We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all and respect the interdependence of all creation. We seek to build partnerships with other groups and extend bridges across barriers of race, class, sexuality and gender, ability and generations.
This site provides information about organizations, events, and activities that promote social justice.
November Cash in the Plate
The Cash in the Plate for November will be donated to the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe Fund (non-profit) to acquire 38 acres of their ancestral land on Triangle Pond in Plymouth. https://www.herringpondtribe.org/
Big Turnout for Last Saturday Morning’s Vigil
Thanks to Bill and Suzi Howe for creating some beautiful new signs. Sandy Smiley suggests people consider whether they could commit to a half hour a month (Saturday 11:30-12:00). If a few more people could do that, we would always have enough folks to make a good showing.
UU Middleboro Sends Over 2,000 Postcards, Letters Urging Reluctant Voters to Vote
Kudos to Lois Aldrich who organized this effort, and to the many members and friends of the congregation who participated. The messages were non-partisan and went to registered voters in Pennsylvania and Florida who had a sketchy record of actually voting. (Whether you vote is public record. How you vote is private.)
Underground Before the Railway: Escaping Slavery, Claiming Liberty
Emma’s Revolution: The Moving Forward Concert
Current SJ Posts
Official Platforms of the 2 Major Parties
Last week we brought you information on Project 2025 (900 pages). This week we bring you the official platforms of the two major parties. Democratic Party Platform (49 pages): https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FINAL-MASTER-PLATFORM.pdf Republican Party Platform (3 pages): https://gop.com/press-release/icymi-rnc-platform-committee-adopts-2024-republican-party-platform/
Holocaust Remembrance Display in Parish Hall
This display of large posters was created for Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2024, and is on loan from Bridgewater State University. It will be in the Parish Hall from Sunday, October 13, (Yom Kippur) through Sunday, October 20. We chose posters that best illustrate the warning signs of fascistic thinking. Thank you,…
Moms for Liberty Seek to Erase Trans Kids
Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition (MTPC) writes that 30 schools in Massachusetts have been included in a lawsuit filed by Moms for Liberty seeking to erase the rights and existence of transgender and nonbinary youth in schools. The lawsuit has halted implementation of new Title IX rules that would protect trans, nonbinary, and LGBQ youth and…
How Would Project 2025 Affect You?
Project 2025, or Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, is a 900 page detailed policy statement, spearheaded by The Heritage Foundation, designed to prepare for a conservative presidential administration in 2025. It is overwhelming to read and chilling to contemplate. But this is no time to put your head in the sand. You need to…
Get Out the Vote Standouts in Bridgewater with BCCR
Wednesdays: October 9,16, 23, 30 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Stand-out in Bridgewater Center, on the sidewalk in front of Walgreens, with BCCR (Bridgewater Communities for Civil RIghts). No signs for candidates please. (Issues are fine.) BCCR will probably have some extra signs with a generic GOTV message.
Social Justice in October
ROTARIANS, VETERANS AGENT, AND CONGREGATION DEDICATE NEW PEACE POLEMembers of the congregation gathered around the new Peace Pole on the church lawn early Sunday afternoon, September 15, with district and local Rotary Club officers and the Middleboro Veterans Agent, to dedicate the pole to the cause of peace. The Rotary Club graciously donated and installed the…
October Cash in the Plate
The Cash in the Plate for the first two weeks in October will be donated to the Salvation Army for Hurricane Helene Relief. The Cash in the Plate for the last two weeks of October will be donated to the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center (SSRAC). October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Upcoming SJ Events
More about Social Justice at UU Middleboro
The mission of the Social Justice Team of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Middleborough is to help the congregation take actions that create positive change in people, in our communities and in the world. Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal theology of engagement. We covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all people and to promote respect for the interdependent web of creation of which we are a part. We draw inspiration and truth from experiencing each other and the world around us. We witness both the beauty and brokenness of our world, and we choose to do social justice work to recognize the beauty and to address the brokenness.
We seek to explore and address issues of systemic privilege and oppression. We look to build partnerships with other faiths and secular groups, to build bridges across barriers of race, class, sexuality and gender, abilities and the generations. We look to strengthen coalitions for justice by working as accountable partners in local projects. Projects may include education, raising awareness about justice issues, advocacy, public witnessing and service. Accountability includes a willingness to take on supportive roles and receive leadership from marginalized groups.
How our work is done is as important as the end goal of promoting justice. We work to stay conscious of the ways that race, class and other privileges advantage one group while simultaneously disadvantaging others. We also strive to be aware that the benefits the privileged receive operate to perpetuate the status quo. If the justice work we do helps build community – rather than create division – we will move ourselves, our communities and the goals of justice forward.
Our Current Projects
The Team brings news and information to the congregation about social justice events and activities being held in our community, offers training and runs events that are of major interest to church members, and actively supports several local organizations including Bridgewater Committee for Civil Rights (BCCR). The Brockton Chapter of the NAACP, the Matthew Mission Food Pantry, and Sustainable Middleboro.
Our Social Justice Team
Team members are Lois Aldrich, Dody Adkins-Perry, Deanne Bonnar, Bill Howe, and Christine Hoyle. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact a member of the team or write to sjt@UUmiddleboro.org.