Save the Date
Saturday, April 9th
for the
UU FaithAction New Jersey
2022 Spring Gala!
Emily Parker
The Lame Duck Digest
We find ourselves in a liminal legislative time: the November elections have been called, yet the current New Jersey Legislature holds office until January 11th, 2022. This unique window, called the “lame duck session,” can represent a window of opportunity for bills that struggled to progress during the regular legislative session.
The “lame duck” also represents a closing window of opportunity. January 12th, 2022 will mark the beginning of the new Legislature, and all bills that have not passed will go back to square one. A bill that is not passed by the 219th New Jersey Legislature (2020-2022) loses all progress and needs to be reintroduced in the 220th New Jersey Legislature (2022-2024).
UUs for Reparations
Unitarian Universalists have a long history in the fight for racial justice, from advocating for the abolition of slavery, to supporting the Civil Rights movement, to participating in the Black Lives Matter movement. This history of combining hands-on work for social justice with the free search for truth and meaning continues in the work of our Reparations Task Force.
Reproductive Rights Week of Action
From our friends at NOW NJ/Thrive NJ Coalition, which includes our own UUFANJ Reproductive Justice Task Force, we urge you to participate in this Week of Action!
The clock is ticking on Reproductive Rights across the country! Take action NOW to help us pass the Reproductive Freedom Act and protect ALL New Jerseyans.
#GivingTuesday Spotlight: Reproductive Justice
Dear Friend,
There have been so many challenges this year. From a pandemic that has illuminated cruel societal inequities, to unceasing gun violence, environmental challenges, and systemic racism, our task forces have been hard at work addressing these issues on a legislative level to improve equity for all in our state. But the attack on reproductive freedom witnessed in other states as well as at the federal level is an especially urgent cause of concern for many. Our Reproductive Justice Task Force is focused on advocating for the passage of the Reproductive Freedom Act (S3030/A4848), which will ensure that all New Jerseyans have the right to make their own health decisions on issues of birth control and pregnancy related care, including abortion, as well as removing financial barriers to accessing such care.
#GivingTuesday Spotlight: Reparations
Dear Friend,
Our GivingTuesday campaign is well underway, with every gift up to our $2,500 goal between now and November 30, the National Day of Giving, matched 2 to 1. To give you an idea of how your gift to UU FaithAction NJ will make a difference, this week we spotlight the work of our Reparations Task Force.
Common Read: The Social Life of DNA
In The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, Alondra Nelson details how DNA testing is being used to grapple with the unfinished business of slavery: “to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations.”
Cherry Hill Protests Kenosha Verdict
On Sunday, November 21st, Unitarian Universalists gathered with others in vigil and witness following the Kenosha verdict.
Helen Ewan, member of our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, writes:
Our UUCCH GVP Task Force joined with other social justice groups for a silent vigil protesting the Kenosha verdict… Rev. Margret stood with us. We gathered at 4:00 pm. Signs were available for those of us who needed them. The church also supplied battery powered tea lights for us to hold. We walked down the driveway and stood on the grass by the sidewalk. Lisa Winkler spoke, and there was singing, but mainly we stood in witness. We received many honks of support from passersby on Kings Highway. The vigil ended at 5:00, and we left the church feeling that we had shown our dedication to gun violence prevention and common sense gun laws.
Sixty protestors gathered in total. Helen thanks Lisa Winkler for her key role in bringing people together.
Victims Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber lost their lives, and Gaige Grosskreutz was shot and injured, while protesting police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020. The shooter was acquitted of all five felony charges on Friday, November 19th.
#GivingTuesday Spotlight: Immigration Justice
Dear Friend,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am sure many of you are making menu and travel plans and looking forward to gathering with family and friends to give thanks and revel in the precious joy of being together. Among the things we are thankful for, safety, security, warmth, food on the table, and loved ones to share in this abundance all rank high on our lists.
But in many parts of the world, and even here at home, simple freedoms and the blessings of security, safety, lack of hunger, and being with loved ones are a distant dream for too many.
Rights are Not Enough — We Must Advance Equity by Removing Barriers to Reproductive Health Care
More than 75 New Jersey based organizations have signed on to a statement declaring their support for the Reproductive Freedom Act urging lawmakers to take action and pass the bill in its entirety before the close of the current legislative session. Introduced in October 2020, the Reproductive Freedom Act (S3030/A4848) is a proactive bill that both ensures the right to abortion in New Jersey and removes barriers to access, especially for our most vulnerable and marginalized populations.