| Greetings!
We're very excited about a special screening of The Education of Shelby Knox
presented by the AUW/MUUSJA Sacred Choices campaign on Friday, March 6 at 7:00 pm. We're inviting UUs from across the area to gather together
for this inspiring documentary and the lively conversations that will
follow. Don't miss this inter-generational, inter-congregational event!
Registration is open for the Prairie Star District Annual Conference in Duluth. Please come early to attend an excellent workshop on environmental justice on Friday, April 3.
We are expecting a great General Assembly as well. Registration opens on March 2nd. Register early for best housing options! UU and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is scheduled to appear, and our Voter Rights
campaign will be offering a workshop at this year's GA in Salt Lake City! Finally, we hope you will mark your calendars now for 1 pm March  29th for MUUSJA's Spring Meeting will feature Louis J. King, President of Summit Academy O.I.C. Louis and polar explorer Will Steger (pictured together) are co-chairs of H.I.R.E. Minnesota. H.I.R.E. is building a powerful organization for green jobs and economic justice. Come learn about how we UUs can partner with community organizations to ensure that the green economy benefits everyone! In faith, Ralph Wyman
MUUSJA Director/Organizer
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March MUUJSA Conference Call:
Reproductive Rights/Sacred Choices
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You are invited to join us for our monthly MUUSJA conference call. These calls are on the first Sunday of each month. For March, in the first half hour we will feature a discussion of our Reproductive Rights/Sacred Choices campaign, including the very exciting March 6th Shelby Knox documentary. We will also discuss the PSD training on April 3rd.
The second half of the call will be a chance for YOU to tell us about the social justice activities going on at your congregation. This is an open discussion - we'd love to know about justice work related to reproductive rights and comprehensive sex ed AND any social justice topics of interest to your fellow UUs across Minnesota.
We look forward to speaking together soon!
DATE Sunday, March 1, 2009
TIME 7:00 - 8:00pm
Here's how to connect to the call:
Dial (712) 432-1630, and when prompted, enter code 564319#. Please
note that this IS a long distance call anywhere in Minnesota (712 is
Iowa). We explored setting up a toll-free number, but cost was a
barrier. We set the call time in part for the many folks who are likely
to have 'free' weekend cell phone minutes. Helping us avoid toll-free
line expense will be a helpful contribution from each of you to all of us.
Please note there will not be a call on Sunday, April 5th. We hope to see you and speak with you in person at the Prairie Star District Conference in Duluth!
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| MUUSJA Action News: |
AUW/MUUSJA Reproductive Rights/Sacred Choices
Saturday, Feburary 28
10 am - Noon (Scones & social time 9:30)
First Universalist Church
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Final preparation for this special March 6 event. RR/SC is reaching out to area UU
congregations to help build our community of people working on comprehensive sex ed and reproductive health. See the flyer and watch the trailer at www.muusja.org/sacredchoices. FFI Sara: mckru@comcast.net
UUs Out 4 Marriage
Monday, March 2
7 - 9 pm
Unity Church Unitarian
Foote Room
732 Holly Ave, St. Paul 55104
Follow on our successful first meeting as we make plans to fulfill our UU call to stand on the side of love. You can watch the UUA video "Standing on the Side of Love" on the UUO4M page of muusja.org. If you can't make the meeting but would like to start receiving notes and UUO4M updates, contact Ralph and ask to be added to the Yahoo list.
FFI Ralph rwmuusja@gmail.com, 612-998-6624. FYI: Duluth Opening Our Doors conference is March 13-14, details here.
The Education of Shelby Knox
Friday, March 6
7 - 9:30 pm
First Universalist Church, Social Hall
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
map
Join an intergenerational discussion
with our youth and parents, and UUs from other metro churches after watching the powerful documentary The Education of Shelby Knox. Pizza and refreshments served. FREE event, sponsored by MUUSJA, AUW, and Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom. RSVPs helpful and appreciated to Kathleen Hollinger:
612-701-4643 or hollinger_kathleen@hotmail.com.
MUUSJA Board Meeting
Thursday, March 12
7 - 9 pm
Unity Church Unitarian
732 Holly Ave, St. Paul 55104
All
are welcome to attend and to join in conversation at our monthly board
meeting. Contact Ralph at 612-998-6624 or rwmuusja@gmail.com for more
information or to request an agenda.
AUW/MUUSJA Voter Rights
Saturday, march 14
1 - 3 pm
First Universalist Church
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Work
on the Voter Rights proposed Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) & workshop for GA
2009 in Salt Lake. Several federal bills on election integrity have
been introduced and need the support of UUs across the nation. An AIW
is a great way to build national UU interest. Mark
Ritchie is also scheduled to appear at GA. FFI Jenny Thomas jjthomas@skypoint.com or Carol Johnson 612-825-3322.
MUUSJA EcoMinds
Tuesday, March 18
7-9 pm
First Universalist Church
3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis
Work on Clean Cars
legislation & postcard campaign, track other legislative objectives
and strategize responses; H.I.R.E. colalition work. FFI
contact EcoMinds
Chair Sammy at samanthaschutz@gmail.com
Jubilee Anti-Racism Workshop
April 25
First Unitarian Society
900 Mt. Curve
The Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of D.R.U.U.M. (Diverse Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries) invites everyone to join them for an all-day anti-racism training. The curriculum is the Jubilee program - in a more compressed 1 day format - and is facilitated by Janice Marie Johnson. Janice has
served with The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, as a trustee in our UU United Nations
Office, on the UU Commission on Appraisal, and as president of DRUUMM. Registration is $50 ($40 youth/young adult) and also includes Friday night entertainment. Contact Catie Chi Olson for info: (612) 807-6645; (612) 354-3863. Co-sponsored by MUUSJA.
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Prairie Star District Annual Conference
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 Our Blue Boat Home: Living the Seventh Principle
April 3-5, 2009
Duluth, Minnesota
Make plans now to attend the PSD Annual Conference! Conference Information is now available on the PSD web site. Early registration discount ends March 6!
MUUSJA works with the Prairie Star District Social Justice Network to support the annual Pre-Conference Social Justice Training. This year's topic is Successful Strategies for Environmental Justice. Pre-conference training is Friday afternoon, April 3rd, and ends in time to attend the evening's conference activities. Training is only $5 if registering for the Conference/$10 as a stand-alone event.
Panelists have regional, national and international experience in environmental justice to share with us. Breakout sessions will allow interaction and detailed discussions. See the full-color flyer here.
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MUUSJA's EcoMinds, together with UU Congregation Duluth, and MUUSJA/AUW's Reproductive Rights/Sacred Choices each have workshops during the Saturday sessions of the Annual Conference! And MUUSJA and PSD-SJN will be offering a Saturday morning workshop as well. Details are here and here.
We hope to see you there!!
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UU & Allied Social Justice Events
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Movement Building: Not Such a White Winter
Tuesday,
March 3, 2009
5:30
pm -7:00 pm
Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street, Minneapolis
Hosted by Headwaters Foundation for Justice. The intention behind these gatherings is simple - to create a place for
people to explore this movement moment from a social
justice perspective. What does a more inclusive social justice movement look
like? How can we build it? We'll gain new ideas,
thinking and tools on using the intersections of our work and our identities to
build collective power. Join us as we further explore why it is essential that we move
from a state of being color blind to being race conscious. FREE. Facilitated by Bo Thao and Kayva Yang of the Asian American/Pacific Islanders
in Philanthropy's National Gender and Equity Campaign.
Green Jobs: Rx for a healthy economy & a healthy environment
Thursday, March 5th
4-6 PM
Ted Mann Hall, U of M Minneapolis Campus
Award-winning activist and environmental advocate Van Jones
will be the guest speaker on behalf of the Center for Spirituality
& Healing's new initiative called Whole Systems Healing. Whole
Systems Healing is designed to teach about the relationship
between the environment and the health of people and communities and
preparing them to be agents of social healing. TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT. MUUSJA has approx. 8 tickets on hold -- contact Ralph ASAP to reserve one of these tickets. Some seats will probably open up day of event, at the door.
Green the Ghetto - a Breakfast Forum on
Sustainable Urban Development
Friday, March 6th
7:30 AM Reg, 8 - 9:15 AM Program
$30 ($20 for MN International Center members)
Windows
on Minnesota
50th Floor, IDS Tower, 80
South 8th Street, Minneapolis
Majora Carter pioneered green economic practices
in the South Bronx, NY. By connecting the right types of training,
policy, and relationships, she now helps cities across the U.S. realize the
value of integrating infrastructure and the local economy in ways that benefit
everyone. Ms. Carter simultaneously addresses public
health, poverty alleviation, and climate change. Ms.
Carter will be in Minnesota as a keynote speaker at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, which will be hosted at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
Sustainability Film Series: See cutting edge
documentaries!
Bell Museum of Natural History
Thursday, March 12
7 pm
http://www.sustainability.umn.edu/minor/sustfilm.html
King Corn. By growing an acre of corn in Iowa two friends uncover the devastating
impact that corn is having on the environment, public health and family
farms. This film does an excellent job
of demonstrating the complexity of the industrial food system from seed to
plate, in a lively, insightful, and youthful manner. Directed by Aaron Woolf. Film series continues into late April.
6th Anniversary of the Iraq War - Rally and March
Saturday, March 21
Noon
Martin Luther King Park, 270 Kent St., St.
Paul
Troops Out
Now: Rally at noon at Martin Luther King Park for an end to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, money for human
needs, funds for jobs, education, housing, veterans' benefits and health care ...
NOT war! Martin Luther King Park is one
block east of Dale near the corner of Marshall and Kent. The march to the
Capitol will begin at 12:30 For more information call WAMM at 612-827-5364 or
Marie Braun at 612-522-1861.
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MUUSJA is dedicated to building the UU social justice movement in Minnesota. Please contact us with your event suggestions, questions about how to get involved, or to update your information with us.
Sincerely,
Ralph Wyman, Director/Organizer
MUUSJA
612-998-6624
rwmuusja@gmail.com
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H.I.R.E. Minnesota at MUUSJA Spring Meeting
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Sunday, March 29th, 1:00 pmLocation T.B.A. Come hear dynamic speaker and community leader Louis King speak about H.I.R.E. Minnesota - the Health care, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy coalition. H.I.R.E. is working to leverage public investments that grow our economy, provide living wages to low-income people and people of color, and promote a healthy communities. Louis King is the President and C.E.O. of Summit Academy O.I.C., which is the only community-based vocational training and job placement program in North Minneapolis. Summit empowers adults and prepares youth residing in
the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the Twin Cities to
become educated, employed contributing members of their community. Mr. King is an inspiring speaker who will help MUUSJA understand ho wwe can partner with H.I.R.E. to ensure that everyone benefits from the new, green economy!
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We also invite you to see how H.I.R.E. works - their meetings are energizing, informative, and hold elected officials accountable, all while build community. Please attend!Tues. Mar. 10th: Town Hall Meeting 6:30-8 PM Sabathani Community Center 310 East 38th Street Minneapolis, MN 55409 H.I.R.E. is calling for 20,000 people to converge on St. Paul to demand green jobs with economic justice! Plan now to attend this major pre-Earth Day rally!! Mon. Apr. 20th:
Capitol Day! 3-5pm
Minnesota State Capitol-South Lawn Details here
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| Thank You! |
We rely on YOU, our members and friends, for at least one third of all our operating funds.Help make MUUSJA a STRONG moral voice for justice in Minnesota. To make a contribution to MUUSJA, download this form to mail in your donation. Or call Ralph at 612-998-6624 for more information on memberships and giving. --=--
MUUSJA wishes to thank our funders. We are supported in part by the UUSC and the First Universalist Foundation. The Prairie Star District of the UUA acts as our fiscal sponsor. We are grateful for the support and assistance. |
Greening the Recovery: PolicyLink and Green for All
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More and more, we are hearing about green jobs as part of
both the economic recovery and as a way to begin the real work of addressing
climate change.
MUUSJA is making connections both locally and nationally to help move this
agenda of bringing together economic justice and climate justice in new and positive
ways.
Earlier this week we were part of a national conference call attended by over
500 activists, hosted by Van Jones of Green for All and Angela Glover Blackwell of PolicyLink.
This was a great chance to hear how local communities are linking up and
working to make sure that stimulus spending benefits low income communities and
trains low-skill workers to be part of the new economy.
You can read notes from the call to get details of the plans being made.
Green for All has produced an excellent Green Recovery for All toolkit to help activists and communities connect to the resources of the Recovery Act.
Key to this work will be citizen contacts to city governments and the state, to ensure that these stimulus dollars are used in ways that promote jobs for ALL and training for people previously excluded from these opportunities. Watch for a postcard campaign from EcoMinds, as well as other actions soon!
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