocacy, witness and education in support of that EEI issue set.

The Poor People's Campaign led by Rev. Barber is calling attention to many EEI concerns, and UUSJ will conduct a membership issue canvass voting on its priority issues, including EEI. Come get informed and prepared!

Participants will discuss goals, objectives and the infrastructure for a systematic EEI advocacy approach.

RSVP/register and draft agenda here http://bit.ly/UUSJ_Regis_EEImay19

Poor People's Campaign

On May 14, the Campaign will launch its first nation-wide event of the season with nonviolent moral direct actions in over 30 state capitals.

Through highly publicized, non-violent moral fusion direct action over a 6-week period in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia, the Campaign will force a serious national examination of the enmeshed evils of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy during a key election year.

Confirm your attendance at the DC event here:

• washingtondc@poorpeoplescampaign.org

What Can I Do?

2018 Civic Engagement Fair

Saturday, May 12

9:00 a.m. to noon

South Lakes High School in Reston

No formal program. Come anytime between 9:00 a.m. and noon. Learn about organizations doing important work to make our community a better place to live and meet individuals involved in this work. No pre-registration required.

30th Annual Clean the Bay Day

Saturday, June 2, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Each year, on the first Saturday of June, thousands of Virginians simultaneously descend on the rivers, streams, and beaches of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to remove harmful litter and debris. Thirty years strong, Clean the Bay Day is a true Virginian tradition and an annual opportunity for families, military installations, businesses, clubs, civic or church groups to give back to local waterways.

Find a location near you at Clean the Bay Day

Address Unknown: Albanians Who Saved Jews During WWII

You are cordially invited to attend a Holocaust Commemoration Event and Exhibit Friday, 27-Apr, 7PM, at UU Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd, featuring Albanians who saved WWII Jews. The exhibit runs through May 7th.

Native Plant Sale, Saturday, May 5, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Friends of Runnymede Park, 195 Herndon Parkway East

Purchase locally grown, pesticide-free, native plants. Watermark Woods, located in Hamilton, VA, and Nature By Design from Alexandria, VA, will be in the park ready to answer questions, give advice, and help you choose beautiful native plants for your gardens.

For more information, click here Native Plant Sale

Sign Up for UUA-UUSC Love Resists & AFSC Sanctuary Everywhere E-Course on Anti-Racist Sanctuary & Accompaniment – Beginning May 1st

Beginning May 1, Love Resists and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) are offering a new program, using an anti-racism framework, to expand and deepen multifaith solidarity, community protection, and sanctuary and accompaniment efforts.

Join us for “Changing Systems, Changing Ourselves: Anti-Racist Practice for Sanctuary, Accompaniment, & Resistance”, a four-part, monthly interactive e-course for groups to explore, reflect, and act for social change. The deadline to register is April 27.

Join a four-session monthly online course that explores:

· Self- and group-reflection on undoing racism in the context of immigrant rights solidarity.

· The U.S. immigration system's history of racial exclusion and how it plays out today.

· The theology and practice of accompaniment.

· Real life examples through case-studies.

· Practical skills in three streams: ICE/court accompaniment, congregational sanctuary, and immigration detention/prison visitation.

We encourage participants to join this interactive program as small groups working together locally. There will be homework in between sessions, and attendees are expected to participate in the full course. If you don't have a team we will help match you with others, as well as connect you with partner groups seeking volunteers where possible. Register now.

If you have questions, please check out our FAQs and feel free to email me at SLeslie@uua.org for more information.

First Alexandria Caucus and Relational Power Training this THURSDAY!!

Building Power through Relationships: These trainings will focus on VOICE's most radical concept - that individual people and institutions can build the political power to create change through building relationships across racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic lines.

In order to win on issues such as Affordable Housing, Public Education & Criminal Justice, VOICE must continue to build a larger constituency of people who care about, and are impacted by, the decisions that shape Northern Virginia.

Who should attend? -VOICE clergy, lay leaders and potential leaders who are interested in building the power to create a more just community

Please note - Though the trainings will be based held in Alexandria, leaders from all VOICE jurisdictions are welcome to attend.

Interested? SIGN UP HERE

Training Times & Locations

VOICE Alexandria Relational Training and Regional Caucus

Thurs, 12 April 2018 7:15-8:45pm

~ Beverly Hills United Methodist Church, Alexandria, VA

~ Open to all VOICE leaders.

VOICE Local Training: Building Relational Power, Alexandria

Mon, 16 April 2018 7:15-8:45pm

~ Third Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA

~ Open to all VOICE leaders

VOICE Relation Power Training- Millennial Focus

Thurs, 19 April 2018 7:00-8:30pm

~ Location Virginia Theological Seminary

~ Open to all VOICE leader millennials, no reservations required

VOICE Local Training: Building Relational Power, Alexandria

Sun, 22 April 2018 3:30-5:30pm

~ St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Alexandria, VA

~ Open to all VOICE leaders.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax

2709 Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, VA 22124

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY 2018: ALL ARE WELCOME

THEME: The Sacred Interconnected Web: From Soil, to Roof, to Canopy

Friday, April 20: Free showing of Al Gore's documentary “An Inconvenient Sequel” at Unity of Fairfax Church, 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA

Sunday, April 22: 12:30 – 2 pm. After-Services Earth Day Program in Sanctuary:

A vegetarian, plant-based buffet will be served.

Children’s activities will be conducted during the following speaker program.

The Program will feature the following speakers:

• Rubin Duska, Audubon-at-Home Co-Director, "Creating Home Wildlife Sanctuaries"
• Hiu Newcomb of Potomac Vegetable Farms, "What we Eat Matters?"
• Jerry Poge, Demonstrating Composting Earth Worm

Sunday, April 22, 2 PM: Memorial trees will be planted on UUCF grounds.

Testify at a Public Hearing in Person or through Video

Budget public hearings are coming up on April 10, 11 and 12 at the Fairfax County Government Center. If you would like to share your thoughts with the Board of Supervisors regarding the Advertised (Proposed) Budget, you can sign up to testify in person, or, you can submit a video testimony via YouTube. Submitting testimony through YouTube is a great way for residents to participate in the public hearing process without having to drive out to the Fairfax County Government Center. Check out this link for more information on how to submit video testimony: fairfaxcounty.gov/boardofsupervisors/budget-public-hearing-video-testimony

Volunteers Needed for Reston Pride on June 2nd

Reston Pride is in two weeks and we still need more than 40 volunteers to make the day happen!!

We have lots of ways people can volunteer – we have 2 ½ hour shifts including check in time, and then you can enjoy the festival. We’re having pizza on Friday night for all volunteers with an orientation, and you’ll get a volunteer Pride bandanna to wear.

C’mon you know you want to help! And you’ll be making history.

Please go to https://bit.ly/2IwfAi8

To sign up for a shift…….!

UUSJ Immigration & Refugee Issues Planning Session

Please SAVE THE DATE of May 12, 2018

1:00 - 4:00pm

This planning session feels prudent and needed with the news reporting more and more on ICE activities, which likely means they are becoming even more regular occurrences, plus Administration maneuvers of the sort reported in this article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-vietnam-deportees/u-s-seeks-to-deport-thousands-of-vietnamese-protected-by-treaty-former-ambassador-idUSKBN1HJ0O

You are warmly invited and wanted in attendance at a UUSJ Action Planning Session on Immigration & Refugee Issues at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation 6301 (Entry on Whittier) on Saturday May 12, at 1 pm.

The purposes are:

1. to update any UUs in the DMV interested in Immigration and refugee issues on key actions undertaken in the past year by UUSJ’s immigration group;
2. to seek inputs from attendees on priorities for the coming year;
3. engage the support of UU activists in these areas.

A registration page will be forthcoming.

For more information, contact Charlotte Jones Carroll at CJONESCARROLL@AOL.COM.

UUs & the Poor People's Campaign - Important Updates

We’ve received a groundswell response from UU clergy and lay congregational leaders who want to engage with and learn more about the Campaign and UUA & UU involvement, and particularly about the mass moral non-violent direct actions planned for Washington, DC and state capitals beginning May 14^th through June 18^th.

UUA Co-Moderator Elandria Williams will be representing the UUA this Tuesday, April 10^th at 10 am, at the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival Press Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to announce the release of the full report of the "Souls of Poor Folks" audit, as well as the demands of the campaign. Check the campaign’s Facebook page for Livestream of this event (we plan to share on the UUA’s Facebook page as well).

Saturday, April 14 is the date of the first nonviolent moral fusion direct action trainings coordinated across all 30+ states involved in the campaign. In order to participate in the actions in state capitals and in Washington, DC, you must attend a training. To receive information about the training, please use the sign-up for UUs here.

09-Jun-2018: March for the Ocean

... is about the survival of our blue planet. But it’s also about the fact that it’s not too late to turn the tide and restore and protect what we love.

This June 9 we will ‘Wear Blue for the Ocean’ and ‘March for our Ocean.’ We will say NO to offshore oil testing, leasing, drilling and spilling, NO to plastic and other forms of Ocean pollution and YES to protecting our coasts at risk. YES to a Healthy Ocean and Clean Water for All.

On Saturday, June 9, 2018, join the March for the Ocean in Washington D.C. or join one of many simultaneous marches, flotillas, and water celebrations across the country!