Fighting off the “News Blues”
Greetings from the UUJM Board of Trustees!
It has been a long summer, my friends. The immigrant families and children held in detention, the injustice on the streets in Ferguson, the escalating global conflicts, the unfolding climate crisis. Watching the news becomes a spiritual challenge in such times.
But the best antidote that I have ever found for despair is action. The best way to restore hope is by finding others who are passionate about building a more just and beautiful world and join with them, refusing to accept the status quo as the final word on our future.
This is why I have stepped up and said “Yes” to being your President of the Board of the Unitarian Unviersalist Justice Ministry of California. Because I need this organization – I need to know that I am part of something that moves the ball forward, that doesn’t just talk a good game, but steps into the gap between where we are and where we want to be, and asks “what can we do?”
And then we get to work.
I challenge all of you to get connected, to find your own way to say “yes” to the call of justice this year. I promise, it will help chase away some of the “news blues”. UUJM is committed to fostering opportunities for engagement, so here is a preview of what’s coming up:
- Walking the Walk, November 14-16 with amazing leaders such as Joanna Macy, Rev. Deb Holder and more;
- Minimum wage campaigning with the UUJM Economic Justice Action Team;
- The continuing campaign to implement the Human Right to Water;
- Working for immigrant justice through detention center visitations, advocacy and the New Sanctuary Movement;
- Eliminating more barriers to LGBTQI equality;
- Working to tackle the climate crisis facing us; and
- Building capacity within our congregations and ourselves.
In gratitude for all the ways we build a beloved world together,
Rev. Julia Hamilton
President
julia@uujmca.org