Do you know the history of the Standing on the Side of Love (SSL) Campaign?

The Standing on the Side of Love campaign was inspired by the 2008 shooting (read the UUWorld Article) at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, which was targeted because they are welcoming to LGBTQ people and have a liberal stance on many issues. The Knoxville community responded with an outpouring of love that inspired the leadership at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to launch the Standing on the Side of Love campaign(see the UUWorld Article) in 2009, with the goal of harnessing love’s power to challenging exclusion, oppression, and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, race, religion, or any other identity.

Since then we have seen the "yellow shirts" as we have been called show up at protests and rallies for Immigration Reform, Marriage Equality and more. The events in Phoenix in 2010 are just one example of what we have accomplished. And while this campaign was started by the UUs, it is truly an interfaith movement, as many others have joined us on our journey. We have accomplished much in the 3 1/2 years since and the program is going strong. Truly an example of "better together" in it's most positive form. In 2010, SSL began the tradition of re-imagining Valentine’s Day as a social justice holiday. Starting in 2012, this event has evolved into the “Thirty Days of Love“–a month-long spiritual journey and commitment to sustained action and service. The month starts on the Sunday before Martin Luther King day and ends on Valentine's Day. There are resources on their website for congregations and individuals for this month and a daily blog posting. If you are interested in social justice you should check it out. There are even calendars for families that can be downloaded and followed.

We are Better Together when working for justice and equality.

Beth Casebolt
OMD District Administrator & CERG Communications Consultant