UU Justice NC's Annual Gathering 

Sunday October 24th from 4:00 - 6:00

Mark your calendars for UU Justice NC's Annual Gathering on Sunday, October 24th from 4:00 - 6:00pm on Zoom.

This year's theme is "The Power of Story." In addition to celebrating our work in 2021, we'll also reflect on the history of our young organization and the part we each play in the unfolding story of UU Justice NC.

We are thrilled that this year's keynote speaker will be Susan Leslie, Coalitions & Partnerships Organizer with the UUA's Side with Love Organizing and Strategy Team! Susan will be reflecting on her 30-year career working for justice at the UUA and the evolution of our denomination's justice work since the early 90s. You can Register Here! 

Special Friday Action Hour

Faiths for Climate Justice Global Event

This Friday October 15th at 11:00am join us for a special Friday Action Hour in partnership with our friends at Green Faith as part of their Faiths for Climate Justice Global Days of Action. We will call on President Biden to halt permits for fossil fuel infrastructure and call Governor Cooper about HB951 and his recent agreement with Duke Energy.

You can join via this zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/91029655107

And join us every Friday at 11:00 for our Weekly Friday Action Hour. We've been going strong for 74 straight Fridays! We recap the past week and then take action on the issues impacting our state and country. And of course, there is always good music to help us feel the justice movement in our bones! Join us via this Zoom link. And if you can't make it on Fridays, you can still take action at any time - just check our our Weekly action list. 

Lisa "LA" Jones joins the

UU Justice NC Team

as Minister-in-Training Volunteer!

We are thrilled to welcome Lisa A. "LA" Jones to the UU Justice NC Team as a Minister-in-Training Volunteer! This role is a part of her Masters of Divinity program at Meadville Lombard Theological School.

Lisa is a NC native and retiree of the federal prison system. She spent 30 years in corrections, rising to the position of Warden. In 2018, she and her wife Ann moved to Durham and joined ​​​​​​the Eno River UU Fellowship. In the community, Lisa now works as a freelance justice advocate and advisor (focusing on uniting criminal and social justice). She serves as a member of the Durham Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board, and is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Southern Coalition of Social Justice. 

Welcome Lisa! 

Story of the Month 

1898 Wilmington Coup d’Etat

Social Justice Pilgrimage 

by Marla Barthen, UU Congregation of Wilmington

On November 10^th, 1898 black Wilmintonians were massacred and driven from their homes in the country’s only successful coup d’état. The newly elected black leaders were targeted by white supremacists along with the black owner/editor of the Daily Record newspaper. The group known as the red shirts scoured the streets lynching citizens.

This history was largely unknown until the last decade or so, untaught, unacknowledged, unreconciled. Most recently with the success of fellow Unitarian Universalist, David Zucchino’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, Wilmington’s Lie and the national spotlight comparison to the attempted coup on the Capitol in January 2021, we have seen an increased interest in learning our city’s history. As such, we're excited to invite fellow UUs from around NC to make a “Social Justice Pilgrimage" to our city.

Our main week of observance is the week of November 6-13^th. Due to Covid restrictions, we are not meeting for in-person services at this time. We were really looking forward to hosting pilgrims, and are discerning how to safely fellowship together. If you plan a trip here, please feel free to reach out to me (Marlacrisp@yahoo.com) or UUSJMWNC co-lead, Peter Rawitsch (Rawitschp@mac.com).

There are many opportunities, exhibits, historical sites to visit year-round here and you are always welcome to visit us at UU Congregation of Wilmington NC.

Calendar of Events

• Nov 6^th, 2:00 - 4:00pm Community Remembrance Project/ Ceremony for those who died on November 10th, 1898. - Event Link
• Nov 9^th Red Cape screening @ Cape Fear Museum, sponsored by the National Black Leadership Caucus New Hanover County Chapter Event Link
• Nov 10^th Rev. Kirk State Marker Ceremony, @ corner of 3^rd and Red Cross St. - Noon
• Nov 13^th-14^th “Boundless” United States Colored Troops (USCT) Public Sculpture Unveiling events - Event Link

Resources

• Book a tour - https://www.wilmingtoncolor.com/
• UNCW Restorative Justice Collaborative 1898 overview - Link
• 1897 Black on Black Project - Link
• 1898 Wilmington Coup d’Etat and Massacre: the History and Continuum of Change. By League of Women Voters of the Lower Cape Fear - Youtube Video 

Upcoming Events 

NC Poor People's Campaign & NC NAACP Freedom Fridays! Join the next vigil this Friday Oct 15th at 5:00PM at 200 North Blount Street in Raleigh to demand a full pardon for Dontae Sharpe and 3 other African American men. The Vigil will also be live-streamed on the NCPPC's Facebook Page 

Rally to Prioritize People! This Saturday, October 16 at noon in Raleigh! Come show your support of a budget that works for ALL of us and complies with the NC Constitution. This includes Medicaid Expansion and full funding of the Leandro Plan! Sponsored by Every Child NC, Down Home NC and the People's Budget Coalition! See more info here! 

Prayer Vigil for Education Monday, October 18th at 10am at Raleigh's Bicentennial Plaza (16 W. Jones Street). People across the state will come together to call on the state legislature to do right by NC's 1.4 million children and fully comply with the court-ordered Leandro Plan. Event organized by Pastors for NC Children. Register here. 

A Conversation on Policing and Racial Equity in our Criminal Justice System - November 9 from 7:00-8:30 p.m on Zoom. Hosted by the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship in Morehead City. The event will include a viewing of the short documentary, Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem, followed by a Q&A with Lisa A. “L.A.” Jones, a retired Warden of the Federal Prison System. The documentary covers the racial inequality inherent in our criminal justice system, stretching back to post-reconstruction. Click here to register.

SAVE THE DATE! Rev. Fred Small is coming to North Carolina to present a Climate Justice Workshop on Saturday, April 9th at the UU Fellowship of Hendersonville. Named one of the top 15 Green Religious Leaders in the world, Rev. Small serves as the Policy Director at Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light and the Minister for Climate Justice at Arlington St. Church in Boston. For more information, contact Kitten Bulen at buckeyebobbulen@bellsouth.net