Legislative Ministry Has a New Name – UUFaithActionNJ

The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey has a New Name- UUFaithActionNJ.

We also have a new Vision and Mission statements that were lovingly crafted by Board members and Task Force Chairs at the summer retreat this past July, 2017.

The name and vision/mission statement changes were closely guarded secrets among those who participated in the retreat, and finally revealed to all who attended the Issues Conference on October 14th 2017. While not quite ready for “prime time reveal” on our website, we will all be eager to begin using the new and easy to pronounce name!

As Board President Tracy Sprowls told the conference attendees, UUFaithActionNJ is “the issues and advocacy voice of New Jersey Unitarian Universalist member congregations. Our Vision is a ‘just’ New Jersey, free from systemic oppression and greed, full of engage people committed to each other, to our communities, and to our earth. Grounded in our Unitarian Universalist faith, our Mission is to confront systemic injustice and build a more compassionate society by educating ourselves and others; mobilizing individuals and congregations to act for justice; and advocating for equitable and sustainable public policy.”

UUFaithActionNJ’s active Task Forces for 2017/2018 continue to be Environmental Justice, Criminal Justice, Immigration Reform, Reproductive Justice, Gun Violence Prevention, and Economic Justice. While each Task Force focuses on issues specific to their interest area, we are ever more aware of the intersectionality between them, and we will act together whenever this makes sense. For example, we know that the problems of air and water pollution, and the multitude of superfund sites in the state pose a threat to all of our citizens. However, those who live in our cities, especially those living in the poorest neighborhoods, suffer far more from these effects than those who live in suburban and rural communities. Here we see the intersection of environmental and economic justice concerns.

As a further recognition of inherent intersectionality in all we do, the Board of Directors issued a Statement on Dismantling Racism in 2014, committing to an intentional and deep examination of racism on every issue and in all aspects of the organization’s activities. Each task force of UUFaithActionNJ is also called to examine how institutional racism and unexamined bias contribute to the difficulty of achieving true justice for ALL people and communities of our state.

Be sure to watch for information on our congregation’s website about the launching of UUFaithActionNJ’s new website. You will find updated Task Force descriptions, legislative priorities and resources, as well as the name and contact of each task force chair.  Every task force needs newly engaged members and we hope that among the six big issue areas represented by the Task Forces, something will “speak” to you.

Liaisons

Our liaisons are: Eileen Bird  and  Gena Whitney.