Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

UUFANJ Board Meeting
2022-05-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2022-05-10 19:30 - 21:30, 2022-04-14 18:30 - 20:30, 2022-04-12 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Members/supporters of UU FaithAction NJ are welcome to attend our monthly all-volunteer Board meetings. To access online meetings (all meetings from March 2020 onward will be conducted online) via the Zoom conferencing platform, please contact Board President Mia Morse, at mia.morse19@gmail.com, or board member Nick Lewis, at ozballnick@gmail.com, and request the Zoom login code. You must give at least 48 hours notice to request the code to allow our volunteer board members enough time to reply.
In the event you do not hear back with 48 hours notice, please contact Executive Director Charles Loflin, at execdir@uufaithaction.org or at (908) 376-6535.
As per our bylaws, the board leadership reserves the right to call an executive session of the board to discuss matters not appropriate for a more public conversation.

Common Read: "The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome" by Alondra Nelson
2022-05-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-04-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-04-06 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-03-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Registration is now open for for the six session common read of The Social Life of DNA, sponsored by the UUFANJ Reparations Task Force. Sessions will be conducted over Zoom on Feb 23, March 9, March 23, April 6, April 27, and May 11 from 7:00-8:30pm.
The common read curriculum is prepared with leadership by Dionne Ford, author, and Dr. Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad, Reparations Task Force Co-Chair.
Sign up!
Course outline:
Feb. 23, Preface and Introduction (29 pps)
March 9, Chapters 1 & 2: Reconciliation Projects & Ground Work (24pps)
March 23, Chapter 3 & 4: Game Changer & The Pursuit of African Ancestry (41 pps)
April 6, Chapters 5 & 6: Roots Revelations & 6 Acts of Reparation (27 pps)
April 27, Chapter 7 The Rosa Parks of the Reparations Litigation Movement (20 pps)
May 11, Chapter 8 & 9: DNA Diasporas & Racial Politics After the Genome (26 pps)
About The Social Life of DNA
In The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, Alondra Nelson details how DNA testing is being used to grapple with the unfinished business of slavery: “to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations.” In her deep dive into the intersection of genetic ancestry and racial politics, Nelson gives an overview of US reparations projects over the past century including one in our backyard – the African Burial Ground in New York City. Now a national monument and the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans, the African Burial Ground was a major factor in the development of consumer DNA testing, a multi-billion dollar industry.
Teaming up with Source of Knowledge
UU FaithAction NJ is working with Source of Knowledge—a Newark-based bookstore and community center that centers Black art, Black literature, culture, and community—to stock copies of The Social Life of DNA for our members. Price is $20, plus $4 shipping if you do not pick up at their shop in Newark. Please indicate your intention to purchase from Source of Knowledge; copies have been ordered, and we will contact our members as soon as they are available.
Alternatively, paperback copies are available from Beacon Press ($20), and E-Book copies are available from Bookshop.org ($10).

Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America
2022-05-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Reproductive Justice Team of The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood presents a book discussion with author Lauren Rankin:
BODIES ON THE LINE

At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America

Wednesday evening, May 11, 2022
At 7pm on Zoom*

*RSVP required:
Carol Loscalzo closcalzo@aol.com
Regina Branca rghb65@gmail.com

Lauren Rankin is a writer, speaker, and activist. Her work has been featured at the Washington Post, The Cut, Fast Company, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, NBC News, Refinery29, Rolling Stone, and many more. Her debut book, Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America, out on April 5, 2022, is available for pre-order now. She served as a volunteer clinic escort at a New Jersey abortion clinic from 2014-2020, and is a board member of A is For, a reproductive rights advocacy organization.

Ocean County Environmental Justice Community Engagement Session
2022-05-11 18:00 - 19:30 | Second Baptist Church of Toms River, 2 First Street, South Toms River, 08753
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is pleased to invite Ocean County residents to attend a community engagement session regarding Environmental Justice with DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia.
In-Person and Virtual Options Available
Date and Time: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Second Baptist Church of Toms River, 2 First Street, South Toms River, New Jersey, 08753
Livestream: via Zoom. Click here to register.
In-person attendees will be required to wear masks.
This session is sponsored by the Toms River Area branch of the NAACP.
The community engagement session will provide residents, community groups, and other members of the public a chance to meet Commissioner LaTourette and Regional Administrator Garcia and discuss environmental justice issues in Ocean County. The Commissioner will also provide the community with an update on the Department’s efforts to advance the mission of environmental justice for New Jersey’s overburdened communities.
This community engagement session is part of the Administration’s commitment to promoting environmental justice in New Jersey to ensure that all state residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or income are able to live, learn, work, and recreate in a healthy and clean environment and to have equal access to green space, clean energy resources, and other environmental benefits.

Coalition of UU Social Action Networks (CUUSAN) monthly conference call
2022-05-11 08:00 - 09:00, 2022-04-13 08:00 - 09:00
Rev. Rob Gregson joins other paid and volunteer staff on this monthly networking call. CUUSAN is the national organization that coordinates state-level UU social justice witness in 25 states across the U.S. If interested in joining the discussion, please reach out to Rev. Gregson at execdir@uufaithaction.org

NJ Communities on Accountable Policing
2022-05-09 18:00 - 19:30 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81856954228?pwd=[REDACTED] NJ, United States
West Orange Police Dept and Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris about their Partnership program which was piloted in fall 2019. The zoom only meeting is Monday, May 9th from 6-7:15 p.m
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Criminal Justice Reform Monthly Conference Call
2022-05-03 20:00 - 21:00, 2022-04-05 20:00 - 21:00 | NJ, United States
Join us on the first Tuesday of the month from 8 – 9 pm for our UU statewide 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 Susan M., Co-Chair (UU Congregation in Princeton) at criminaljustice@uufaithaction.org or Anne H., Co-Chair (UU Congregation of Monmouth Co., Lincroft) at annehoule0102@gmail.com

Monthly UUFANJ Board Meeting
2022-05-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2022-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 | NJ, United States
Members/supporters of UU FaithAction NJ are welcome to attend our monthly all-volunteer Board meetings. To access online meetings (all meetings from March 2020 to present time will be conducted online) via the Zoom conferencing platform, please contact the Board President, Mia Morse or Vice President, Nick Lewis, ozballnick@gmail.com and request the “Zoom login” code. You must give at least 48 hours notice to request the code to allow our volunteer board members enough time to reply.
In the event that you do not hear back prior to that 48 hour cut off, please contact the Executive Director, Rev. Rob Gregson, execdir@uufaithaction.org or on the office phone, 908-376-6535.
As per our bylaws, the board leadership reserves the right to call an executive session of the board to discuss matters not appropriate for a more public conversation.

IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us
2022-04-26 18:00 - 19:15 | Zoom
IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us
6-part series
IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us challenges us to imagine racial justice as integral to the future of New Jersey.

CLICK HERE for information on the full series including the following sessions.

Eliminating the Racial Wealth Gap and Ending Poverty – February 24
Disrupting the Criminal Justice System – March 15
Achieving Safe and Healthy Homes for All – April 26
Reaching Equity in Education – May 17
Ensuring Health for All – June 21
Building Political Power of the Most Impacted – July 21

Attendance is free and open to all.

IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us brings together one of the largest and most diverse lineups of New Jersey organizations and voices from across the ideological spectrum to develop an action plan for racial justice and reparations. Participants include national thought leaders, philanthropic and community-based organizations, policy advocates, jurists, and local activists who have been directly impacted by injustice.

Reproductive Justice Task Force Monthly Call
2022-04-25 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-03-28 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.

Reparations Task Force Monthly Call
2022-04-19 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-03-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The Reparations Task Force convenes monthly, for Unitarian Universalists to strategize around advancing reparations for New Jersey. Newcomers are warmly welcome!
Read and sign the petition.
For more info and to join the call, contact Task Force Chairs Rohn Hein (reparations@uufaithaction.org) or administrator Emily Parker (admin@uufaithaction.org).

Criminal Justice Reform Monthly Conference Call
2022-04-18 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-03-21 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.

FAIR (Youth Group)
2022-04-14 20:30 - 21:30 | Zoom
F.A.I.R. is an interfaith group of youth in grades 8-12 from across NJ and PA. Our goal: To work to incorporate racial bias education into NJ and PA school systems and provide educational opportunities to our community’s on the topic of race.
We meet every other Thursday at 7:30 PM on Zoom. Sign up here!
Find us on Instagram @faithactionyouth_
Contact us at fair@uufaithaction.org if you have any questions or concerns!
Contact our adult advisors: Rev. Rob Gregson at rob@uufaithaction.org, or Laura Kushner at laura@uufaithaction.org.

Congregational Liaisons Monthly Call
2022-04-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
**Rescheduled from April 7th**
Held the first Thursday of every month, our organizing call for all UU FaithAction NJ Congregational Liaisons.
If you are interested in our Congregational Liaisons program, please contact Communications Coordinator Emily Parker at emily@uufaithaction.org or at ‪(908) 767-5145‬.

Spring Beach Sweeps | Clean Ocean Action
2022-04-09 09:00 - 12:30 | NJ, United States
CALLING ALL BEACH SWEEPERS!
Registration is now open for COA’s Spring Beach Sweeps on Saturday, April 9th! Invite a few friends, and make plans to spend a Saturday morning appreciating and protecting our ocean. 🌊
View the list of 70+ cleanup locations along the Jersey Shore and REGISTER here: https://cleanoceanaction.org/aboutbeachsweeps

UU FaithAction NJ Spring Gala
2022-04-09 | NJ, United States
UU Faith Action New Jersey 2022 Spring Gala
For now, we plan on in-person and virtual invitations.
We look forward to reconnecting and being inspired!
Stay tuned for updates.

Director's Tour: Ajamu Kojo’s "Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations"
2022-03-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave., Montclair, NJ, 07043, United States
The Montclair State University Galleries presents New York-based artist and filmmaker Ajamu Kojo’s Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations from February 15 – April 23, 2022. The artist’s first solo museum exhibition is a sanctuary and homage to Black Americans as Kojo reimagines their past.
Join Montclair State University Galleries Director and exhibition curator Megan C. Austin for a tour of the current exhibition on March 24, 4:00–5:30 PM.
On display fromFebruary 15 – April 23, the exhibition will be on view at the University Galleries’ flagship location, the George Segal Gallery.
Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations is Kojo’s ongoing series of large-scale paintings that capture the imagined lives of Black professionals in the Greenwood District before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The community was dubbed “Black Wall Street” for its thriving culture and wealth in spite of strong segregation laws. The portraits present a spiritually uplifting dedication to the people who called Greenwood their home over a century ago.
About the Artist
Ajamu Kojo is a figurative painter and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. As a scenic artist, his projects include Law & Order, Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, BULL and more. Alongside working on television and film productions, Kojo also develops independent film projects and fine artwork. His artwork is a critical analysis of social, political and cultural issues through slice of life, voyeurism, and storytelling. Kojo is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas. He majored in film and television production and minored in theatre arts at Howard University
All events are free and open to the public. Please visit our website to learn more about upcoming programs and events.
COVID-19 Policy
Montclair State University requires all visitors to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Visitors should complete the Hawk Check [https://www.montclair.edu/redhawk-restart/about-hawkcheck/] prior to or upon arrival. Please review the latest COVID-19 policies [https://www.montclair.edu/redhawk-restart/] prior to your visit.

Community Leaders Against Hate and Antisemitism
2022-03-22 16:00 - 17:30 | Zoom
Community Leaders Against Hate and Antisemitism
Virtual Conference

Thank you for your interest in being part of this important conversation. You will join other community leaders in the fields of education, local government, law enforcement, clergy, and others as we discuss the disturbing rise in hate and antisemitism in New Jersey and how to address it.
At this conference you will:

Hear from keynote speaker Rachel Wainer Apter
Hear from Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker who was recently held hostage at his synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and from others whose lives have been affected by hate
Discuss best practices for education and awareness training
Meet with law enforcement and government officials to hear how our state is fighting back
Join in a breakout session with other leaders in your field to discuss your shared experiences and efforts.

The Community Relations Committee (CRC) seeks to unite our Greater MetroWest NJ community through dialogue, education, and action. We are the government relations, public policy, and community relations building wing of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.
Committee members: Sheri Goldberg, Jeff Grayzel, Amanda Stone Greenblatt, Amy Paternite, Susan & Evan Ratner, Debbie Rosen, Rabbi Rob Tobin, Jane Wilf
Honorary Chairs: Dana & Peter Langerman
CRC Chair: Zev Scherl

Register
