Social Justice
To advance social justice, UUCL continually offers opportunities for its members and friends to get involved in social action, through ongoing volunteer opportunities, one-time events, special collections and other efforts that advance our UU seven Principles in the Loudoun community and beyond. In addition to the activities detailed below, this may include taking a stand as a congregation, pursuing grants for special projects and participating in vigils and other non-violent activities designed to build understanding and respect among people of diverse religious, ethnic, racial and sexual identities.
2018-2022 UUA CSAI – Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy
Delegates at the 2018 General Assembly selected “Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy” to be the 2018-2022 Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
The CSAI is an invitation for congregations, including ours, to take a topic of concern and engage it, reflect on it, learn about it, respond to it, comment on it, and take action—each in their own way.
Signature Initiative – All Ages Read Together
In 2013 the congregation unanimously voted to sponsor All Ages Read Together (AART) as its first signature initiative. AART is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that is dedicated to serving low and moderate income preschool-aged children. The program was selected because pre-school readiness directly addresses the root causes of poverty, an area of keen interest to our members.
AART provides free programs to children in Loudoun and Fairfax counties who are at risk of entering kindergarten in need of extensive remedial instruction that can cost an extra $3,500 per child annually. UUCL volunteers of all ages participate by teaching, reading with, and translating for AART’s young students, donating school supplies and winter outerwear, and more.
Social Justice – Opportunities for Involvement!
UUCL invites members and friends to promote and raise awareness of social justice activities they support. Examples, with who to contact for more information, include:
- Annual Martin Luther King Jr March: Tamar Datan
- Opportunities for youth involvement: Wendy Moura
- Annual “Loudoun Falls for Social Justice” fellowship event: Elizabeth Scheib
- Keep Loudoun Beautiful: Sandra Shihadeh
- UUA Church of the Larger Fellowship Prison Ministry: Open
- Chesapeake Climate Action Network: Natalie Pien
- Loudoun Interfaith BRIDGES: Open
- Loudoun Hunger Relief: Barbara Elvin
- Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers: Sandra Shihadeh
- Crossroads Jobs: Open
- Leadership Loudoun: Leigh Ann Macklin
- PFLAG and Loudoun Out Loud: Open
If you are interested in getting involved in these or other social justice activities, please contact The Earth Justice Team.