| Greetings!
Two upcoming events of note: first is our Fall General Meeting on October 19. We'll be focusing on our Voter Rights/Voter Integrity issue working group. We'll also have some fun--Kathleen from our board members will lead us in Social Justice Bingo!
Also, a reminder to please register early if you can for our Fall Leadership Training with Beth Zemsky. It will be a GREAT DAY--I promise you. Beth is inspiring and a great facilitator. Please plan on it: Saturday, November 15 at Unity.
Details are below, and you can view and print our info flyer and registration form at our web site. Please share the flyer link with friends and post a copy on your congregation's bulletin board. Thank you!
In faith,
Ralph Wyman
MUUSJA Director/Organizer |
| MUUSJA & UU Action News: |
Saturday, October 18 9:30 - 11:00 am First Universalist Church Library 3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Help turn the uncertainty of "I Voted?" or "Am I Registered?" into I Voted!! Monthly meeting of the Voter Rights working group. Get ready for election day! MUUSJA members may want to consider taking Nov. 4 off work to help with election observation or voter turnout work. FFI Jenny Thomas 612-920-4246
MUUSJA Fall General Meeting
Sunday, October 19
3:00 - 5:00 pm
First Universalist Church Social Hall
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Special screening of PBS NOW's "Will the 2008 Election be Fair" with panel discussion including Jenny Thomas, co-chair of our Voting Rights working group. Social Justice Bingo, 2008-09 work group proposals and more. Please bring a snack to share. Everyone is welcome!
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On Election Day we will choose a new President of the United States. No matter who wins, change will come. MUUSJA invites you to a day of insight, learning, conversation and development as leaders.
Add your voice to this grass-roots "movement moment" in history. Help MUUSJA and your congregation build on new themes: Are progressive people of faith ready to lead and govern, not just protest and critique? How do we organize for the rising wave of change? Who will we work with and where might we be in 5, 10, even 20 years? Our trainer, Beth Zemsky, specializes in multicultural organizational development, is U of M adjunct faculty in social movement theory, has been a Bush Leadership Fellow, and was founding Director of the U of M GLBT Programs Office. She recently co-authored the summer featured article for Social Policy. Beth brings energy, insight, 25 years of experience and excellent facilitation to this critical work. Join us!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Unity Church Unitarian
732 Holly, St Paul, MN 55104
Registration: $20 in advance/$10 student or low income; $25 at the door. Includes lunch and materials--coffee starts at 8:30! To register contact Marcy: 612-824-3240 mleussler@hotmail.com. |
| Allied Social Justice Events |
The U.S.-Iran Conflict in a Changing World
Tuesday, October 14th
7:00 pm
St. Luke Presbyterian Church
3121 Groveland School Rd, Minnetonka
The Star Tribune recently publsihed a commentary by by Dr. William Beeman about Iran-US relations. He will give a talk on current Iran-US relations and and hold a book signing. Dr. Beeman is Chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota and President of the East Section of the American Anthropological Association.
Docmentary "Soldiers of Conscience"
Sunday, October 19th
10:00 pm
TPT Channel 2 broadcast of program 'POV'
A film about our soldiers in Iraq facing the most difficult moral decision of their lives: to kill or not to kill. Eight soldiers, torn between the demands of duty and the call of conscience, including four who decide not to kill - a realistic yet optimistic film about war, peace and the power of the human conscience. Recommended by NW Neighbors for Peace.
Movement Building with a Twist (and a lime)
Tuesday October 29
5:30 - 7 pm
Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street, Minneapolis
A monthly series created by the Headwaters Foundation for Justice--this month's topic is Movements Don't Just Happen: They Are Built! presented by Beth Zemsky. Tickets are $5. Americans for UNFPA (U.N. Population Fund) Breakfast Briefing
Monday, November 10th 8:30 - 10:00 am McNamara Alumni Center - Heritage Room 200 Oak St. SE., Minneapolis, MN
Americans for UNFPA is hosting a lively discussion on the impact of the 2008 elections on global women's health and rights. Speakers include: Rep. Betty McCollum;
Deni Robey, Americans for UNFPA;
Cheryl A. Thomas, The Advocates for Human Rights.
Price: $20
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As always, please E-mail suggested news and calendar items to me at rwmuusja@gmail.com. Thanks! | |
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New Books Out Now! |
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 Van Jones
Van's book The Green Collar Economy was released last Tuesday, Oct. 7th, and within days it was #1 in non-fiction at Amazon!
Your purchase of his book in the next few days will 1) give you some inspiring fall reading for chilly evenings and 2) help make history--Van could become the first African American to have a NY Times bestseller on the Environment! |
| Thanks to our Funders and Friends! |
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MUUSJA wishes to thank our Funders. We are supported in part by the UU Service Committee, the UU Funding Program, and First Universalist Foundation.
Support the UUSC
Learn about the UUFP
We are sustained by our memberships, gifts and by congregational giving. For membership, gift and congregational giving information, please contact Ralph Wyman at 612-998-6624 or ralph@muusja.org.
The Prairie Star District of the UUA acts as our fiscal sponsor. We are grateful for their support and assistance. |
| Congratulations Connecticut! |
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Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, issued the following statement on October 10, 2008:
On behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I rejoice today at the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision to end discrimination in the state's marriage laws and to grant the freedom to marry to same-sex couples.
While civil unions have provided some legal protection over the past three years in Connecticut, they cannot confer the dignity and respect that comes with marriage. We know from our nation's painful history that separate is never equal.
I thank the brave justices for honoring the spirit of the Connecticut constitution and extending its protections to same-sex couples. Today's decision strengthens thousands of families in Connecticut, and it offers renewed hope for committed same-sex couples across the country.
Marriage is a civil right.
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Marriage equality is threatened this fall, icluding California, where the news is not great regarding current polling.
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Mark Morrison-Reed, a retired UU minister who served congregations in New York state and Ontario, Canada, just visited 
