UUA General Assembly

Want to know more about immigration?: check out some of these resources to see why we’re going to Phoenix and what we’re addressing while we’re there.  Attendees will come away with a heightened knowledge of the issues, have opportunities to participate in witness and service and come away having been a part of something unique.

Let us know in the comments if there are other resources you recommend!

Cooking Together: Recipes for Immigration Justice Work

“Cooking Together” includes this page and a blog, where people of all ages who are passionate about engagement with immigration justice work are invited to share, create and adapt faith development materials for congregations. Have materials or ideas to share or resources you are seeking? Contact Gail Forsyth-Vail, Adult Programs Director (adultprograms @ uua.org).

Best Practice

Posadas & Interfaith Witness with Immigrant Families: On Saturday, December 10, members of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of Ventura County (CLUE VC) gathered with others in Oxnard, CA to provide support for immigrant families who are being faced with the very real possibility that one or both parents will be (or have been) deported. These deportations result in children being separated from one or both of their parents and often being placed in foster care. A crowd of about 80 people attended the event and signed postcards to be sent to President Obama, asking for justice for immigrant families. Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford, a UU minister and CLUE VC Board member from Thousand Oaks, introduced other clergy and lay representatives from various religious communities who shared blessings from their faith traditions in support of immigrants. Read the complete story.

Faithful Witness and Action

Faithful Witness and Action includes information and resources for organizing and carrying out actions in support of immigrant rights and family unification through the Standing on the Side of Love campaign; congregational stories of witness, action, and support; partner organizations; and opportunities for witness, advocacy, and solidarity in response to legislation, policies, events, and organizing campaigns.

Congregational Stories

Stories of what other congregations have done to bring about justice or deepen learning on immigration.

Worship

Worship includes links to hymn and music suggestions, prayers, meditations, litanies, stories, and readings for adults, young, adults, youth, children, and multigenerational groups.

Theological Reflection

Theological Reflection includes sermon excerpts and reflection questions, small group ministry plans for people of all ages, and essays on a UU theology of immigration.

Religious Education

Religious Education includes program plans for children, youth, adults and multigenerational groups that explore topics connected with immigration justice and invite people to respond as they are called by Unitarian Universalist values and principles.

Immigration Policy

Immigration Policy includes information about federal and state public policy, legislation, government action concerning immigration,and analysis of migration to the United States.

One of the values that we hold close while making decisions about General Assembly is our commitment to sustainability.  Meetings and Conventions named our General Assembly as a leader in green meetings in an article- “5 Top Organizations for Green Meetings: How five companies have raised the bar for eco-friendly gatherings.”  [we're on page 4] Check it out!

sneak peek: “Going green has never hurt the UUA’s bottom line, Sneegas reports. The only area for which the group has paid extra is in food and beverage — specifically, to use more organic and local foods. In this case, the UUA’s “ethical eating statement of conscience,” which was passed last year, trumps the budget. Sneegas explains, “Our contracts require 20 percent of the foods to be organic and local at no extra cost, but if the vendor can do more, we’ll pay for the difference.”

To see some of the other values that drive our meeting planning work visit our website- Our Values in Practice page.

There will be something for everyone at this GA, no matter where you may be in the spectrum of social justice work, whether you’re just beginning and coming to learn, or whether you’re a seasoned activist – there will be programming and opportunities for you to have meaningful involvement.

There will be community events outside as well as work done indoors. Phoenix will be hot, but the housing is nearby and there are a lot of food options in the convention center, so it will be possible to limit your sun exposure. There will be an exhibit hall, the Justice GA Expo, for which we are still accepting exhibitors. GA programming will be focused on justice issues, including topics such as the spiritual foundations of justice work, the theology of social justice, as well as a more tactical focus on organizing.

Much more information about the upcoming Justice General Assembly is available at www.uua.org/ga.

The Phoenix Convention Center (photo credit: Greater Phonenix CVB)

Attention UUA Member Congregations: Be sure to Certify and Vote before 5 p.m. PST on February 1!

Certification of Membership is an annual process whereby member congregations report statistical information from their previous fiscal year, and a current certified membership number, to the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The certified number of members will be used as the basis for calculating your congregation’s Fair Share contribution to the UUA Annual Program Fund, as well as District dues (FY 2013).  The certified number also determines the number of voting delegates that may represent your congregation at the 2012 General Assembly.  Congregations are required to report this statistic each year before the February 1 deadline as part of the UUA’s Bylaws & Rules (Rule 3.5.1. Required Annual Report).

The votes that GA delegates cast have a huge impact on Unitarian Universalism. They determine our elected leaders, amend the bylaws and rules that govern our Association, and shape the justice work that we do.

Congregations certify online by logging in to the Data Services Login for Congregations.  In addition to providing statistical and financial data, congregations are also asked to the update the congregation’s contact information for the UUA Directory, and to participate in the Congregational Poll.

Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAIs) are issues selected by Unitarian Universalist member congregations for four years of study, reflection and action.  In the third year of this process, delegates at General Assembly can vote to approve a Statement of Conscience (SOC) resulting from congregational feedback on the CSAI.  A fourth year is devoted to implementation.

Five congregations have proposed Congregational Study/Action Issues for 2012-2016.  The Congregational Poll will determine whether any or all of these proposals will be submitted to the delegates of the 2012 General Assembly (GA) for consideration.  Congregations should vote “Yes” for the proposals that the GA delegates should consider for adoption; “No” for proposals they should not; and “Abstain” for proposals about which the congregation does not have an opinion.

Proposed CSAIs for 2012 – 2016

• Climate Action and Adaptation Plans:
• Why Greenhouse Gases and their Effects Matter to Us
• Ending Slavery
• Exploring Class Barriers
• Families, Population, and the Environment
• Reproductive Justice: Expanding Our Social Justice Calling

Maria Hinojosa, award winning broadcast journalist and author, as been selected as the Ware Lecturer for the 2012 Justice GA. She is the anchor and managing editor of NPR’s Latino USA.  In April 2010, Hinojosa launched The Futuro Media Group with the mission to produce multi-platform, community-based journalism that respects and celebrates the cultural richness of the American experience. In addition, Hinojosa is the anchor of the Emmy-award winning talk show Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One from WGBH/La Plaza.

Recently, Hinojosa was a corresponant for a powerful PBS Frontline documentary called Lost in Detention, a comprehensive examination of the detention, deportation and enforcement aspect of the United States’ controversial immigration policy.

 Watch Lost in Detention on PBS.org

From NPR:  Maria Hinojosa has helped tell America’s untold stories and brought to light unsung heroes in America and abroad.

Hinojosa has reported hundreds of important stories—including the immigrant work camps in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, teen girl victims of sexual harassment on the job, and Emmy-award winning stories of the poor in Alabama—previously as a senior correspondent for PBS’Now and currently as a contributing correspondent on PBS’ Need to Know.

Throughout her career Hinojosa has helped define the conversation about our times and our society with one of the most authentic voices in broadcast. As a reporter for NPR, Hinojosa told groundbreaking stories about youth and violence and immigrant communities. During her eight years as a CNN correspondent Hinojosa took viewers into communities that had never been shown on television. Her investigative journalism presses the powerful for the truth while giving voice to lives and stories that illuminate the world we live in.

Hinojosa has won top honors in American journalism including two Emmys, the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Reporting on the Disadvantaged, and the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club for best documentary for her groundbreaking Child Brides: Stolen Lives. In 2009, Hinojosa was honored with an AWRT Gracie Award for Individual Achievement as Best TV Correspondent. Three times over the past decade, Hinojosa has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Latinos in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine. She has received the Ruben Salazar Communications Award from the National Council of La Raza and was inducted into the “She Made It” Hall of Fame at the Paley Center/Museum of Television and Radio in a program that honors women trail blazers in the media.

Hinojosa is author of two books including a motherhood memoir, Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son.

Born in Mexico City, Hinojosa was raised in Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College at Columbia University in New York.

Are you interested in exhibiting at General Assembly? The Unitarian Universalist Association is gearing up for a fresh and exciting Justice GA in Phoenix, Arizona.  It is a GA that will have a focus on education, preparation, faith-based worship, witness and service. You are warmly invited to be a part of it!

The Justice GA Expo at the 51st UUA General Assembly will be an important networking hub for the exchange of information and ideas.  It will feature a wide variety of new and returning exhibitors that reflect the diversity of interests pursued by Unitarian Universalists: Craftspeople, Jewelry Artisans, Social Action Groups, Professional Services, Theological Schools, Educational Resources, UUA Congregations, UUA Organizations, Beacon Press, the UUA Bookstore, as well as partner human rights/service organizations, and vendors of goods whose sale benefits justice causes.  UU and non-UU exhibitors are welcome.

Just by reserving a booth, 2012 GA exhibitors will be making a financial contribution toward justice. For every exhibitor registration we receive, $150 of the booth rental rate will be donated to support justice work.  Exhibitors will also have opportunity to make additional donations for justice.  The GA Planning teams will also engage with exhibitors to identify other ways exhibitors can contribute to immigration, racial and economic justice work.

New This Year:
The GA Planning Committee is exploring opportunities for hands-on service projects that GA attendees can perform from inside the Expo Hall.

On Sunday, June 24 the Justice GA Expo will expand to include some additional local community partners who are engaged in justice work.  The Expo will be open to the public on Sunday.

Our current projected attendance for GA 2012 is 3,500.  Estimates become more accurate after registration opens in March.

More information about Exhibiting

Reserve Space in Exhibit hall

Program Ad information

As always- go to http://www.uua.org/ga/ for the most current information about GA.  Thank you!

Program proposals for the 2012 General Assembly, a Justice GA, will now be accepted until Wednesday, November 30.

Proposals submitted will be reviewed by the GA Program Development Group (PDG), a diverse team of Unitarian Universalist Association staff and members of the GA Panning Committee. For GA 2012, a Justice GA, the PDG will also include representatives from the Arizona Immigration Ministry (AZIM) and the GA 2012 Accountability Group.

The Program Development Group is charged with identifying excellent General Assembly programming – education and preparation that will build the capacity of Unitarian Universalists to stand in opposition to systemic racism and to witness on immigration, racial and economic justice. The PDG will review all submitted proposals and will select approximately 100 proposed events for inclusion on the General Assembly schedule.

To merit consideration, proposals submitted for the 2012 GA should be related to the issues of migration and borders, and/or racial and economic justice. Workshops and other events that serve to educate and prepare attendees to publicly witness and to perform service, both in Arizona and at home, are especially sought. Every proposal need not be about immigration; however, a reasonable person must be able to draw a clear connection between the proposed topic(s) and the issue of Justice. For example, a program on water scarcity would be considered, as its relationship to immigration and economic justice is easily demonstrated.

All proposals must be submitted by Wednesday, November 30.  Though the Program Proposal Form is short, it still requires the clear description of a fully designed 75-minute event (workshop, worship, etc.). Proposers must assume the participation of people of all abilities and of all generations in all General Assembly activities.

GA 2012 Program Proposal Form

Check out this very short web form and fill it out if you’re interested in sharing your thoughts about the 2012 Justice GA.  You can also sign up to be on an email list to receive planning updates on the same form.

All input collected here will be compiled and shared with GA planners and stakeholders. Beginning in September, detailed plans for programming and witness, as well as arrangements for accessibility, registration, housing, etc. will start to come together. If you provide your email, we will send you updates as more information becomes available. We hope you are excited and ready to participate.

Please fill out this form if you have suggestions for GA 2012, if you have skills/expertise to help with GA 2012, and/or if you would like to receive email updates about the planning of GA 2012.

If you participated in GA 2011, your feedback is extremely important to us! Please take a few minutes and complete the online feedback survey. Your responses and comments will be carefully reviewed and considered this summer by the GA Planning Committee.

This General Assembly Blog will be quiet during GA.   However, there is  a lot of blogging to be done!  Be sure to follow the UU World’s Live GA Blogging.   For more information on live web coverage, click here!