By Dr. Leondar-Wright
Millions of Americans just saw their health insurance costs skyrocket. Are any of your congregation members among them?
Hundreds of thousands have lost jobs due to federal cuts to public agencies, research, DEI, refugee resettlement and green energy. Are any of your congregation members among them?
Another government shutdown would threaten millions of people’s SNAP benefits and other government assistance. Are any of your congregation members among them?
Millions of immigrants and citizens of color are afraid to go to work, school or shopping for fear of being kidnapped by ICE. Are any of your congregation members among them?
The costs of electricity, food, housing and imported goods have shot up, making it hard for millions to pay all their bills. Are any of your congregation members among them?
Talking about personal finances can seem taboo in our culture. But this terrible era in our country needs to be a time for sharing our hardships and fears with each other, and a time for pooling our resources. Does your congregation create supportive avenues for members to share their difficulties or their abundance?
What Can You Do?
Thanks to the New York State Convention of Universalists, UU Class Conversations has begun a UU Mutual Aid pilot. The project will help congregations learn how to use mutual aid to better support their own and other UUs who have been hard hit by job loss and/or rising costs. If your congregation might be interested in becoming a founding member of this pilot project, contact Denise Moorehead at info@uuclassconversations.org.
It’s also a time for advocacy and protest. Would you like to get action alerts from Health Care for All, from UU Action (go to UUA Justice and click UU Action), or from your local immigrant rights organizations?
Does your email feed include the voices of people suffering in this economy, such as from Community Change or the Poor People’s Campaign?
Sometimes putting love at the center means opening our ears to more voices and stepping out of our comfort zone to have cross-class conversations.