Dear friend,

I loved (parts of) General Assembly 2020! The lower carbon footprint! The lower price tag! More ease in pacing thanks to “On Demand” recordings of worship services, workshops, general sessions, and featured speakers. No more “Fear of Missing Out” on concurrent workshops! While I certainly missed gathering en masse, singing together, and having face-to-face conversations, assembling virtually for interactive workshops and the wonderful Sunday morning worship service both restored and reinvigorated me.

One of my greatest joys this past month has been for the UUMFE Board to tweak the budget and send staff members and two interns to this year’s General Assembly, something that would normally be too cost-prohibitive and carbon-intensive. For UUMFE’s interns, Elizabeth Fernandez and Maya Goss, this was their first GA. Read Reflections on GA 2020 to hear about their experiences and learnings. 

Together, UUMFE Board members and staff presented or participated in a wide swath of GA 2020 programming, learning alongside many others to become more effective climate and environmental justice activists. We have cultivated a deeper understanding of the role settler colonialism and racialized white supremacy play in climate change and considered how to strengthen our solidarity with Indigenous front-line communities, work for a Just Transition to an ecological civilization, and center human rights in investment decisions.

Your UUMFE Board and staff are taking GA 2020 experiences and learnings to heart as we plan for the next year and look for ways to bring you the best resources and opportunities for engagement possible. All while committing to making multicultural, multiracial, anti-oppressive spaces that dismantle racism and anti-Blackness an intersectional part of our work and investing in youth and young adult programming. Stay tuned!

Ware lecturer Naomi Klein shared these words of exhortation in her reply to a question posed by UU Youth afterwards:

“As Unitarian Universalists, I would say that this is your moment – your principles, as I mentioned, are visionary, and the world is catching up… We are in a really special moment in history. And we need to make the most of it.”

We intend to follow her advice as we heed the leadership of youth, young adults and front-line communities. We invite you to stay with us on that journey!

Rev. Cindy Davidson
Board Chair, UU Ministry for Earth 

PS: As always, thank you for your support and opting to make a recurring donation which helps keep us moving forward to Create Climate Justice.

INSPIRATION

UMFE Celebrates Three Pipeline Wins!

Finally, some goods news: UUMFE celebrates last week’s unexpected string of pipeline wins, thanks to decades of struggle led by Indigenous water protectors. The proposed Atlantic Coast pipeline was cancelled altogether; a federal judge ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline be emptied of its fracked oil while awaiting a new environmental review; and another court froze a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, delaying the project yet again. While the climate justice movement braces for backlash in the courts, moments like these can be a turning point for growing power.

Introducing UUMFE Intern Maya Goss

UUMFE is delighted to have Maya Goss join the team as a summer intern! Maya is sponsored by the Student Activity Fund of the Long Island Area Council of UU Congregations --- a program that encourages young Unitarian Universalists to live their religious values through internships in social action, advocacy and service. Learn more about Maya’s passions and background in this introductory blog post:

ACTIVATION

Join an upcoming BILINGUAL screening of The Condor and The Eagle

Join Executive Producer UUMFE for a screening of the award-winning documentary, The Condor and The Eagle, in English with Spanish subtitles. A live interpreted discussion with the filmmaker Clément Guerra and other co-hosts follows.

Thursday, July 16th @ 5:30pm PT / 6:30pm MT / 7:30pm CT / 8:30pm ET
Register HERE  for July 16th screening. 

Friday, August 7th @ 3pm PT / 4pm MT / 5pm CT / 6pm ET
Register HERE for August 7th screening.

Congregations are invited to partner as a co-host for a future screening. 

Únase a la próxima proyección BILINGÜE de El cóndor y el águila

Únase al productor ejecutivo UUMFE para la proyección del documental premiado, El cóndor y el águila, en inglés con subtítulos en español. Una discusión interpretada en vivo con el cineasta Clément Guerra y co-presentadores seguirá.

Jueves el 16 de julio a las 5:30pm PT / 6:30pm MT / 7:30pm CT / 8:30pm ET
Regístrese  AQUÍ.   

Viernes el 7 de agosto a las 3pm PT / 4pm MT / 5pm CT / 6pm ET
Regístrese  AQUÍ para el 7 de agosto.

Congregaciones están invitadas a ser co-presentadores para proyecciones en el futuro.

Release NoDAPL Political Prisoners Now

While the Dakota Access Pipeline has been ordered to be shut down, the climate justice movement cannot rest until all water protectors are released from prison! Five Indigenous water protectors are still incarcerated for their brave resistance fighting the pipeline, facing increased danger due to the rampant spread of Covid-19 in prisons. Read Rev. Karen Van Fossan’s powerful reflection and sign the petition demanding the release of all those incarcerated in the name of justice and public health.

EDUCATION

GROW Fellowship 2020 - Deadline extended until August 1st for Young Adults who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color!

The UU College of Social Justice’s GROW Fellowship will be held August – December 2020. Building upon the previous GROW/Thrive/Shift programs beginning in 2015, it will equip UU (and UU adjacent!) young adults of color and white young adults with the skills, spiritual grounding, and community to engage in justice work within and beyond our Unitarian Universalist faith. It has been scheduled for the months leading up to and after big 2020 elections to build our capacity, relationships, and power in ways that can be of use to continuing this work for the long haul. 

Crash Course for a Crisis: Lessons from Movement Generation

How can communities find a path forward through the intersecting crises surrounding the current Covid-19 pandemic? For the past few weeks, Movement Generation has offered some much-needed clarity through its “Course Correction: Just Transition in the Age of COVID-19” webinars. The same root causes that got us into the climate crisis have also been fueling the conditions for the unnatural disasters we find ourselves in. Read a summary of the lessons so far, from interns Maya Goss and Elizabeth Fernandez - and find links to register for the last session and final discussion group.

• Final Movement Generation session: Tuesday, July 14 @ 3-5pm PT / 6-8pm ET.
• Final UUMFE Discussion group to share lessons learned: Tuesday, July 21 @ 3-5pm PT / 6-8pm ET

CONNECTION

EPJN Webinar Series Begins This Friday, July 17 with a New Mini-Series

Friday, July 17 @ 4pm PT/5pm MT/6pm CT/7pm ET 

Join members of the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas for a six-part webinar series, “People of the Land: Healing From the White Supremacy and Colonization Pandemic,” sponsored by UUSC, TXUUJM, UUMFE and UUA. Three-hour webinars on the third Fridays of each month through December will explore sovereignty, environmental justice and the fight for self-determination. This series will highlight ways non-tribal members can be in authentic relationship and solidarity with the tribe, and how to support the fight to protect sacred sites throughout Texas, such as Yalui Village and Garcia Pasture, from gas and oil pipelines. 

Strengthen Local Climate Commitments National Collaboration Call

HOLD the DATE! Wednesday, August 5, 2020 @ 8pm ET

Join SLCC Campaign Manager, Doris Marlin, and your peers the first Wednesday of each Month to share updates, resources and encouragement on local engagement for Climate Action in your community!

RSVP for the Call, or Request the SLCC Toolkit, or add your name to the email list to get more info on how to Strengthen Local Climate Commitments for a Just Transition away from the Fossil Fuel Economy at this link:  https://goo.gl/forms/JZQrPqRauvn6N4VH3

Bonus Recipe

Vegan Pulled BBQ Mushroom Sandwiches

Image and recipe source: Hot for Food

Visit UU Ministry for Earth online at uumfe.org
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