Op-Ed on Universal Representation

Unitarian Universalist FaithAction New Jersey’s very own Rev. Rob Gregson pens an OpEd in advance of Governor Murphy’s budget address on expanding legal defense for immigrants who are detained and facing deportation in NJ.

“Deportation is one of the harshest penalties an individual can face under U.S. law. It can mean permanent exile from family and loved ones, loss of livelihood, and in some cases a return to a place where a person risks persecution or death…. We should all call upon the Governor and legislature to fully fund deportation defense for immigrants in New Jersey. In so doing, we can echo Lady Liberty’s timeless, message and disavow the shrill words of the latest political opportunist: immigrants are not–have never been–strangers to these shores.”

The piece can be read in its entirety here: Universal Representation.

 

 

Amazon Smile and UU FaithAction NJ

Did you know Amazon will give UU FaithAction NJ .05% of every dollar you spend on Amazon…. and who doesn’t spend on Amazon?  It’s easy to set up:  Log onto to smile.amazon.com and under Charitable Organizations search for Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry.  Then, whenever you need to purchase something from Amazon, use the amazon smile site and shop as normal!  Amazon will then send us a check every month for 5% of all sales linked to UULMNJ (our former name). Or you can simply click here.

Join us for Plenary 2019!

Chuck Collins, author of Born on Third Base: Growing Up Advantaged in a Time of Extreme Inequality, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s annual Plenary to be held Saturday, April 13th from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm.  Join us at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair located at 67 Church Street, Montclair NJ. 07042.  Register HERE!

 

Two Sundays, Two Awesome Conferences

On Sunday, February 3rd, UU FaithAction held the first Justice Policy Update Conference, which featured Professor Meghan Sacks, Criminal Justice Program Chair at Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Professor Sacks talked very knowledgeably and passionately about the legislation that created mass incarceration, the current efforts to amend some of these policies, and the injustice these policies perpetuate.  As one seasoned conference attendee stated, “It was the BEST speaker she had ever heard on this topic.”  Professor Sacks recommends that anyone interested in mass incarceration watch the films 13th and Riker’s Island: An American Jail.

On Sunday, February 10, UU FaithAction held the second Policy Update Conference at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton.  Our guest speaker was journalist and WNYC on-air correspondent Matt Katz.  Matt Katz has become, over the past three yeas, a leading investigative reporter on immigration, detainees, protective status and refugees in America.  His talk was informative and riveting.  Prior to his deep dive into Immigration, Matt reported on former Gov. Chris Christie and was part of a team of journalists who earned a Peabody award for their reporting.

UU FaithAction Honors Sally Pillay

On Sunday, February 10th during the Justice Policy Update Conference, UU FaithAction honored First Friends Director, Sally Pillay.  First Friends of New Jersey and New York’s mission is to uphold the inherent dignity of any immigrant who has been detained as well as any asylum seeker.  They coordinate volunteer visitation, aid with resettlement and are active and vocal advocates of the immigrant/asylum seeker community.

Sally Pillay, departing Director of First Friends and Ted Fetter, Chair, UU Immigration Justice Task Force

Sally Pillay is the out-going Program Director and has been with First Friends for over a decade.  Ms. Pillay is from South Africa and is required to return to her country of birth due to the current immigration policies.  First Friends, and Sally, have been strong partners in our efforts to advance immigration justice reform.  She will be missed!

Stand with UU FaithAction at The People’s State of the State

Stand up in support of economic, political, and social justice at The People’s State of the State!

New Jerseyans are still waiting for movement on critical issues like a $15 minimum wage for all workers, drivers licenses for all, marijuana legalization, environmental justice, and a tax code that ensures the wealthiest pay their fair share.

We deserve lawmakers who share our sense of urgency and recognize that now is not the time for politics as usual. Now is the time to create a stronger and more-inclusive state for all residents, not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Together we can create the fairer and more-just New Jersey we all envision. Join us on January 10th outside the State House Annex!

WHEN:  January 10, 2019 at 10am – 12pm
WHERE:  State House Annex
131 W State St
Trenton, NJ 08608
United States

Senate President Steve Sweeney Announces Senate Committee Assignments 2019

Senate President Steve Sweeney announced today the Senate committee assignments for the upcoming year, 2019.
“The most notable changes will be Senator Singleton’s new position as Chair of the Community and Urban Affairs Committee and Senator Gopal’s first chair appointment as Chair of the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.”
In 2019, more committee chairpersons in the New Jersey State Senate will be of African American, Latino or South Asian descent than in the Senate’s history.
“Heading into the new year with the most diverse set of committee chairs in New Jersey history, I am inspired and hopeful for what’s to come,” said Senator Sweeney. “We are an extremely diverse state and it is critical those in power and sitting at the decision making table reflect that fact. Having committee chairs with different backgrounds and life experiences will allow us to pass legislation which takes into account the concerns of all New Jerseyans.”
In January, the Senate will approve a resolution in order to add one additional seat to the Education committee, increasing the number of seats from six to seven.
Below are the full committee assignments:
Community & Urban Affairs                                     
Singleton, Chair
Rice, Vice Chair
Stack
Connors
O’Scanlon
Education 
Ruiz, Chair
Turner, Vice Chair
Beach
Cunningham
Doherty
Thompson
(vacancy) New R
Labor                                     
Madden, Chair
Lagana, Vice Chair
Greenstein
Addiego
Bucco
Transportation                                   
Diegnan, Chair
Gopal, Vice Chair
Gill
Sacco
Holzapfel
Singer
 
Budge and  Appropriations
Sarlo, Chair
Cunningham, Vice Chair
Vacancy
Cruz-Perez
Diegnan
Greenstein
Ruiz
Singleton
Addiego
Bucco
Oroho
O’Scanlon
Thompson
Commerce
Pou, Chair
Cryan, Vice Chair
Scutari
Cardinale
Kean
 
Health, Human Services
& Senior Citizens
Vitale, Chair
Madden, Vice Chair
Codey
Gopal
Lagana
Rice
Corrado
Holzapfel
Singer
(vacancy)
Economic Growth    
Cruz-Perez, Chair
Singleton, Vice Chair
Turner
Oroho
Pennacchio
Environment and Energy  
Smith,  Chair
Vitale, Vice Chair
Codey
Bateman
Corrado
Higher Education 
Cunningham, Chair
Pou, Vice Chair
Ruiz
Brown
Kean
Law & Public Safety 
Greenstein, Chair
Cryan, Vice Chair
Lagana
Sacco
O’Scanlon
(Vacancy) New R
 
Judiciary 
Scutari, Chair
Pou, Vice-Chair
Lagana
Sarlo
Singleton
Smith, B.
Weinberg
Bateman
Cardinale
Corrado
Doherty
 
Military & Veterans’ Affairs 
Gopal, Chair
Vacancy, Vice Chair
Turner
Connors
Pennacchio
State Government,
Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation           
Beach, Chair
Cruz-Perez, Vice Chair
Stack
Brown
Thompson

Oppose New Jersey Redistricting

NJ legislative leaders–primarily Democrats–are supporting a horrible amendment to the NJ constitution, a purely political proposal to increase the ability of politicians to choose their voters.  The usual term for it is “gerrymandering.” It would also embed the two-party system into the state’s constitution, a blatant attempt to weaken third parties like the Green and Libertarian parties. Every group that testified on the proposed amendment this past week opposed it. UUs and our allies should oppose this most recent attempt to codify gerrymandering too. 

Despite the fact that this doesn’t easily fall under one of UU FaithAction’s six issue areas, it flies directly in the face of our 5th Principle: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

For example, the amendment not only gives the sitting Senate president, House speaker, and minority leaders the power to appoint eight members to the redistricting commission.  It also requires that four of those appointees must be sitting legislators. This would clearly empower elected officials to have an oversized influence on who votes in their own or their own party’s races.

Furthermore, an analysis by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project demonstrates that in creating districts that the amendment calls “competitive” could actually lead to an overrepresentation of the majority party in the legislature. 

While the proposed amendment would mandate respecting “communities of interest”, there are no protections for racial equity and too few public hearings to establish truly representative communities of interest.

Additionally, the explanatory paragraphs that describe the amendment on the required statewide ballot are also misleading: they give no hint of the radical change to representative democracy this amendment entails. What seem like “motherhood and apple pie” goals are more like poisoned apples presented to an innocent public.

Finally, New Jersey would be much better served by a non-partisan redistricting process like California’s, rather than a partisan (even if bipartisan) process designed to protect incumbents, party loyalists, and further entrench the Democratic and Republican parties themselves.  Our partners at the League of Women Voters proposes such a non-partisan process in their Fair Districts New Jersey Project. 

Please make it a priority!  Call or write your senator and assembly members to oppose SCR152 and ACR205 (and earlier SCR43 and ACR60).

 

What You Can Do:

1. Send an email to your legislators letting them know New Jersey deserves a fair redistricting process and fair maps!

2. Call your legislator’s district office to voice your opposition to SCR152/ACR205. Review our sample script and talking points here

3. Visit the League’s “Partisan Gerrymandering” resource webpage and learn more about the undemocratic proposals being fast-tracked through the Legislature

Thank you for your attention to this very important issue!

Economic Injustice Workshop

The NJ Work Environment Council, hosted by UU FaithAction NJ and it’s Economic Justice Task Force, presents a powerful training opportunity designed to show how the US and NJ have become increasingly economically divided between the “haves” and “have nots.”  We will then learn what it will take to reverse that trend and how to effectively promote economic justice in our communities and across the state.  Ultimately, we will learn how to be more effective at bringing people together to exercise political power.

These are interactive workshops where we share our own experiences. Attending this training with other UUs and our allies will help us learn about each other, about the root problems of the most egregious economic inequalities in American life, and help us be even more effective advocates for economic justice!


No matter how much time we spend learning about what’s going on in the world, sometimes the best thing to do in rough times is to come together. And then determine what we can do to make a difference. Even better if different groups are doing different things but pushing towards the same goals.

Please consider attending this training – and invite an interested friend.  To move forward on our economic justice agenda, we have to do at least two things well: educate ourselves on the history and issues, and train ourselves to help organize others. Let’s put our heads together and work on a campaign with help from people who are doing this effectively nationwide. To register, please go to January 5 on the Community Calendar.