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Social Action News
 Annual Earth Day Community Service Project - On April 20, younger members of the Foxborough Universalist Church, a Unitarian Universalist congregation, held their annual Foxborough Common Clean-up as part of the church's Earth Day observance.
News From GA 2008
Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly Affirms Rights for Immigrants and Same-Gender Couples
The 2008 General Assembly of the Unitarian
Universalist Association (UUA) concluded its five-day
meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, by adopting
resolutions on a broad slate of social justice
issues, from opposing a US attack on Iran to
advocating for a higher minimum wage. In addition to
tending to official business, the attendees from all
fifty states and several foreign countries
worshipped, celebrated, rallied, and attended classes
at “UU University” to learn how to be more effective
in our home congregations.
Six resolutions on urgent social issues, called
“Actions of Immediate Witness” (AIWs) were passed.
Five actions passed overwhelmingly, with little or no
debate: End Present Day Slavery in the Fields, Oppose
a U.S. Attack on Iran, Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
to $10 in 2010, Extend the Tax Credit for Wind and
Solar Power, and Oppose the Florida and California
Marriage Protection Initiatives. The only proposed
action with a significant opposition was Single Payer
Health Care, which passed by a two-thirds majority.
General Assembly included several workshops and
demonstrations in support of farm workers as well as
a public rally in Ft. Lauderdale with local leaders
from the immigrant and
gay/lesian/bisexual/transgender communities. In his
remarks at the event, called “Valuing All Families,”
President Rev. William Sinkford explained, “Our
vision of justice is not limited to concern for one
oppressed group. It's a vision of justice in which
all American families are valued. We say that the
Beloved Community must have room for all of us.”
The delegates voted to adopt a Study/Action Issue on
Ethical Eating. Study/Action Issues charge Unitarian
Universalists (UUs) to devote time and attention over
four years to an emerging issue that unites theology
with practice. By selecting this issue, UU
congregations have challenged themselves to address
two of the world's biggest problems: social
inequality and environmental destruction.
Some of General Assembly’s worship services, plenary
sessions, and workshops are available to watch
on-line through www.uua.org/ga (click on “2008 Event
Coverage” link). The Unitarian Universalist
Association, of which the Foxborough Universalist
Church, UUA, is a member, is a faith community of
more than 1,000 self-governing congregations that
bring to the world a vision of religious freedom,
tolerance, and social justice.
Your Thoughts?
What do you think about the following six Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs) and the Statement Of Conscience approved or passed at GA2007?
News from GA '06: Towards Right Relations
General Assembly was held in St. Louis, MO, , from June 21-25, 2008.
The Assembly voted to endorse five Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs) which
are official statements on social justice issues. The Actions included
calls to End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, Endorse "The Declaration of Peace" Campaign, Pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, Stand Up for the United Nations Human Rights Council, and Support immigrant Justice. Click here for the full text of these AIW's.
The 2006 GA Delegates voted overwhelmingly to pass the Statement of
Conscience "Threat of Global Warming". The SOC is available by clicking here.
This year's delegates also voted "Peacekeeping" as the 2006-2010 Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI). Information about this CSAI is available by clicking here.
"Earth is our home. We are part of this world and its destiny is our own. Life on this planet will be gravely affected unless we embrace new practices, ethics, and values to guide our lives on a warming planet. As Unitarian Universalists, how can our faith inform our actions to remedy
and mitigate global warming/climate change? We declare by this Statement of Conscience that we will not acquiesce to the ongoing degradation and destruction of life that human actions are leaving to our children and grandchildren. We as Unitarian Universalists are called to join with others to halt practices that fuel global warming/climate change, to instigate sustainable alternatives, and to mitigate the impending effects of global warming/climate change with just
and ethical responses. As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence."
* from "Threat Of Global Warming" A Unitarian Universalist Association
Statement of Conscience
Reverse Trick-or-Treating: Children, Families, & Congregations
Take Action on Behalf of Cocoa Growers & Labors in West Africa
As costumed children filled the streets for another year of Halloween
sweets, local children and families in Foxborough, Mansfield, Plainville,
and across North America turned this traditional Halloween ritual
on its head; this year, it was the kids handing out the chocolate.
Reversing the trick or treat model, these young people gave away
tens of thousands of samples of Fair Trade Certified chocolate to address the persistent problems of chronic poverty in cocoa-growing communities, abysmal working conditions, and the use of exploited child labor in the Ivory Coast - which produces 40% of the world's cocoa.
The Reverse-Trick-or-Treating program joined human and labor rights
groups - such as the International Labor Rights Forum, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and Global Exchange - with the West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, based Fair trade chocolate company Equal Exchange to raise awareness of children and grownups about Fair Trade Certified(TM) chocolate as a solution to poverty and labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Fair Trade farmers are required to abide by international labor laws that prohibit
illegal child labor. In addition, the Fair Trade system also ensures
that farmers receive a fair, stable price for their cocoa and that environmentally sustainable farming practices are applied.
US consumers eat 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate annually, representing
nearly half the world's supply. The International Institute for Tropical
Agriculture for USAID has estimated that 284,000 children work in abusive
child labor conditions on cocoa farms in West Africa, the world's largest
cocoa producer, and that 64% of those children are under 14 years old. Through the 2001 Harkin-Engel Protocol, politicians and advocacy groups
have pressured chocolate companies to identify and eliminate any usage
of child labor in the growing and processing of cocoa beans. The
cocoa industry however has not met the substantive benchmarks for eradicating
abusive child labor or improving conditions on cocoa farms, despite repeated
promises. A recently conducted study, commissioned by the U.S. Dept. of
Labor, details how little progress the industry has made towards these
goals. The study will be released the week after Halloween.
The children of the Foxborough Universalist Church demonstrated
several Unitarian Universalist principles in action by participating in
Reverse Trick-Or-Treating (as the first of this year's social justice service
projects) and implementing it. On Sunday, October 28, they learned more
about fair trade, discussed many of the issues involved, and wrote
letters to the big chocolate/candy companies to request that they use fair
trade chocolate. On Halloween, the children gave out samples
of Fair Trade Certified chocolate to some residents in Foxborough,
Mansfield, and Plainville. Accompanying the chocolate samples was a card listing a few details about Fairly Traded Chocolate. By
participating in this project, the children expanded their knowledge
of fairly traded products, the use of fairly traded goods that are enjoyed
at church events, and the long-standing tradition and participation of Unitarian Universalists in issues concerning fair trade and the impacts of global economics on the lives of people around the world.
This Halloween, the distribution of Fair Trade chocolate was intended
to: demonstrate that there already exists at least one reliable, transparent
tool that the dominant cocoa and chocolate companies may adopt to fight
cocoa poverty; raise the profile of the chocolate made available by companies
who have committed to using only Fair Trade Certified cocoa; and put public
pressure on the large chocolate companies to follow suit.
Reverse-trick-or-treating comes on the heels of a statement released
by 47 organizations and fair trade companies around the world outlining
key elements to an ethical cocoa sourcing policy. The statement,
"Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing: Abolishing Unfair Labor Practices
and Addressing Their Root Causes," is attached below. The Fair Trade
Chocolate is provided by Equal Exchange, a provider of high quality, organic
coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, and healthy snacks to grocery
stores, restaurants and places of worship nationwide. 100% of
Equal Exchange products are fairly traded, benefiting over 30 small farmer
cooperatives in 16 countries around the world. In keeping with its Fair
Trade mission Equal Exchange is a worker cooperative, owned and democratically
controlled by its employees.
For other information, please visit www.equalexchange.coop/reverse
or www.reversetrickortreating.org.
Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing Abolishing Unfair Labor Practices
and Addressing Their Root Causes
We, the undersigned, represent chocolate companies, social justice organizations,
faith-based groups, labor unions, citizens, consumers, investors, and retailers.
Together we wish to bring attention to the profound social and economic
problems that persist in the global cocoa and chocolate industries.
We recognize that in the global supply chain, workers on cocoa farms
are sometimes subject to unacceptable forms of exploitation, including
debt bondage, trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor, and that
the standard models for trade and cocoa pricing have left cocoa farmers
impoverished and economically vulnerable year after year.
We acknowledge that all of us within the nations who import and consume
nearly all of the world's cocoa production have a particular responsibility
to use our economic, social and moral power to address these problems.
Further, we commit ourselves to doing what we can in our respective roles
to quickly reform this important industry that shapes the lives of millions
of small farmers, farm workers, and thousands of rural communities around
the world.
Specifically, for those of us who are direct commercial participants
in the cocoa supply chain - from the level of the farm to the consumer-we
commit ourselves to abide by the steps articulated below or to work with
other commercial signatories who do so. Other signatories, such as interested
non-profit or faith-based organizations, pledge our support of these measures
and will work to increase their adoption within the cocoa and chocolate
industry.
1) Provide transparency in the cocoa supply
chain to farm level. We will provide our customers with detailed
information about the origins of our cocoa beans and will support the establishment
of systems that can map in any given growing season all the farms, production
sites and cooperatives from which we may have sourced cocoa beans. Additionally,
we will publish and make publicly available full information on any payments
made to government entities in cocoa-producing countries.
2) Commit to sourcing exclusively from farms
and cooperatives which respect the core ILO labor standards, and pay a
price adequate for those producers to meet these standards. We will have
our products certified by a third party auditor which is independent from
our companies to ensure that core labor standards are upheld by our producers
and within our supply chains.
3) Pay farmers a fair and adequate price for
the cocoa we purchase. "Fair and adequate" is defined as a price that exceeds
the costs of production and that allows farmers to meet the basic human
needs of their families and workers, including adequate nutrition, shelter,
medical care, and primary education.
4) Implement - or maintain - as the case may be, the following
structural practices so as to ensure farmers a consistently better price:
simplifying our supply chain, working with cooperatives, encouraging cooperatization,
providing more market information to farmers, and committing to long-term
trade relationships with cocoa producers.
5) Support the drafting and enforcement of national
and international laws that prohibit human trafficking, debt bondage and
the other worst forms of child labor (in accordance with ILO Convention
182).
6) Commit to 100% Fair Trade Certified sourcing of
cocoa or to financing the rehabilitation, reintegration, and education
of children who have been exploited by the worst forms of child labor (in
accordance with ILO Convention 182) on cocoa farms, both in the growing
countries and labor exporting countries, through direct support to local
and international development organizations with an expertise in child
rights.
Endorsers
African Immigrant & Refugee Foundation
Americans for Informed Democracy
Amherst Fair Trade Partnership
Association of Concerned Africa Scholars
Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition
Casa Maria Catholic Worker
Choco-Revo
Cool Hemp Company, Inc.
Co-op America
Daily Acts
Druide
Earth Rights Institute
Equal Exchange
Équiterre
Ethical Bean Coffee
Ethix Ventures Inc.
Fair Trade LA
Fair Trade Manitoba
Fair Trade Resource Network
Federation of Southern Cooperatives - Rural Training and Research Center
Food & Water Watch
Foreign Policy in Focus
Global Exchange
Global Witness
Human Rights Action Service
International Labor Rights Forum
Ithaca Fine Chocolates
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
Just Us! Coffee Roasters
La Siembra Cooperative
Latin Organics Inc.
The Marquis Project
Organic Consumers Association
Oxfam-Québec Fair Trade
Providence Coffee
RESULTS Canada
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Riptides
Stop the Traffik
Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates
Ten Thousand Villages/Dix Mille Villages, Pointe Claire
Ten Thousand Villages, Vancouver East and West End
TransFair Canada
United Students for Fair Trade
Washington DC Fair Trade Coalition
World Neighbors
The 7 UU Principles - Children's Version
(a.k.a. Rainbow Path Principles - UU principles adapted to the Rainbow Colors)
We believe:
- RED: Respect all people
- ORANGE: Offer fair and kind treatment to all
- YELLOW: Yearn to learn throughout life
- GREEN: Grow by exploring ideas and values
- BLUE: Believe in your ideas and act on them
- INDIGO: Insist on a fair and peaceful world
- VIOLET: Value our connection to all life and nature
&
Say "Yes" To Cocoa and Chocolate!
Standing On The Side Of Love
Is it a Civil Right?
The UUA joined the Anti-Federal Marriage Amendment Coalition, which is a growing group opposed to amending the Constitution to promote discrimination. Whether or not they support same-gender marriage, these groups see this as a civil rights issue requiring immediate attention. Additionally, some groups view it as an issue of religious liberty, separation of church and state, and/or states' rights.
 While there is by no means universal support among UUs for or against same gender marriage, we can contact our legislators and let them know our individual view on this issue. Legislators will be voting on this issue again soon. More information from both sides of this issue can be found on-line at many locations. Prior links have changed content; to find more information regarding this issue try places such as here or here.
Create Worldwide Awareness: Global Days for Darfur (April 23 -30, 2007)
Time is running out for the people of Darfur. Join UUSC, UU-UNO, the Save Darfur Coalition, and activists across the globe to create worldwide awareness of genocidal violence which has, since 2003, left an estimated 400,000 dead, 2.5 million innocent civilians displaced, and 4 million men, women, and children completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan
genocide of 1994, has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter.
To call attention to the escalating violence and the continued failure of the international community to adequately respond to this crisis, activists across the world have come together to plan "Global Days for Darfur". This week of rallies, marches, and vigils will run from April 23 - April 30, 2007, and will highlight that "time is running out" for the people of Darfur.
Please support your fellow advocates around the globe in speaking out for the people of Darfur by joining an event in your area. If there are currently no activities planned in your community, we hope you will consider starting your own event during this important week.
Guest At Your Table 2008
This year's GAYT kick-off date is November 23, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Since 1975, Unitarian Universalists have observed this special tradition. Through GAYT we celebrate the worth and dignity of all people and learn how to put these values into action and help the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (www.uusc.org) continue it's work to promote human rights and social
justice worldwide. The Guest at Your Table experience of families learning together has built lasting connections to UU values for generations of UU youth.
Social Action & Social Justice News
Social Action/Social Justice Opportunities & Events
The Sunshine Committee volunteers their time and talents to help church family members who could use a little Sunshine; please contact about the committee. *
Coalition Against Discrimination in the Constitution Needs Campus Organizers!
Are you interested in joining a campaign to keep discrimination out of the US Constitution? The UUA is part of the National Coalition Against Discrimination in the Constitution. The coalition is looking for grass-roots organizers -- especially folks who can organize a campus
group. Sound like you? Sign up for their grass-roots listserv
(cadc-grassroots-subscribe@yahoogroups.com) to find out how you can get involved! If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Bukey, Legislative Assistant for Civil Rights and Religious Liberty, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, ebukey@uua.org (202) 296-4672 x22, 1320 18th St. NW, Suite 300B, Washington, DC 20036.
"Don't forget us"
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and others affected many family pets, farm, zoo, & aquarium animals, and wildlife too. The Humane Society of the  U.S.,
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and others
have sent rescue teams to Louisiana and Mississippi to find, rescue,
set up shelters, and bring hundreds of stranded animals to safety.
They hope to reunite families and their pets, but plan to place those they
can not in foster homes or up for adoption. According to USA Today
(9/3/05), "Animal rescue groups have gotten calls from pet owners desperate
for someone to rescue animals they'd left behind...Funds are needed not
only for immediate rescues, but also long-term rebuilding and support of
shelters throughout the region.". More information can be found from:
www.hsus.org, www.la-spca.org, www.aspca.org, www.arlboston.org, and others.
Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Flooding, Tsunamis, and other Disaster Relief efforts
Interested in helping? Presently, most agencies are only looking for financial contributions - The UUA has joined the effort and donations of money are being accepted through the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
To help by donating food around the world with the click of your mouse, please visit The
Hunger Site. For more and updated information regarding these natural disasters, the ongoing search for victims and survivors, and ongoing health, housing, and infrastructure concerns + please visit
USAID, UN,
or ReliefWeb.
Other Organizations Helping Those Affected By The Recent Natural Disasters
There have been many reports of fraudelent charities since the recent hurricanes. You can begin finding another organization (besides our "Operation Home Delivery" fundraiser!) to donate to through the following lists*: some GrassRoots organizations, FEMA - How You Can Help, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, NOLA.com Hurricane Relief Services, UUA-UUSC, and others. (*not a full list and we do not guarantee anything about any of the organizations listed on these sites). Before you pick an agency to donate your funds or time to, please investigate their overall performance record,
philosophy, and methods through their literature or via associations
that rate philanthropic organizations. A few places on-line are: www.give.org,
www.guidestar.org, and www.charitywatch.org.
Ongoing UUSC Coffee Project
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee "Coffee Project"
serves as a direct link between our community and farming communities in
Latin America, Africaa, and Asia. Through this project, we
can enjoy great coffee, tea, or cocoa while helping small farmers as
they build a better future for themselves and their families.
Through the project, farmers earn a fair price for their products, have
access to affordable credit, and gain a long-term trading partner they
can trust, a fair trade organization. We've been enjoying one of their varieties during Friendship Hour and will be taking orders for their products from the congregation soon.
Restocking The Shelves
Our revived monthly Foxborough Food Pantry drive donation box is in the Sanctuary - eagerly awaiting a can or box or two. All items collected will be donated to the pantry at the beginning of next month to help others in our community. Please donate if you can!
A Few Other Recent Activities Through Our Church
Read To Feed
"The Power of You & You"
Guest at Your Table 2006 Wrap-up
More than half of our church members joined the UUSC or renewed their membership during the 2006 Guest at Your Table program. Children and adults contributed $1,050 through checks and coin box donations. We also qualified for $860 in matching contributions (from the UUA congregation at Shelter Rock, NY), for a total of $1,910 to help the UUSC work for social justice and human rights in the US and around the globe.
Thanks to:
- The children of our church who contributed their own money to help the UUSC work for the oppressed and poor people around the world.
- Adults who generously wrote checks to join the UUSC or renew their membership. These membership donations are the largest source of funding for the UUSC.
- The church youth and children for preparing posters to promote the Guest at Your Table program.
- Doug for coordinating the fundraiser again.
This overwhelming support will allow our church to maintain for the third year its position in the Vision of Justice banner category, for congregations with exceptional numbers of individual UUSC members (greater than 50% membership in the UUSC).
The "Operation Home Delivery" Walk-A-Thon
The "Operation Home Delivery" Walk-A-Thon was a huge success! Thankfully, the rain stopped long enough for the event to proceed as planned, and about 24 children happily participated on October 23. Donations to the children's efforts totaled $1017. All of this money was donated via check to "Operation Home Deivery". Thank-You again to everyone that participated in, helped with, and/or donated to the relief effort!
Operation Iraqi Children Update
Our effort to send school supplies to children in Iraq was a huge success!
On Friday November 19, everyone pitched in and when we were done, we had
a big pile of kits to send to Iraq. We also had plenty of letters written
to the children of Iraq to add to our boxes and everyone present signed
a thank you letter to the US soldiers who will deliver the kits to the
children. We also assembled a box of sports equipment and toys containing
soccer balls, jump ropes, frisbees, hand pumps for the soccer balls, and hand puppets. Thank you to all of the children who worked
on the project, and thank you to Leah, Lisa, Janet, and Dick. A big thanks to the entire congregation for helping our project to be a big success both through your donations and through volunteering your time. This was
an inspiring project to be a part of. I'm sure we have helped to build
bridges between the US and Iraq and maybe if we are lucky, one of us will
someday receive a letter from a child with a little more hope in the world
because we have crossed their path.
LeeAnn
We've also participated in many other activities such as donating items to military families, raising money for Foxborough Discretionary Fund and Foxborough Food Pantry, Boycotts, UUSC Coffee Project, candlelight vigils and observances, Friendly Circle For The Blind, supporting the Freedom To Marry for all, Trick'or'Treat for Unicef, Oxfam America, and Mile Of Pennies.
Other Ongoing Opportunities and Events To Put Your "Faith In Action"
 Please
check out the bulletin board for some more suggestions and Social Action
Events and Opportunities. Also, before you pick an agency to donate
your funds or time to, please investigate their overall performance record,
philosophy, and methods through their literature or via associations
that rate philanthropic organizations. A few places on-line are: www.give.org,
www.guidestar.org, and www.charitywatch.org.
The UUA's Social Action News
The UUA has a long commitment to equality, justice, and rights for all. To see the resolutions and statements from 1961-present please visit here .
There are many offices and groups within the UUA that work on social
action . Among them are The UUA
Commission on Social Witness, the UU-United
Nations Office, and The Washington
Office for Advocacy. There are also numerous mailing lists devoted
to individual issues affecting us and our world. A full
listing of UUA supported mailing lists can be found here
and include such lists as BGLT-News, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Journey
Towards Wholeness News, and Just-UUs.
*Some on-line resources about Congregational Advocacy can be found at the following locations;
From The UUA's Office for Advocacy
 There has been much talk in the post-election analysis of the need for the concepts of faith, values, and a liberal worldview and agenda to come together. Well the good news for Unitarian Universalists is: that is who we are. We need to continue to lift our voices and exert our power and influence, in partnership with others, to bring into being the just, healthy, and safe world that we all desire. The Office for Advocacy and Witness will continue its advocacy and organizing around our core issues , is preparing a report of key priorities in the 109th Congress-and what UUs can do, and will continue to work with partners and other allies such as Faithful Democracy, National Voice, Campaign for Communities, and the UU Service
Committee. One thing they suggest UUs can do is to contact our representatives and talk to them about your core values and issues.
Other Social Action News and items of note from the UUA Offices:
 Civil War, Genocide, Human Rights Abuses, massacres, political assassinations, recruitment of child soldiers, civil rights violations, religious persecutions, torture, hate crimes, and more are ongoing in countries around the globe - Sierra
Leone, Nepal, Sudan, Haiti, Cote d'Ivoire, Columbia, Guinea, Liberia,
Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Peru, Chile, Angola, Croatia, Serbia, United States,
The Netherlands, Chechnya, Congo, Rwanda, and too many others.- The UUA-WOA is also actively working on the following
issues.
The UU's United Nations Office
The UU-United Nations Office (UU-UNO ) is an Associate Member of the
UUA that acts as our denomination's agent and voice at the United Nations.. "Through its work, the UU-UNO seeks to strengthen the United Nations
in its effort to promote peace and to eliminate war, discrimination, poverty
and disease, thus re-affirming our belief in the essential unity of the
human family. Inspired by Unitarian Universalist principles, we are committed
to peace, freedom and environmental responsibility, as well
as social, civil, and economic justice for all." UU-UNO
Envoys promote "UN Sunday "observances and keep themselves
and us updated on many topics, including Peace Initiatives,
Sustainable Development , The International Criminal Court , Eradication
of Landmines, Reform of the Security Council , and Human Rights
.
For more information, please contact the Ballou Channing District Envoy, Peter Smith. (current as of March 31, 2004), or visit the UU-UNO on-line at http://www.uu-uno.org.
Church, Faith, and State
If you, our minister, or our congregation would like to be more involved
with the UUA Washington Office's work on religion and state, please contact
Megan Joiner, Legislative Assistant for Civil and Human Rights at <mjoiner@uua.org> or 202-296-4672 x12. Please let her know your specific area of interest, actions you have participated in or organized in your congregation or town, and how often you would be willing to take action on issues of separation and church and state. While the UUA "..affirms the critical role of faith as a source of healing in our society... It is critical that Congress continue to expand-not contract-our civil rights laws. We need to move forward,
not backward."
* Disclaimer: Inclusion does not imply congregational
endorsement.
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