Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

Garden State Equality Transgender Awareness Week
2024-11-13 - 2024-11-23
Trans Awareness Week is a week of advocacy and education observed annually in the week leading up to Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20, which memorializes trans people who have lost their lives to violence. This year, Garden State Equality is commemorating Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Remembrance with a series of events.
gardenstateequality.org/events/trans-awareness-week-2024
Monday, November 18

Rooted in Resilience: A TGD+ Mental Health Webinar by Us & for Us

6-7:30 pm
Online
Discuss lived experiences, self-advocacy strategies, and advice for finding affirming mental health providers with other trans and gender diverse people.

Learn More and RSVP

Wednesday, November 20

Trans Day of Remembrance Community Art Night

7-9 pm
Garden State Equality Office
1408 Main St., Asbury Park, NJ 07712
A low-key painting class that will allow us to bring beauty into the world while we hold space for our collective grief.

Learn More and RSVP

Wednesday, November 20

Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil

7 pm
Blackbird Commons
131 Atkins Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Vigil with guest speakers and music honoring those we’ve lost in the past year.

Learn More and RSVP

Saturday, November 23

MASCARA XVI: Lessons in Light

12-5 pm
Paul Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers University—Newark
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102
A day of community wellness, MASCARA XVI is themed “Lessons in Light” — a day of shared grieving, healing, resilience, and education for transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse people and their allies.

Learn More and RSVP

Homeward Healing: Advocating for Yourself During the Holidays
2024-11-14 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | https://secure.everyaction.com/aibSAtBbbEmdxdNEXsz4Dw2
Homeward Healing: Advocating for Yourself During the Holidays
A trauma-informed webinar geared towards folks in early adulthood and early transition on how to navigate possibly complex interpersonal dynamics.

Garden State Equality: Name Change Clinic
2024-11-15 14:00 - 18:00 | Rutgers Law School Room 070, 123 Washington St, Newark, United States
2-6 pm
Rutgers Law School, Room 070
123 Washington St., Newark, NJ 07102
Rutgers Law students will assist adult residents of New Jersey with questions about the process of legally changing their name, including drafting name change petitions, changing identity documents, and what to expect in the courtroom.

Garden State Equality: Name Change Info Sessions
2024-11-16 14:00 - 15:00 | https://secure.everyaction.com/SNrruaMg0kqDw2CRsVYUPw2
Name Change Information Session with William Chanes Martinez, Esq.
2-3 pm
Online
Learn about the process of legally changing your name and gender marker in New Jersey.

Rooted in Resilience: A TGD+Mental Health Webinar
2024-11-18 18:00 - 19:30 | https://secure.everyaction.com/-8Lgw-vHl0eIk2spKJFkqw2

Criminal Justice Reform Monthly Conference Call
2024-11-18 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-12-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on the third Monday of the month from 7–8 PM for our UU statewide Criminal Justice Reform call, where we strategize around issues like racial justice, mass incarceration, prison conditions and more.
For the Zoom or phone dial-up information to join the call, and/or to get on the email list for upcoming meetings and events, please contact admin@uufaithaction.org.

NJ Abolition Workshop
2024-11-19 18:00 - 20:00 | The HUUB, 35 & 47 Cleveland St, Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Event info and registration at https://isyourlifebetter.net/nj-abolition-workshops/

All workshop sessions will be free for participants. We will only request that everyone who attends, come with both the intention to learn and the willingness to share with others. The greater goal for this program is to promote an “Each One Teach One” strategy. We hope attendees will bring the knowledge they gain from the workshops back to their organizations and communities. Workshops will meet on the 3rd Tuesday of odd numbered months, and the 4th Tuesday of even numbered months.
Please direct all questions and inquiries to: isyourlifebetter@gmail.com.
Space for the in-person participation is very limited, but we encourage all who can attend in person to do so! We are asking that potential participants register in advance, being sure to register for either the virtual option OR the in-person option. Both links can be found below.
To register to join workshops in person, please register with this form: https://forms.gle/WxvFjbVn4vpJi5vh9
To register to join workshops virtually, please register with this form: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscOquqzwiG9xWXMFD-CgLLCJbWaCwx8KR
NJ Abolition Workshop details
Dates – 3rd Tuesday (odd months) and 4th Tuesday (even months)

January 16 (Abolition 101 – an introduction)
February 27 (Cop Cities and the Police State)
March 19
April 23
May 21
June 25
July 16
August 27
September 17
October 22
November 19
December TBD

List of additional possible topics (in no particular order):

Climate and Environmental effects
Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex
Copaganda and Media Complicity
Mental Health
Gentrification/Displacement
Policing Common Areas
School to Prison pipeline
The role of child/family services in the carceral state
“Crime” and creating criminals
Post incarceration

A Powerful Youth Justice Talk on Solitary Confinement | The Unlocking
2024-11-19 20:00
New Jersey Prison Justice Watch, the virtual premiere of The Unlocking is coming up next week on November 19th and we don’t want you to miss it.
The Unlocking is a raw, unfiltered, virtual event hosted by Unlock the Box Campaign and No Kids in Prison to shine a spotlight on the unique challenges children face in the criminal legal system — straight from the mouths of directly impacted kids. These voices need to be heard now more than ever. If you’re looking for a place to find community in these dark times, we hope you’ll join us.

You’ll witness an unfiltered conversation between these remarkable individuals about experiences in the criminal legal system and reflections on systemic failures like solitary confinement. There will also be a number of striking artistic performances throughout to guide the discussion and enhance our understanding of this complex and troubling topic.

Environmental Justice Task Force monthly call
2024-11-20 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-12-05 12:00 - 13:30, 2024-12-18 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Monthly Environmental Justice Task Force meeting to discuss current issues, updates and strategies

Would you like to join in the conversation, find out what’s going on *now* in New Jersey around environmental justice? Then join our statewide call held the 1st Thursday of every month at 12 noon sharp. All are invited.
For more info and to join the call, contact Environmental Justice Task Force co-chairs, Peggy Middaugh and Ray Nichols (environment@uufaithaction.org), or administrator Emily Parker (admin@uufaithaction.org).
Call hosted by Environmental Justice Task Force co-chairs, Peggy Middaugh (UU Congregation of Ocean County) and Ray Nichols (UU in Princeton Congregation).

Transgender Day of Remembrance Interfaith Service
2024-11-20 19:00 | Montclair Quaker Meeting, 289 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, 07043
All are welcome to join in this observance of remembrance, mourning, and affirmation. Sponsored by the Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association, this service will be held at Montclair Friends Meeting, 289 Park Street, Montclair, NJ on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 7:00 PM.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. With this service we raise public awareness, mourn and honor the lives of our transgender and gender non-conforming kin and we express love and respect in the face of national indifference and hatred.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgenderwoman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Questions can be directed to Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael at revanya@uumontclair.org.

Garden State Equality: Trans Day of Remembrance Community Art Night
2024-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Garden State Equality office, 1408 Main St. NJ 07712, Asbury Park, 07712, United States
A low-key painting class that will allow us to bring beauty into the world while we hold space for our collective grief.

Garden State Equality: MASCARA XVI: Lessons in Light
2024-11-23 12:00 - 17:00 | Paul Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers – Newark, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 07102, Newark, 07102, United States

Film Screening: This Time
2024-11-23 18:00 | Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, 07960
When a closeted teen inherits her deceased father’s journal, she discovers cryptic clues uncovering his secret life; now to fulfill his dying wish, she must blackmail an alcoholic hearse driver to race her cross-country to attempt a long shot rendezvous with her father’s friend, Liza Minnelli.

Reproductive Justice Task Force Monthly Call
2024-11-25 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-12-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The monthly conference call to update and strategize around reproductive justice and rights in New Jersey. Join us monthly on the fourth Monday, 7-8 PM.
For Zoom invitation and agenda, please email reprojustice@uufaithaction.org attn. Carol Loscalzo, Task Force Chair.
Carol A. Loscalzo (The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood) is Task Force Chair. For more information on reproductive justice, please email reprojustice@uufaithaction.org attn. Carol Loscalzo.
For general inquiries about our Task Forces, email admin@uufaithaction.org.

UPLIFT Trans/Non-Binary Gathering
2024-11-26 20:00 - 21:00, 2024-12-24 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Register to Attend
UPLIFT Gatherings
Fourth Tuesdays September-June
1.5 hours starting at 8 Eastern Time/7 Central Time/6 Mountain Time/5 Pacific Time
Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs and friends of UUism. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. All you need to bring is yourself (and other trans/nonbinary friends, if you’d like)! Non-UUs are welcome if they are OK with being in a UU-focused community (we won’t proselytize). If you are interested in this space, and you aren’t (entirely or at all) cisgender, it’s a space for you.
What do we do during the gatherings? They are a cozy community space where we connect with each other with games and breakout groups, share ideas and stories on all kinds of topics, listen to music and poetry (often by trans/nonbinary+ creators), and much more!
This is a drop-in space, where folks can come and go as works best for them, and where people can join us at any time. You can be a regular or someone new, someone who’s been curious for a while but hasn’t yet checked us out, somebody who is rejoining after time away, and all other ways of relating to this space! You are welcome here, and you are loved.
Check out our covenant if you’re wondering more about how we are in community together.
All-Ages Community
This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. We’re glad to have you here!
Accessibility Information
Closed captioning will be available, and any common chat content will also be spoken aloud. Please be mindful of processing and communication access, and speak one at a time. The meeting will not be recorded, and participation, as well as what is shared, will be confidential. There is no requirement to appear on video or to otherwise maintain “conventional” appearances. Any additional accessibility needs? Let us know by emailing lgbtq@uua.org or aballou@uua.org! We’ll do our best to ensure you can fully access the space.
Registration
To attend the next gathering and join the community, REGISTER TODAY.

Rev. Charles Loflin Guest Pulpit at CUUC
2024-12-01 10:00 - 12:00 | 205 Kinderkamack Rd, Westwood, NJ, 07675

Activist Training Program
2024-12-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
The League of Women Voters of New Jersey is excited to share the upcoming Activist Training Program fall schedule with you!

Rapid Response & Grassroots Mobilization | 12/4/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP

You can find more information about each course and register to attend at lwvnj.org/training.

First Friday Action Hour
2024-12-06 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
“First Friday Action Hour” — The 1st Friday of every month!
Join us at 12 noon, on Zoom, to TAKE ACTION together!
➱➱ bit.ly/1st-fridays

Join us on Zoom!
Topic: First Friday Action Hour
Every month on the First Friday, 12 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94313960594?pwd=OTFDdUdocmY1ckZNZFRyemp6V2NiZz09
Meeting ID: 943 1396 0594
Passcode: 562154
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Dial by your location
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At our 2023 Fall Issues Conference, we officially announced the launch of a new initiative for UU FaithAction NJ—First Fridays Action Hour! Our Action Hour is inspired by and modeled after the successful program of our sibling state action network, UU Justice North Carolina.
Here’s how it will work: UU FaithAction NJ will host a one-hour Zoom meeting on the First Friday of every month, at 12 noon. During that time, we take action together, in real-time! For those who cannot join us at 12pm on Friday, we provide a Google Doc with all necessary instructions.
An action could be almost anything, like making a phone call to key legislators to express your support for a bill. In that example, we’d briefly outline the talking points, provide you with a sample script and then the phone number of the legislators to call. And you’d make the call right there—in real time. Or, maybe the action is writing a letter to the editor about a justice issue. Again, we’d provide the key talking points, some sample language and the contact information and during that zoom meeting, we’d collectively write our letters. Another possibility for an action is that we invite a key coalition partner to guide us in taking an action. The possibilities are almost limitless.
You don’t have to prepare. You don’t have to commit to coming to every single First Friday. This is not a committee, nor a commitment—it is a come-as-you-are-able opportunity!
Can’t join us on a particular Friday, or maybe noon is just never gonna work for your schedule? No problem! The Google Doc will have all the information you need so that you can take the action at a time convenient for you. Not only that— we hope you will share the action with your congregation or community, and our one little pebble can start to produce ripples.

Culture Con!
2024-12-06 17:00 - 2024-12-08 09:00 | UU Shelter Rock, 48 Shelter Rock Rd, Manhasset, 11030, United States
We are so excited to announce the 2024 Senior Youth Conference “Culture Con” scheduled for December 6th – 8th in the Veatch House at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock!
uucsr.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2576494
Youth conferences are two-night overnight events that include all high schoolers from UU congregations in the surrounding area. The activities at the Con will include discussion-based programming, sports, art, and general fun and silliness. Cons are run by the youth and for the youth with adult supervision, but the youth are the central focus in decision-making, planning, and leading.
Culture Con will be a celebration of the UU value of Pluralism, where we honor that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience, and theology! Come to Culture Con excited and ready to express whatever it is you are passionate about! Attendees are encouraged to dress up in costume related to any culturally-relevant phenomena they would like to!
The Registrar for this event is Jamie Walowitz, who can be reached at jwalowitz@uucsr.org or 516-472-2943
Beginning and Ending times:

Event begins on December 6th at 5pm
Event ends on December 8th at 9am

Event Location:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock
48 Shelter Rock Road
Manhasset, New York 11030
YOUTH REGISTRATION (3 Forms):

Registration Form: https://forms.gle/4nrASEqsKg7C1WeR7
Parent Permission Form: https://forms.gle/qsi7Qz4cbD6ydSRK6
Youth Event Covenant: https://forms.gle/fsiEmHZg1SjR3aJR7

ADULT REGISTRATION (2 Forms):

Registration Form: https://forms.gle/c17Tw8XmUgxd3wRQA
Congregation Approval Form (A staff member from the adult sponsor/advisor/attendee’s congregation must fill out the form below to indicate their approval of the adult individual that is registering as a youth con sponsor/advisor or adult attendee of youth programming): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjUnGnJR5gjxOqpyOhru2b7gu_MiLCiYBYA8MkoaakDFpOwA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Queer Holiday Makers Market
2024-12-07 13:00 - 17:00 | Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, 07960
The Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, a progressive spiritual community, is looking for creative members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community to vend at their First Annual Queer Holiday Maker’s Market on December 7th from 1-5 pm. We want to create a safe space to highlight the creative talents of the Queer Community. We are looking for folks to sell their handmade creations. We have space for 40 vendors and expect 200-300 people. Each 6’ ft table is $25 for the 4 hours. Proceeds benefit the work of the Fellowship to create a welcome and inclusive community and will be shared with Edge NJ. We will also collect scarves, beanies, gloves, socks, ear warmers, and sweaters/cardigans to be donated to Knit the Rainbow. If you are interested in vending, please fill out this application.

Humanitas - The Africana Ethical Society Program
2024-12-14 15:00 | Online
Remembering the Ancestors: Music selection
Synopsis of Previous Meeting: Zay
Reading Corner: Book: Decolonizing African Religions: A Short History of African Religions in Western Scholarship by Okot p’Bitek
Presentation: Civic Engagement 2.0: The Rise of a Troublemaking Generation in Francophone West Africa.
Presenter: Professor Soumy Guirou
The presentation will examine key movements from the early 2010s in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, emphasizing the rise of politically oriented youth organizations focused on good governance and social justice through de-territorialized practices.
General Discussion: We welcome the exchange of ideas. Your presence, thoughts, and perspectives are of the utmost importance.
Charge: If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are people who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters.
This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will. —Frederick Douglass
Music Selection:
Harambee:
The most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressors is the mind of the oppressed—S. Biko.
The problem of holding the [African, Black person] down, therefore, is easily solved. When you control a man[woman’s] thinking you do not have to worry about his/[her] actions. You do not have to tell him[her] not to stand here or go yonder. He[she] will find his[her] “proper place” and will stay in it…The same educational process which inspires and stimulates the oppressor with the thought that he[she] is everything and has accomplished everything worthwhile, depresses and crushes at the same time the spark of genius in the [African, Black person] by making him[her] feel that his[her] race does not amount to much and never will measure up to the standards of other peoples. Carter G. Woodson
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children—N. Mandela
I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than affirm. —Septima Poinsette Clark
Scholarship—the formal production, identification, and organization of what we call “knowledge”—is inevitably political—Kimberly Crenshaw

HUMANITAS: The Africana Ethical Society is a naturalistic organization committed to deconstructing metaphysical and pseudo-scientific misconceptions regarding the human experience and affirming that humanistic ethical values can be found in Africana traditions and the struggles of Africana peoples.

J Everet Green is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
everet@verizon.net
Topic: Civic Engagement 2.0: The Rise of a Troublemaking Generation in Francophone West Africa
Time: Dec 14, 2024 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mercy.zoom.us/j/96084713875?pwd=aZzbKDbPCuz82jyarMzT8LcHr3yBZA.1
Meeting ID: 960 8471 3875
Passcode: 183593

Second Chances Press Conference
2024-12-19 09:30 - 10:30 | P1 Lobby, Hughes Justice Complex, 25 Market St, Trenton, NJ, 08611
On Thursday, December 19, criminal justice advocates are holding a press conference at the Hughes Justice Complex in support of second chance sentencing reform for incarcerated senior citizens. The event will feature statements from formerly incarcerated citizens, faith leaders, legislative sponsors, the Office of the Public Defender, and the Department of Corrections.
The press conference on December 19 is scheduled to begin at 9:30am in the P1 Lobby of the Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton. It is open to all members of the press and the public.
Advocates and policymakers will uplift the policy recommendations of the recent report from the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission. In particular, the press conference will highlight the recommendation for resentencing and early release opportunities for incarcerated persons who are at least 60 years old and have spent more than 20 years in prison.

Questions? Contact: Rev. Amos Caley, Organizer, 260-224-0376, contact@secondlooknj.org

Strengthening Rights in Healthcare, Immigration, Environment & Law
2024-12-19 18:00
State of Protection: Strengthening Rights in Healthcare, Immigration, Environment & Law

Dear friend,

New Jersey has always been a leader in advancing policies that prioritize fairness, equity, and the well-being of our communities. However, as we face shifting federal priorities and new challenges, we must work together to ensure our state’s protections remain strong, resilient, and inclusive for everyone.

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, I’m hosting a special event, State of Protection: Strengthening Rights in Immigration, Healthcare, Environment, and Law, and I’d love for you to join me.

I’ll be moderating a panel discussion with some of New Jersey’s top leaders:

Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the ACLU-NJ
Professor Heather Howard from Princeton University
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin

We’ll explore the steps New Jersey has taken to safeguard critical rights and services and discuss what more needs to be done.

Event Details:

When: Thursday, December 19, 2024, 6:00 PM
Where: Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, NJ (Livestream available here)
Cost: Free and open to the public
Registration: Required, please visit andrewzwicker.com/state-of-protection-panel

This isn’t just a conversation for policymakers—it’s a conversation for everyone who cares about keeping New Jersey a beacon of progress and protection. Whether you’re an advocate, a community leader, or simply a concerned resident, your presence is essential as we navigate the path forward.

I hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a meaningful and thought-provoking evening. Together, let’s work to ensure New Jersey remains a place of fairness, opportunity, and hope for generations to come.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Andrew Zwicker
State Senator, District 16

The Longest Night
2024-12-19 20:00 | https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5_cDsuQVtRI1KMcpsLCeCAxXW2cEDegY7B7m1xS9YRrZ-UQ/viewform
The longest night of the year is a time we drop into stillness, honor the dark, release the pain and struggle of life. We also embrace the light of strength and courage.
This year, UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) partners with the UU Service Committee (UUSC) and UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) to bring you worship, artistic expression, and stories from partners in Kiribati where climate justice is culture justice and disability justice.
Our guest speaker is Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, UUSC Board of Trustees Co-Chair and Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
During the service, we will collect an offering which will be shared between UU Ministry for Earth and UUSC’s partner Te Toa Matoa in Kiribati.
You can donate then (or now) by noting “Winter Solstice” in the memo line.
Register for the worship service.
For the interactive part of the service, bring with you:
Paper (blank, any size)
Pencils and erasers
Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
Optional: Gel pens, paint, or other art materials for added detail
Thanks to the Side With Love’s Climate Justice Campaign for financial support of this event.
