Category: Liaison Announcements

COVID-19 Update/Ltr. from Exec. Director

by Rev. Rob Gregson 2 Comments

After a two week virtual shutdown here at UU FaithAction NJ, I am at last able to be back in touch with all of you, our family of supporters.  I’d like to explain why I have been so silent in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, explain how we go about our work together going forward and provide an update about the previously scheduled Sat. April 25th Annual Meeting. Please also see information at the bottom of this email outlining 2 actions–one happening TODAY—to support detainees and release them and other vulnerable inmates in NJ ASAP.

March 11th to Today

As some of you will already know, I tested positive for COVID19 after experiencing my first clear symptoms on Weds. March 11 (though those symptoms did NOT include a fever–an important point as we begin to see a surge in cases here in NJ.)  I began self-isolating that same day and immediately notified all those with whom I had been in close and sustained contact over the previous week–including some of you.

After receiving a positive result 4 days later, I was asked by hospital staff to stay in self-isolation until at least Monday, 3/30.  I have been recovering slowly but surely.  I am especially pleased to report that my two children have been off-site over the past 2+ weeks, show no discernible symptoms and remain well.
To date only one other person has tested positive for the virus among those 100+ people with whom I had been in relatively close and sustained contact 10 days prior to showing obvious symptoms; it is worth noting that that person shared an hour car ride with me carpooling to a UUFANJ event.
The Board and Task Force leaders have fully supported my recovery for which I am very appreciative.  I will begin working from home on a part-time basis as my recovery progresses, though I have to take it more slowly than I would wish.  Please know that I appreciate your patience and many thoughts and prayers as we make this adjustment together. UU FaithAction NJ continues on!
One additional reminder: we have not had an office administrator since Feb. 28th and most likely will not hire another one for the time being so communications in the short term will likely be more sporadic than usual.  Thanks again for your continued understanding.
Rescheduling the Annual Meeting
Update your calendar!  The Board has voted to changed the date for the Annual Meeting from April 25th to Sat. June 6.  We expect this will be a VIRTUAL meeting via conference/video call; more details will be sent out as soon as possible.

The Annual Meeting is necessary to UU FaithAction NJ since it is there that we carry out the mandated annual business of the organization. In particular we are required to pass the official budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year; we also need to offer candidates for election to the Board of Trustees, and vote on those nominees.

There is a UUFANJ Board working group charged to determine the particulars of the Annual Meeting. If you would like to offer suggestions or otherwise assist this group in planning the June 6 Annual Meeting, please reach out to Tom Moran (UU Morristown):

thomasmoran.inspace@gmail.com   Mobile: (973) 960-2346

You may also contact Board Vice President, Nick Lewis (ozballnick@gmail.com)

Social Justice Actions Now

We are all aware that nothing is “business as usual” these days; still, there remains much that we CAN do which in itself is cause for hope and renewed vitality even while we deal (sometimes chafe) with the stressors of self quarantine, the knock-on effects to our employment and income streams, and general worries about the illness making its way through our families, congregations and state.
There are 2 immediate actions we are asking you to take:
Two immediate ways to help support Federal migrant detainees as well as some of most vulnerable inmates (the elderly, those with preexisting medical conditions that make them especially prone to COVID!19, etc.) still being held in coronavirus-prone cellblocks in our county jails and detention centers.
1) Sign this  Open Appeal to Governor Murphy to immediately release a select group of inmates, including Federal ICE detainees, who pose no immediate threat to public safety.  The letter is on behalf of the coalition group, NJ Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NJ CAIC) of which UU FaithAction through our Criminal Justice Reform Task Force (sign up here!) is a part.

 

2) Consider joining a “drive through” protest TODAY (NEARLY NOW) at Bergen Co. jail campaign in support of the inmate hunger strikers asking for similar help during the COVID19 outbreak.
There remains much we can and are called to do.  We’ll get through this together, as we have done before and will do again. I’m lighting a virtual chalice here at “Office #2” (aka my living room) for each one of you and for this organization as we channel our grief, anger, worry and uncertainty into a future-oriented hope.  It’s how we will make it through this current crazy rip-tide, with the understanding that we mean not only to survive these times but to be part of the wave demanding a better way of living for all God’s/the universe’s creatures.  Now we gotta help make it so.

In faith, with love, for justice,

Rev. Rob Gregson, The Board and Task Force Leaders of Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

 

Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

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Legislative Priorities 2019/2020

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
  1. Restore right-to-vote to those on parole, probation, and those still incarcerated
  2. Dignity for Primary Caretakers Act, for incarcerated women
  3. Reform parole system to include ways for certain offenders to earn their way to earlier parole

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
  1. Mandatory emissions reductions in EJ communities, including transition to electric buses and alternate fuel trucks
  2. Reduce single use plastic bags
  3. Maintain adequate water infrastructure – no lead in NJ water

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
  1. Continue to support Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)
  2. Work with NJ legislators to strengthen proposed Safe Storage of Guns bill

IMMIGRATION JUSTICE
  1. Drivers licenses for undocumented. We expect this to be considered and presumably enacted in the 2019 lame-duck legislative session.
  2. Increased funding for legal defense for detainees in NJ facilities. This is connected with the budget process. As part of the NJ Universal Representation Coalition for the past two years, we will continue to advocate for the amount required to ensure all detainees without means have access to legal rep.

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
  1. Access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, by working with coalitions who are introducing legislation in NJ
  2. Strengthen maternal health and reduce maternal mortality including supporting the Maternal Mortality Review Committee
  3. Dignity for incarcerated Primary Caregivers Act, a bundle of bills that incorporates allowances for incarcerated parents to spend time with their children, bans the use of shackles for pregnant women and provide appropriate mental health and substance abuse care
  4. Work alongside a newly formed coalition working to pass/bundle bills related to preventing & supporting sexual assault survivors including reporting and investigating sexual assault inside NJ prisons

May 2019

Liaison Call 5/2/19 Minutes 

Liaisons on the Call:   Rob Gregson, Clara Jenkins, Joe Houle (Lincroft), Kathy Allen (Summit), Eileen Bird (Princeton), Nick Mellis (Washington Crossing), Sally Gellert (Paramus), Toby Tyler (Morristown), David Reskof (Lincroft)

Welcome and Introductions (7:00 – 7:05pm): Rev. Rob Gregson

Liaison/Congregational Updates (7:05 – 7:40pm)

  • Kathy Allen mentioned the recent shootings in North Carolina and Pittsburgh.  She also said Florida recently passed a law allowing teachers to be armed. Apparently there is internal strife in the NRA and their tax-exempt status is being challenged.  She is asking that everyone wear orange on June 2, which is GVP Awareness Day.
  • Joe Houle suggested each congregation job post for their social justice committees.  He suggested it be broken down from “little involvement” to “major commitment”.
  • Middletown town council opposes the police directive to separate local police from immigration police.
  • Toby Tyler mentioned Morristown works closely with RAMP on immigration issues.  There is also strong support on the Green Earth Movement.
  • Toby mentioned the Red Hot Minute as Communications Chair.  He encourages all liaisons to read and distribute to increase awareness of UU FaithAction.
  • Sally Gellert said it is ministerial candidate week in Paramus.

Legislation/Task Force Update (7:35 – 7:55pm):

There is discussion around Sponsorship vs Sanctuary for immigrant detainees.  There appears to be a new “underground railroad” and UUs are needed to meet greyhound buses at NJ bus stations.

UU FaithAction Updates (7:35 – 7:55pm):

  • It was suggested that UU FaithAction needs to beef up our website in terms of UU FaithActions history and impact.  It was also suggested that every UU congregation should be listed on our site and we should be prominent on every congregations website.
  • Rob would like to add the Racial Justice toolkit to our website.
  • Clara is expanding the Information and Resources page to include Ted Talks, podcasts, books and other reference material.
  • Website should also contain a UU FA in the News.
  • The next Liaison Call is scheduled for Thursday, June 6th.

March 2019

Liaison Call 3/21/19 Minutes 

Liaisons on the Call:   Rob Gregson, Clara Jenkins, Joe Houle (Lincroft), Mark Williams (Plainfield), Eileen Bird (Princeton), Nick Mellis (Washington Crossing), Kristen Peck (Summit), Susan MacDonnel (Princeton), Al Stawsky (Palisades), Jamie Evanini (Washington Crossing)

Welcome and Introductions (7:00 – 7:05pm): Rev. Rob Gregson

Criminal Justice Task Force Update (7:05 – 7:35pm)

  • Susan said the process is to look at the Issues and draft bills from those issues.  Currently focused on voting rights, legalizing marijuana, ending isolated confinement and the Rule Change at the DOJ.
  • There are behind the scenes negotiations regarding the legalization of marijuana.  Some considerations are where will the tax profits go? To the State, the county, the town?  Will tax be on the dispensing level or the sales level?  
  • The Drug Policy Alliance is happy with the language of current bills, but we are not in terms of the social and racial justice.  There is no language regarding expungement nor a home-grown component.
  • According to the Institute for Social Justice there is no movement on voting rights.
  • Cape May County does video visitation only, which goes against DOJ regulations.  This is lucrative to the facility as no additional staff is required.

Legislation/Task Force Update (7:35 – 7:55pm):

Jamie Evanini said Washington Crossing is working with Immigrant Justice Groups on Universal Representation.  These groups think that the fund needs to be between 15 to 18 million to be considered full-funded. The budget is currently for 2.1 million.  Current level funding shows 0 appropriated for Universal Representation.

Ted Fetter and Paggy Hayden follow the lead of our immigration partners.  Currently NJ does not have a bond fund.

Jeannine Calyton-Coyne is stepping down as the chair of the Gun Violence Prevention task force. Kathy Allen is willing to co-chair.

UU FaithAction Updates (7:35 – 7:55pm):

  • We requested and received a 10k grant to aid our Immigration Task Force.  We will be hiring a summer intern with this money to work on Immigration Justice initiatives.
  • The next Liaison Call is scheduled for Thursday, April 4th.

June 2019

Liaison Call 6/6/19 Minutes 

Liaisons on the Call:   Rob Gregson, Clara Jenkins, Joe Houle (Lincroft), Mark Williams (Plainfield), Sally Gellert (Paramus), Nick Mellis (Washington Crossing), Anthony Torres (Paramus), Kathy Allen (Summit), Ted Fetter (Princeton)

Welcome and Introductions (7:00 – 7:05pm): Rev. Rob Gregson

Check-in and Liaison/Congregational Updates (7:05 – 7:40pm)

  • Mark Williams expressed his excitement on being on UU FaithAction’s Board.  Plainfield is getting an Intern for a few months as AnneMarie has gone to Somerset Hills.  They feel hopeful as they balanced their budget and are making plans to notify the Fanwood/Scotch Plains residents of their location.  The food pantry is vibrant, although they struggle with involvement with social justice issues.
  • Nick Mellis said Washington Crossing is on good financial footing and that they are starting a racial justice initiative.  
  • Joe Houle suggested congregations should “job post” for social justice and for UUFA task forces.
  • Sally Gellert announced they have a new called minster, Rev. Andree Mol (they, their).  Paramus is also starting a capital campaign to renovate the 1956 building.
  • Kathy Allen indicated the first Friday in June is GVP Awareness Day and the whole weekend Beacon will recognize the event.  Thus far, 76 New Jerseyians have been murdered with guns.

Legislation Update (7:40 – 7:55pm):

Ted Fetter, Immigration Justice Task Force Chair, indicated the TF continues it’s work with Let’s Drive NJ and that there will be a big push in the fall.  The legal representation fund was increased from 2.1 million by an additional million. This fund is designed to aid immigrant detainees who would otherwise not be able to obtain legal representation.

Beacon and Princeton are currently set up to offer temporary housing for asylum seekers.  Ted indicated that ICE wants these people to be housed and First Friends of NJ/NY are key partners in this movement.  Both Ted and Peggy Hayden, vice chair, are working on a program whereby UU FaithAction can offer training and then take a larger role in the housing initiative.  The TF is also working on accompainiment where UUs can go to the court, ICE hearings or schools, etc with immigrants so they don’t feel so alone.

Finally, the Immigration task force indicated that they will need volunteers to meet greyhound buses carrying undocumented families to NJ.  These travelers often have no water, food, toys, information, etc. Volunteers would meet the buses and hand out information and sustenance.

The Criminal Justice task force is working on a change to the regulation on video visitation.

The Reproductive Justice task force is pushing hard for the passing of the Adress Confidentiality Bill, which is a UU Faithaction initiative.  The final vote is scheduled for June 10 in the Senate. The Women’s Center in Cherry Hill will join the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the NJ Policy Perspective to advise Gov Murphy on Roe vs Wade.

Kathy Allen is taking over the Gun Violence Prevention task force from Jeannine Clayton-Coyne.  A focus will be on Use of Force in NJ.

The Environmental Justice TF is considering a speaking event on the Green New Deal and carbon dividends.  

  • The next Liaison Call is scheduled for Thursday, September 5th.

Chuck Collins 2019 Plenary Keynote Speaker

by UU FA Office Leave a comment

Chuck Collins is an author and senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. He is also co-founder of Wealth for Common Good. He is an expert on economic inequality in the US, and has pioneered efforts to bring together investors and business leaders to speak out publicly against corporate practices and economic policies that increase economic inequality.

Collins has written a number of books about inequality, tax policy and social change philanthropy. In 2000, he co-authored the book, Robin Hood Was Right: A Guide to Giving Your Money for Social Change. In 2000 (revised in 2005), he co-authored with Felice Yeskel Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Insecurity.  Collins is coauthor, with William H. Gates Sr, of the 2003 book, Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes, which argues that the estate tax is both fair and necessary. In 2013, he authored 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It. His most recent book is Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good.

Between 1983 and 1991, Collins worked at the Institute for Community Economics, based in Greenfield, Massachusetts, providing technical advice to community land trusts and mobile home resident cooperatives. Between 1991 and 1995, he was director of the HOME Coalition in Massachusetts and a field organizer for the Tax Equity Alliance of Massachusetts (now the Mass Budget and Policy Center). In 1995, he co-founded, with Felice Yeskel and S.M. Miller, United for a Fair Economy in Boston, Massachusetts, a left-leaning national organization devoted to education about growing income and wealth inequality.

Collins has worked with a number of prominent wealthy individuals, including William H. Gates, Sr. and George Soros, in an effort to promote tax equity. 

In 2005, he became a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits the web site, Inequality.org and directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. In 2008, he cofounded Wealth for the Common Good, which subsequently merged in 2015 with the Patriotic Millionaires.

At the Institute for Policy Studies, Collins’ research has looked at income and wealth inequality and the racial wealth divide. He has co-authored a number of studies including “Billionaire Bonanza” exploring the share of wealth flowing to the top 1 percent and Forbes 400, and the “Ever Growing Gap”, which examines the future of the racial wealth divide.

 

Trump-Pence’s Title X Gag Rule Will Harm New Jersey Women

PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND OF NEW JERSEY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 22, 2019

Contact: Casey Olesko 973-775-2781 / Casey.Olesko@ppgnnj.org

Trump-Pence’s Title X Gag Rule Will Harm New Jersey Women

70 percent of Title X patients in NJ go to Planned Parenthood for care

TRENTON, NJ — Today, the Trump-Pence administration released a gag rule that undermines Title X, the nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care, and makes it illegal for health care providers in the program to refer patients for an abortion.

“The administration has put health care providers like Planned Parenthood in an impossible position: withhold information from our patients, or get pushed out of a program designed to ensure that people struggling to make ends meet can still access essential reproductive health care,” said Triste Brooks, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey. “We won’t withhold critical information from our patients.”

“Health care is a human right and we will not let this stand,” said Roslyn Y. Rogers Collins, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey. “The Trump-Pence administration may not think you deserve care, but we do.”

Title X is the nation’s only program for affordable birth control and preventive reproductive health care. Title X ensures that every person — regardless of who they are, where they live, how much money they make, or whether they’re insured — has access to basic reproductive health services, such as birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment.

In New Jersey, more than 70 percent of the patients served by Title X received care at a Planned Parenthood health center. Planned Parenthood was the sole Title X provider in 13 New Jersey counties in 2018. Without Planned Parenthood, all other Title X-funded sites in New Jersey would have to increase their contraceptive client caseloads by 254 percent to serve the women who currently obtain birth control from Planned Parenthood health centers.

The Murphy administration has already publicly denounced the gag rule, and members of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation have also spoken out against the harmful change.

“The ‘gag rule’ targets women who live in underserved communities, already facing obstacles to accessing health care,” said Brooks. “We won’t be deterred; Planned Parenthood is committed to providing the care patients need — no matter what.”

A fact sheet on Title X’s impact in New Jersey is available here.

Virtual Reality Solitary Confinement Headsets

Regarding the solitary confinement Virtual Reality experience, this 6X9 website has more information.

Two Sundays, Two Awesome Conferences

by UU FA Office Leave a comment

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.

CONTACT UU FAITHACTION NJ:
4 Waldron Avenue, Summit NJ 07901 | (908) 376-6535 | execdir@uufaithaction.org