Justice Served at General Assembly

By Carey McDonald

Having returned from Justice General Assembly in Phoenix, I have to say I'm feeling pretty good about the future of Unitarian Universalism. Just about everyone I've talked to has said that the event exceeded their expectations. It was well-planned and well-executed, but perhaps more importantly Justice GA showed what we are capable of as a faith movement. The partnerships with local immigration justice groups really enriched our efforts, and taught us as UU's a lot about what it means to be in ongoing relationship with people who have very different experiences from our own. I'm pumped about youth and young adult involvement at Justice GA in particular. With outstanding attendance (at 307, we just about doubled the size of Youth Caucus from GA 2011), the youth presence was strongly felt across GA. A lot of congregations brought their entire youth group, and spent a whole year raising money in order to attend. Watch a video here about one youth group from Minnetonka, MN. And 200 young adults, many of whom had leadership positions in planning GA, brought their best and full selves to Young Adult Caucus and to GA events as a whole. Highlights for me included the Synergy Worship service and the Saturday night interfaith candlelight vigil. Thursday's Synergy Worship: The Call Across All Ages included a record 47 youth who bridged into young adulthood, and included five fabulous speakers of different generations who spoke about what social action looked like when they came of age. The Saturday candlelight vigil was a powerful experience in witnessing for justice, and was picked up by hundreds of news outlets across the country. If you didn't make it to Justice GA, or if you did attend and you want to relive the experience, you can download videos of these events for free. We have updated Blue Boat's Justice GA 2012 page with information and videos to help you to take Justice GA back to your individual congregations and communities. Be sure to check it out to see what you can do about immigration issues in your neighborhood. Whew! What a great week. I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the next months and years as we reflect on our new-found sense of purpose and momentum as Unitarian Universalists.