Change the World - You Can, You Should, and You Will!
by Kristin WallaceFor the past two summers, I have been an intern at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Office for Social Justice, located in Washington, D.C. These summers have shaped my perception about social action and have deepened my passion to make a difference in this world.
My first summer at the UUA, when I was doing some filing, I came across a folder entitled "Unitarian Universalists (UUs) Against the Death Penalty." I had only recently formulated my anti-death penalty views and was interested in learning more about what others in the movement were saying. I wrote down the address of the UU organization, and that very day I wrote the president, Jean Rabenold, a letter expressing my interest in the cause. I am now a member of Unitarian Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (UUADP), have participated in an anti-death penalty protest in front of the Supreme Court, organized and facilitated a service at my home church in Columbia, MD about the death penalty (featuring Jean Rabenold), and am currently researching the death penalty case of a young woman in Tennessee. I hope to major in political science at Carleton College, where I am a freshman this year. I plan to pursue a career in social justice, in particular correctional education, as inspired by my anti-death penalty convictions.
My advice to you aspiring UU social activists: Think about what bothers you about this world. What ticks you off? Think about what you are passionate about and what you want to change. For me, this was the death penalty. Every time I see a newspaper headline reporting that someone has been given the death penalty, I want to cry. What affects you? Do you wish you could help every homeless person you pass on the street? Does it absolutely infuriate you to hear a friend being called a "faggot"? Do you cringe at the smoke exhaust from a car? As UUs, most of us have been brought up to be sensitive to activist issues, think about these issues critically, and act on them. The world is wide open. Anyone has the power to make a difference if s/he will take the risk and energy to do it. Those of us who are able to understand what is wrong in the world and have the passion to change these things have the responsibility to make a difference.
After you have come up with a social action cause that concerns you, I encourage you to look to the UU community as a major resource to get your plan off the ground. Most likely, there is already a national UU group working with your issue! To name a few: UUs for Ethical Treatment of Animals, Undoing Racism Organizing Committee, and UUs For Just Economic Community. Check out the UUA's website for more organizations. Remember that you also have your local UU church as a resource. There is power in numbers. Get your youth group involved with the issue, talk to adults who have careers related to the issue you're concerned with, get involved with your church's social action committee. The possibilities are endless when you have the desire and the people to help you. Go on, change the world!
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
