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Response to Covid-19

Each of us has been impacted by the by Covid-19 pandemic. As we acknowledge how our lives have changed, we also acknowledge how this crisis has disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Right now, the need to take action is great. Our goal to #VoteLove and #DefeatHate means finding our role in this work. We must assess our own capacity, our resources, and ask ourselves how we might show up authentically and generously. We invite you to find when and how you can show up to end the systems of domination and the culture of supremacy that is threatening lives and our democracy in 2020.

ACT LOCAL to build thriving communities

Community is at the heart of democracy. Housing, food security, health and self-determination are the pillars of a thriving community. COVID-19 has thrown more folks deeper into preexisting crises that threaten lives and democracy. 

We know the communities hit the hardest by this virus are also the ones that are targets of voter suppression. Ongoing voter suppression in Black, Indigenous and people of color communities works to limit the agency folks need to resource their own communities at the polls. We must invest in our communities and actively work towards a vision of community where everyone’s basic needs are met and everyone’s voice is heard. The most meaningful work is done in partnership. Find local collectives, organizations, and networks in your communities to see what is needed.

Actions & Resources

Local starts with you: Spend some time reflecting on how you have been impacted by COVID-19. Check out these reflection questions by Jocelny Fong as a guide to determine what actions you may be able to take in this moment.  (reflection questions by Jocelyn Fong)

Read This guide for local work during a pandemic from Waging Non-violence

All in on the Issues, All in on Democracy 

Justice and Freedom for All. The U.S. carceral system is a threat to human thriving and democracy. Jails, prisons, detention centers, and the policing and surveillance of our communities are contrary to the principles of a democratic society. 

The U.S. carcel system and COVID-19 threatens our public health and flies in the face of our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all. We join the chorus of movement leaders calling for the release of folks in jails and detention centers. We will use multiple tactics afforded to us to achieve those ends: the support of bailouts, mutual aid works, and financial support through initiatives like #ShareMyCheck. Additionally, we will work towards long-term solutions by mobilizing our communities to support these values in their local and state elections. 

Actions & Resources 

  • #FreeThemAll Toolkit : Toolkit to support local demands from Detention Watch Network
  • Find an Active #FreeThemAll Campaign: Decarceration in Jails and Prisons and Immigration Detention Centers
  • Support BLUU’s Babies & Bailouts to free Black mothers
  • Commit to “Share my Check”
  • See if your state has a local District Attorney or Sheriff’s election where conversations about criminalization are at the forefront. 

Humane Economy for a Sustainable Future.

We need an economy that puts people over profits. History shows us what happens when we fail to enact policies to regulate corporations: exploitation of laborers, pollution the environment, and mass poverty. Corporate tax breaks and bailouts allow the rich to get richer, while people and our environment suffer. Poverty, under resourced schools, and climate change are the outcomes of a greed economy where corporations make record profits while quality of life diminishes for millions. 

Right now, COVID-19 stimulus bills have used American tax dollars to save companies, while leaving everyday people struggling to make rent, provide childcare, and provide food for themselves and families. 

Actions & Resources

Free and Fair Elections.

We must act to ensure all people have access to the ballot. We have witnessed coordinated voter suppression of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities for decades. From gerrymandering, the closing and under resourcing of polling places, to voter purgers, these tactics have resulted in devastating outcomes for these communities.  

Today, the COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges and urgency to the preservation and expansion of our democracy. No one should have to risk their health to vote. 

Actions & Resources

Spiritual Resilience 

Justice work is deeply spiritual work. As we move through this moment our hearts, minds, and bodies are informing our work. Our joys and weariness are constantly shifting, but community is always our anchor. We are creating hope together. 

Our spiritual nourishment program is expanding to create space to build spiritual resilience. By sharing our stories and experiences, we deepen relationships between each other and imagine new ways of being in a world we create together. Join us in creating a spiritual and political home that supports us as we bend the moral arc of justice. 

Actions & Resources

Join our Spiritual Nourishment gatherings
Read this Prayer to Soothe Anxiety from Yes! Magazine

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From our work for marriage equality, women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery, for civil and voting rights, to advocating for a path to citizenship for immigrants, to taking on the ‘New Jim Crow’ and white supremacy today.

Unitarian Universalists have a legacy to carry onward.

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