Justice and Inclusion: Ministering Effectively in Our Multicultural World

Update from the Field: North Carolina UUs Join Rev. Dr. Barber to #UUTheVote

Blog by Lisa Garcia-Sampson, Executive Director, Forward Together: UU Justice Ministry NC

This past Saturday, February 8, UUs from across North Carolina were out in full force at this year’s Historic Thousands on Jones Street - Moral March on Raleigh. At the rally, Rev. Dr. William Barber spoke out about low voter registration and turn-out rates in the state and called on North Carolinaians to actualize their power.

“It is time to intensify and embolden our agitation at the ballot box.” 

After the march and rally, UU’s gathered at Raleigh’s First Baptist Church for lunch and worship sponsored by Forward Together, the UU Justice Ministry of North Carolina. Rev. Deborah Cayer, Lead minister of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham began worship with these words:

“We’ve arrived here with love and yearning, for this stubborn yet abundant land, for our ancestors whose love and courage and determination call us to new efforts to resist any power that would smash and grab, any power that would erase, every power that seeks to control. Today we rise together in spirit and love, to co-create a future that includes everyone...To remember together, to sing through our fear to a place of courage, and when we do, to find that love has been with us, among us, the whole time, leading us on.” 

Following worship, those gathered heard a presentation on UU the Vote. In the weeks and months to come, Forward Together will work to bring UU leaders together from all across the state to assess our human resources, infrastructure. With the help of key partners like You Can Vote and Democracy NC we will identify high impact actions and get training around voter registration, issue-based canvassing and fighting voter suppression in the state. And then, we will mobilize our NC congregations, as well as regional partners like All Souls in DC to maximize our impact.

Some call this annual Moral March the height of the justice year here in North Carolina, but the true power of this day lies in what we do next.

We are ready to UU the Vote!

NC UUs participating in voting rights event, Feb 2020

Photo by Richard Kevin

NC UUs join other faith groups for voting rights, Feb 2020

Photo by Thomas Clayton

NC UUs join Forward Together, Feb 2020, to support voting rights

Photo by Lisa Garcia-Sampson