Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ
A UU voice for justice, equity and compassion in NJ
By Ted Fetter, Immigration Justice Task Force Chair
On Tuesday, October 3, there was an urgent call from the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ). The emails and texts, starting around noon, called for immediate action. The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners would vote that very afternoon at 4:00 on a resolution calling for the State Legislature to rescind New Jersey’s Sanctuary State status. Supporters of immigrants had to mobilize quickly to oppose that resolution.
At our Fall Issues Conference on October 21st, 2023, Rev. Rosemarie Newberry delivered an urgent report on the quiet, insidious attack on New Jersey Dept. of Education guidance policy 5756 happening in local Board of Education meetings across our state.
Under the guise of “Parents’ Rights” or “Parental Rights,” this movement really represents a chipping away at trans children’s rights.
Watch Rev. Rosemarie Newberry’s “Keeping up with BOE’s” report at our Issues Conference, and view the text of her slideshow, below. Rev. Rosemarie’s segment begins at minute 57.
Support the Reproductive Equity Act (S2918/A4350)!
We are calling on the NJ Legislative Leadership—Senate President Scutari and Assembly Speaker Coughlin—to schedule the bills for committee hearings so that they can progress to a full vote of the Senate and House.
For more information on this and other “Action Hour” actions, visit: bit.ly/1st-fridays
We are pleased to present our first-ever UU FaithAction NJ Annual Report!
Our Fall Issues Conference is Saturday, October 21st at 10 AM. Register Today!
Our UU FaithAction NJ 2023 Fall Issues Conference will be on Saturday, October 21st at the UU Church in Cherry Hill and online. The Zoom meeting will open at 9:45 AM, and the program begins at 10 AM. The program will run until 2:00 PM, with cookies and conversation for in-person attendees from 2:00 to 2:30 PM.
Registration is now open for our 2023 Fall Issues Conference!
By Tom Moran, Criminal Justice Reform Task Force Chair
Our coalition partner—Abolish Life Imprisonment (an initiative of Salvation and Social Justice)—is planning a robust publicity campaign starting soon. The campaign will endeavor to advance legislation through the lame-duck session of the New Jersey legislature. Although our bill has not yet been finalized and introduced, we do have a draft bill based on the March 2023 Report of the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing & Disposition Commission.
Unitarian Universalists joined protestors representing a broad coalition of climate activists and communities of faith in the March to End Fossil Fuels on Sunday, September 17th, 2023.
In anticipation of to the September 20th “UN Climate Ambition Summit” in New York, people took to the streets to cry out for a fossil-free future. Marchers called on President Biden—leader of the world’s largest producer of oil and gas—to stop oil and gas projects, phase down drilling, and declare a climate emergency. Add your voice—sign the March to End Fossil Fuels petition.
After careful deliberation and out of an abundance of caution, the Gala Planning Committee made the difficult decision last Friday to cancel the “Justice for All” Gala scheduled for September 9th, 2023 at the UU Congregation of Princeton. For more information on the cancellation, read the message from our Gala Planning Committee.
The Gala Planning Committee is deliberating a path forward, including the possibility of rescheduling the “Justice For All” Gala for a future date. In the meantime, we are pleased to share with you our “Justice For All” Gala Digital Ad Journal!
“LGBTQ+ Students and School Staff: WE’RE HERE FOR YOU” a wall of signs read.
Supporters of equity and inclusion showed up for the NJ State Board of Education meeting in Trenton on Wednesday, September 6th.
The NJ State Board of Ed. recently voted to adopt gender-inclusive language into our state’s education code, as well as to re-authorize existing Equity in Education standards. As expected, protesters were present at the Board of Ed. meeting, carrying messages of intolerance.
