Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

First Friday Action Hour
2024-10-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | 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
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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.

Murray Grove Homecoming
2024-10-05 08:00 - 17:00 | NJ
Save the date!!
Details coming soon!

Activist Training Program
2024-10-07 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!

At a Glance: Fall 2024 Activist Training Program Schedule

How to be a One Person GOTV Machine! | 10/7/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP
Election Protection: Know Your Rights | 10/23/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP
Building Power: You Count | 11/12/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP

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.

Get PA Voters Engaged
2024-10-15 12:01 | NJ
UUtheVote, SuperMajority, and UUtheVotePA
Sign-up Now!!

Our National Partners, UUtheVote and SuperMajority,
along with UUJusticePA are sponsoring
two national phone banks with
Unitarian Universalists across the country ~
Tuesday, Sept 17 and again on Tuesday, Oct 15.

Training and script will be provided.

Let’s get PA voters engaged in the democratic process!!

SIGN UP
Tuesday, September 17

SIGN UP
Tuesday, October 15

UUJusticePA
c/o Unitarian Church of Harrisburg
1280 Clover Lane
Harrisburg, PA 17113 1001
United States

UUJusticePA.org

Environmental Justice Task Force monthly call
2024-10-16 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).

The Hydrogen Regulatory Landscape
2024-10-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Online
Please join us for the webinar “The Hydrogen Regulatory Landscape – What is required and what is missing?” on Wednesday, October 16, 6:30pm – 7:30pm. REGISTER HERE.

Industry and government are pushing hydrogen gas, rushing to build “hydrogen hubs” with our tax money, claiming it will thwart the climate crisis. But the facts show hydrogen is anything but clean and that communities will be expected to carry the environmental burdens, whether they want to or not. Making matters worse, the regulations that would govern hydrogen production, transport, and use, are filled with gaps and a confused patchwork of rules at the federal, state, and local level that expose communities and the environment to unacceptable dangers.

We will be delving into the questions swirling around the Hydrogen Hub regulatory quandary with legal experts Kacy Manahan, Senior Attorney, Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Margaret A. Coulter, Senior Attorney, Climate Law Institute, Center for Biological Diversity.
We will also have a brief update on the proposed MACH2 Hydrogen Hub planned for Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and South/Central New Jersey.

Register now for this free webinar!

Fall Issues Conference
2024-10-19 09:30 - 15:30 | NJ
Save the date!
The Issues Conference will be in our Montclair UU.
Details coming soon.

Rev. Charles Loflin Guest Pulpit - Morristown UU
2024-10-20 10:00 - 12:30 | Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, 07960

Rev. Charles Loflin Guest Pulpit At Faith+Works at the HUBB
2024-10-20 16:00 - 18:00 | Faith+ Works, 35 & 47 Cleveland St, Orange, 07050, United States

NJ Abolition Workshop
2024-10-22 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

False ID: Exoneree Malcolm Alexander, Wrongfully Incarcerated 38 Years
2024-10-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
An ineffective trial lawyer and flawed eyewitness identification procedure destroyed the lives of Malcolm Alexander and his family for 38 years.
In February 1980, a white woman accused Alexander, who is black, of sexual assault in Louisiana. Alexander maintained his innocence. A review of the one-day trial transcript revealed that his attorney, who was subsequently disbarred, failed to make an opening statement, did not call any witnesses for the defense, failed to adequately cross-examine the state’s witnesses, and presented a closing argument that was a mere four pages of the 87-page transcript. Alexander was wrongfully convicted and received a life sentence. Alexander never gave up the fight to prove his innocence. In 2013, hair evidence recovered from the location where the rape took place was found at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab. Three crime scene hairs had the same DNA profile that did not match to Alexander or the victim. Alexander was exonerated in January of 2018. He is the Innocence Project’s longest-serving exonerated client. Today he is a member of the Innocence Project Exoneree Advisory Council.
Mr. Alexander will speak about his experience of wrongful imprisonment, based in the systemic racism of mass incarceration.
Presentation followed by Q&A.

Register Here

UPLIFT Trans/Non-Binary Gathering
2024-10-22 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.

Activist Training Program
2024-10-23 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!

At a Glance: Fall 2024 Activist Training Program Schedule

Election Protection: Know Your Rights | 10/23/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP
Building Power: You Count | 11/12/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP

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

Food Justice Film Festival
2024-10-24 08:00 - 2024-10-27 17:00 | Online
Join us as we celebrate five years of the FJFF!

The Center for Biological Diversity celebrates the fifth year of the Food Justice Film Festival.
From Oct. 24-27, 2024, watch award-winning documentaries and special interviews with filmmakers and activists.
This year’s featured films:
DOLORES
The Smell of Money
Into the Weeds
Invisible Valley
After you have signed up:
When the festival starts on Oct. 24, log in and click the “FILMS” tab at the top of the page to watch all of the films anytime Oct. 24-27.

Reproductive Justice Task Force Monthly Call
2024-10-28 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.

Free Screening: Zurawski v Texas
2024-11-02 00:00 - 2024-11-03 23:30 | https://bit.ly/ZurawskivTexas
Due to popular demand, we are hosting another Watch Party for
Zurawski v Texas this weekend. Thousands of you participated last week, and we had the support of incredible advocates including Jennifer Aniston, Laura Dern, and Jessica Biel.
We heard moving testimony from members of the audience during our live panel, and you made your voices heard; the film must be available again before the election. We are proud to share that Zurawski v Texas will be available for free for another 48 hours on Sat, Nov 2nd, and Sun, Nov 3rd across the whole of the United States.
Now we need your help to ensure that as many people as possible see this film before Nov 5th.
During the final week before the election advertising for social causes is banned so we are relying on word of mouth to get the film to as many people as possible. With recent news that more women are being lost to these brutal laws, we must ensure that our voices are heard now.
>>> Please share this link with your friends today so they can sign up to watch the film for free: https://bit.ly/ZurawskivTexas <<<
We need a proactive effort to ensure that people who need to see this film, actually do. Can you think of anyone in your life who could be moved by watching Zurawski v Texas?
– Can you email 10 people right now with the link to watch at home?
– Do you have a newsletter or are you part of a network that has a newsletter? Could they feature the film this weekend?
– Are you in any WhatsApp groups where you could reach potential viewers who need to learn more about the realities of reproductive access in America?
– Can you go old school and call 5 friends to recommend they watch the film?
– Can you share the link to watch the film on your social media channels? Even if your network is small, every view counts. You can find social assets here: https://bit.ly/zurawskisocial
We know the impact this film can have if it reaches certain communities over the coming days.
Please help us share the powerful testimonies of Amanda, Samantha, and Austin with as many people as you can this weekend.
With thanks,
The Zurawski v Texas team

The Freedom to Read: A Presentation by Martha Hickson
2024-11-03 12:30 | Beacon (Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit), 4 Waldron Avenue, Summit, 07901, United States
Martha Hickson retired after 20+ years as a high school librarian. Her work has been featured in School Library Journal, Booklist, and CNN Online. Her defense of intellectual freedom has been recognized with awards from the NJ Association of School Librarians, the NJ Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and the National Council of Teachers of English.
In 2022 the National Council Against Censorship presented Martha with the Judith Krug Outstanding Librarian Award, and the American Library Association awarded Martha the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity, in recognition of her “energy and bravery in the face of persistent and ongoing hostility.”

The Day After : A Post-Election Community Space
2024-11-06 19:00 | The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood
“The Day After”
A Post-election Community Space

Wednesday evening, November 6th, 2024

Whatever this year’s election brings, we will continue to need to build community and do the work of justice. Join us for a time of sharing and reflecting the day after the election.

This space will be co-created by all three Bergen County UU congregations and led by its ministers, Rev. Sarah Lenzi, Rev. Andrée Cornelia Mol, and Rev. Sonia Ketchain.

Location:
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
113 Cottage Place
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Doors open at 6pm. Event will begin at 7pm.

Or, join us on Zoom if you can’t make it in person.
Below is the link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83517833977

All are Welcome.

Phone 201-444-6225
Email 113cottage@gmail.com

Follow USR on Social Media!

Post-Election Community Vigil
2024-11-06 19:30 | Beacon (Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit), 4 Waldron Avenue, Summit, 07901, United States
Held By Love:
Post-Election Community Vigil
In-person and Online

Immigration Justice Task Force monthly call
2024-11-07 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Join our monthly Immigration Justice Task Force call, where we share updates, strategize and organize to promote immigration justice in our state.
For the Zoom login information and/or to be added to our task force mailing list, contact Chair Marty Rothfelder (immigration@uufaithaction.org) or Administrator Meera Rao (admin@uufaithaction.org).

Rev. Charles Loflin Guest Pulpit, Lakeland UU Fellowship
2024-11-10 11:00 - 12:30 | Lakeland UU Fellowship, 231 Parish Drive, Wayne, United States

Activist Training Program
2024-11-12 18:00 | NJ
The League of Women Voters of New Jersey is excited to share the upcoming Activist Training Program fall schedule with you!

Building Power: You Count | 11/12/24 @ 6PM | Click here to RSVP

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.

UUFANJ Board Meeting
2024-11-12 19:30 - 21:30 | 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, 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.

Garden State Equality Transgender Awareness Week
2024-11-13 - 2024-11-23 | NJ
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 | 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 | 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.
