The Fourth of July means something different to me than celebrating our freedom from British colonial rule and the wars we’ve fought in the name of that freedom. To me, the 4th should be Interdependence Day dedicated to abolishing ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) and ending money bail.

Today so many people I love are mourning the loss of Unitarian Universalist leader Wendi Winters, murdered in the shooting that happened yesterday at the Capital Gazette Office in Annapolis, MD.

The year since the Commission on Institutional Change's formations the Commissioners have been engaged in meeting its charge. You are invited to join the Commission's various activities and panels at General Assembly 2018 to learn about its work and to share in it....

Opportunity for Youth and Adults to take the lead on the global stage Are you passionate about creating inclusive learning environment and working for peace and justice on a worldwide scale? The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office is looking for youth and adults to lead their upcoming Intergenerational Spring Seminar! Apply by June 5th to serve as a Youth Dean or Adult Dean for the most international and intergenerational event in the UU universe!

Summer Seminary, the immersion program for Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth exploring the possibility of becoming a religious professional, is supported by 4 staff members and a host of faculty members. Summer Seminary 2018 is happening in Chicago, IL, at Meadville-Lombard Theological School.

One of the most surprising places I learned about deeply spiritual community was my Grandma Bette’s bridge club. Those old ladies were really knew something about showing up and caring for each other.

Recently the team at the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries discussed how February being “Black History Month,” March being “Women’s History Month,” and June being “LGBTQ History Month” is positive because it raises up awareness of the history and contributions of these marginalized communities. But we also realized it relegates the history - and current imperfect condition of oppressed or marginalized groups in American society - to time-boxed public awareness. We think this is wrong because we have much to learn in the present moment by lifting up the stories of people who fight or suffer oppression all of the time. On this day in 1954 the United States Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision on school segregation, unanimously ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that segregation in public education is illegal. The court decision famously states that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. In this post we lift up Linda Brown, of Brown v Board of Education of Topeka: student and life-long activist for equal access to public education.

Our knowledge of history defines our understanding of the present. With these posts the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries lifts up our awareness of the history of people of marginalized identity so their actions can influence ours. Meet Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States in the election of 1872.

Summary: Protest movements like March for Our Lives, and The Women’s March are generally legally permitted events, but protest movements can also use the tactic of unpermitted civil disobedience as a way to increase the pressure on authorities to right injustice (think of Black Lives Matter blocking roads and highways, Standing Rock Dakota Access Pipeline activists who occupied territory, or sit-ins at the U.S. Congress by DACA advocates). On Friday, April 20, 2018, in an act of civil disobedience, tens of thousands of high-school students will participate in an organized nationwide school walkout to demand stricter gun regulation. Learn how organized protest and Civil Disobedience are integral to the experience of living Unitarian Universalist faith and values.

Watch the premiere of Come Sunday on Netflix on Friday, April 13. Produced by Ira Glass of This American Life, the story of Pentecostal Bishop Carlton Pearson’s epiphany of inclusion shows what happens when a responsible search for truth and meaning runs into religious dogmatism. This movie is relevant viewing for people of every faith, even more so for Unitarian Universalists who want to work toward the creation of Beloved Community.