Donate to Evanston’s Reparations Fund: October 8, 2021
At last Sunday’s Interfaith Reparations workshop we learned about an exciting opportunity to support Evanston’s Reparations program. A group of UCE members has pledged up to $11,000 to match any contributions made to the Evanston Community Foundation’s Reparations Fund. Contributions to the fund will be doubled.
Donations are tax-deductible and will be used to “directly benefit Evanston’s Black community and to heal racism and address harm caused by discriminatory practices.” Plans are underway for funds to be used to improve health care, pay for education, and help expand housing and business opportunities for Evanston’s black community. To find out more, you can visit the group’s website at Evanstonforever.org.
Donations should be made in the next four weeks. To donate by mail, write a check to ‘Evanston Reparations Community Fund’ at 1560 Sherman Ave, Suite 535, Evanston IL 60201. You can also donate on-line by visiting the online donation page. In both cases make sure to write “Interfaith Reparations Workshop” on the memo line of your check or in the space reserved for ‘Tribute Information’ on the on-line form, that way the Community Foundation will know your contribution qualifies for matching funds.
You’re also welcome to give directly to the housing fund established by the City of Evanston and supported primarily by cannabis taxes. You can donate to the housing fund here. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet been able to work out a way with the City of Evanston to double donations made to this site.
Either of these funds provide a great way for us to live our values, show our support for the city of Evanston’s Reparations efforts, and atone for the discrimination suffered by the city’s black community. We hope you’ll consider making a donation today.
Many thanks to those who’ve contributed to the matching fund. This announcement is not for you. We’ll ask you to fulfill your pledge in a few weeks, after we know how much money has been collected from the rest of the congregation.
Also at last week’s Reparations workshop, we heard inspiring words from former Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, the driving force behind Evanston’s program. She urged people of faith to actively support the work that’s begun in Evanston, healing rifts in our congregations and working for better housing and more city services for all. She also urged support for the national Reparations bill, HR-40. The workshop closed with time for participants to offer suggestions on how we all can stay involved. Be looking for information on next steps in upcoming issues of the newsletter.
Reparations Workshop Update: October 1, 2021
The final session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely on-line. Register today to attend.
This week, we’ll be hearing from former Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, who spear-headed the Reparations movement in Evanston. We’ll also be hearing about an exciting opportunity for us to support this important racial justice initiative.
Our second session last week, which focused on the history of race relations in Evanston, was very well-received. We heard from a panel of local religious leaders, as well as from Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center.
Are you familiar with the Dodge Ave YMCA? The Community Hospital? The crusading 5th Ward Alderman who integrated the public school teaching staff and began the fight for equal housing in Evanston. Tune in to the recording of last week’s session to find out more.
Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop this faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We have begun to explore what “reparations” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and to consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.
To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here.
This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.
Reparations in Evanston Workshop Update: September 24, 2021
The second session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely on-line. Register today to attend.
Our first session last week, which focused on the history of Reparations, was very well-received. We heard from both Rev. Michael Nabors of Second Baptist Church and Woullard Lett, a leader with N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) and New England UUA Regional lead.
There were also several opportunities during last week’s session for workshop participants to reflect on the issue and share their views. Next week we’ll focus on the history of race relations in Evanston and the ways our faith traditions call us to be involved. We’ll be joined by Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center, as well as by a panel of local religious leaders. Evanston Reparations founder Robin Rue Simmons will join us for week #3.
Each session will offer participants a chance to exchange ideas, ask questions, and get involved. We’ll also give you updates on the Evanston Reparations project and on various related funding efforts. Before each session, you can enhance your learning by reading and reflecting on selected articles and videos.
Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop this faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We will explore what “reparations” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.
To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here.
This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.
With many different faith traditions involved in our sessions, we’ll have the chance to exchange ideas and learn about the experiences of residents throughout the community. Working with church archivists and religious leaders from throughout Evanston, we plan to focus on how local faith communities have responded to racial discrimination in the past and what we can do to level the playing field moving forward.
Reparations in Evanston Workshop Update: September 10, 2021
Coming soon! A three-part workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston. On-line sessions will be held on Sunday afternoons September 19, 26, and October 3 from 4 to 5:30 pm. Register today to attend.
Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop a faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We will explore what “reparation” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.
While news releases and public meetings have introduced the Evanston reparations program to local residents, they have not emphasized reconciliation and repair. In our sessions we plan to look at different faith traditions’ grounding in social justice; and encourage each of us to consider how we’re effected by current inequities, what we can do to end injustice, and how we can begin to repair our community.
All workshop sessions will be held on-line. Our guest speakers will include former Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, who initiated the Evanston program; Morris (Dino) Robinson, local historian and co-founder of Shorefront Legacy Center; and Woullard Lett, a representative of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA).
Each session will offer participants a chance to exchange ideas, ask questions, and get involved. We’ll also give you current updates on the Evanston Reparations project and on various related funding efforts. Before each session, you can enhance your learning by reading and reflecting on selected articles and videos.
To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here .
This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.
With many different faith traditions involved in our sessions, we’ll have the chance to exchange ideas and learn about the experiences of residents throughout the community. Working with church archivists and religious leaders from throughout Evanston, we plan to focus on how local faith communities have responded to racial discrimination in the past and what we can do to ‘level the playing field’ moving forward.
Insist on Justice! Resist Inequality!: April 21, 2018
We’re organizing for the greater good. Come and share ideas and best practices with leaders in the fight for income equality, racial justice and immigrant rights at a conference titled: ‘Insist on Justice! Resist Inequality” to held at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, 9:30am – 3pm on Saturday, April 21.
After a keynote speech delivered by author Chuck Collins on the pivotal role played by social and economic equality in building a more just society, a panel of activists will share what they’ve learned about how to encourage more folks to join the movement, how to inspire volunteers and how to work in coalitions. Over lunch we’ll also have the chance to share ideas and learn from each other as we develop our own plans for the future.
Chuck Collins is the author of “Born on Third Base” and “99 to 1” which detail how government policy adds to US social imbalance and what we can do about it. He is the Senior Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC and has worked with William Gates Sr and others to increase social responsibility and support for the inheritance tax among the wealthy.
Alan Mills of the Uptown People’s Law Center will share his insight into the fight for the rights of prisoners, tenants, and disabled people. Invited panelists also include Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and Fred Tsao of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
This event is sponsored in part by the Unitarian Universalist Funding Program and the Unitarian Church of Evanston and its Susan Walker Fund for social justice.
To register for the conference at a cost of $15, including lunch, click here.
Combating Racism in Word and Deed: Spoken Word Poetry
Wednesday , February 6, 7pm, Rm 3
You’re invited to join P&J and the local members of UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) at a presentation of spoken word poetry by Christopher Sims, poetry slam veteran and adjunct professor at Rock Valley College. Christopher, who also serves as staff administrator for UUJEC, will recite some of his poems at a program titled “Combatting Racism in Word and Deed: Spoken Word Poetry and More”.
Christopher has presented his poems at venues throughout Northern Illinois and had them published in both UU and issue-oriented publications. As he writes in his poem Multicultural Soup,
Nchi yangu ni nchi yenu.
My land is your land.
We stir together. We live amongst
one another. We share our cultures.
We value our uniqueness in this
multicultural soup.
Christopher will also describe for us some of the activities currently underway by UUJJEC. The group has developed traditional and video curricula on Income Inequality and Money in Politics for use by UU congregations, and it hosts monthly webinars on such topics as universal health care and revisions to the federal income tax.
The evening will conclude with a discussion of what new actions we might want to take as a group to end racism and limit the effects of the growing wealth gap in US society. Please join us!
DC Lobbying Conference
Tom Ticknor and others at the DC Conference
Members of the church attended a conference in Washington, DC April 3-5 titled “Healthcare as a UU Value”. At the conference they heard from Sister Simone Campbell, one of the “nuns on the bus,” about the importance of telling our stories and from author and activist Chuck Collins, who’s just written a book titled ‘Born on Third Base’.
The conference was co-sponsored by UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) and the DC chapter of UUs for Social Justice (UUSJ). It included speakers who highlighted the importance of bringing our spiritual values to our activism work and experts from Americans from Tax Fairness and Nurses United who presented details on the current health care plan. On the final day of the conference, attendees met with 22 US Senators and their staff to lobby for the rights of every American to affordable and effective health care.
When the delegation from Illinois met with Sen Durbin and Sen Duckworth’s staff, they presented numerous letters from Illinois churches, including ours, stressing that health care is a human right and that care for needs to be strengthened and not eliminated for those least able to pay.
According to Amirah Sequeira of National Nurses United, even with the Affordable Care Act 28 million Americans still have no health insurance. She told the group that Sen John Conyers has introduced HR676 the “Medicare for All” bill; it now has over 80 co-sponsors.
The group also met with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the 7th District in Washington state, the only UU currently serving in the US Congress. She criticized Trump’s proposed health care bill as a “huge transfer of wealth”; it would have eliminated the higher tax rates for the wealthy and for large corporations put in place to help pay for the subsidies of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Rep Jayapal was especially concerned that Republicans might turn to state courts to try and cut-back the Medicaid subsidies now in place in many states.
As follow-up to the conference the UUJEC is planning to create a multi-session curriculum on improving healthcare in the US and how it relates to the growing problem of income inequality. The group also is considering holding regional conferences on the health care to continue efforts to mobilize congregations around this issue.
News from CRS, UUANI, UU Prison Ministry
Progress and preparation for change with CRS, UU Prison Ministry, and UUANI:
CRS (Community Renewal Society) greatly influenced the Chicago police accountability changes passed by the Chicago City Council recently. While it was not everything CRS wanted, it was far better than what the mayor proposed to start, with guaranteed funding for the oversight office and an increased community role in police oversight.
Join Community Renewal Society for our Annual Membership Assembly on Saturday November 12th! Hundreds of people of faith from the member congregations of CRS will gather at St Agatha Catholic Church (3151 W Douglas Blvd) from 8:30am-12:00pm to celebrate our recent victories, learn about the results of our Organizational Listening & Visioning Process, and prepare for our coming year of action! We will celebrate the passage of four pieces of legislation to reduce barriers to employment for people with criminal records in addition to the other victories we accomplished together. Contact Dale Griffin for more information or to RSVP today!
The UU Prison Ministry of Illinois held a workshop on radical hospitality on October 1 at Countryside Church UU in Palatine, which Dave Conrad, Brian Meister and Michael Skilton attended. This is step toward making our congregations more welcoming and helpful to people returning from prison.
UUANI (UU Advocacy Network of Illinois) is our shared plate recipient this month and is conducting a statewide fundraising campaign to support the work of our half time minister, Rev. Scott Aaseng.
For more information on any of these please contact Dale Griffin or other participants. DaleCGriffin@comcast.net
Why do we have Black Lives Matter yard signs at UCE?
March 2015
After both services, as we celebrate Selma Sunday this week, Peace and Justice Committee members will be at a table in the back of the sanctuary with “Black Lives Matter” yard signs. You may wonder why the signs affirm that Black Lives Matter, why they don’t read “All Lives Matter,” or how this issue affects our church members. Don’t worry — you’re not alone! Most UCE members have not found ourselves in the center of the Black Lives Matter movement. We may not be close to anyone who risks violence simply because of the color of their skin. We sincerely may not understand why youth continue public protests as the cold Chicago weather goes on, or why it matters to Unitarian Universalists.
A national group of UUs addressing racial justice, Are UU Awake, asked churches nationwide to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by displaying banners and signs. It means a great deal to them that UU churches show our neighbors, and especially the African American community, that we care about what’s happening.
Of course all lives matter, but Black youth are losing their lives to police and vigilante violence at a stunning rate. The Department of Justice report this week sheds light on the racial disparities of Ferguson’s court system, and the blatant racism in local law enforcement emails. The deaths of Black youth and the systemic lack of accountability for these killings will not change unless people who are not directly affected care, and speak out for change.
Our UCE mission, “Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole”, and our UU principles, call us to care about the lives of people whose circumstances are vastly different from our own. Check out the UU World March 2015 for a great article by Kenny Wiley on efforts to raise awareness in Denver. Read UU Minister Daniel Schatz’s response to a community member’s demand that he change his church banner to say “All Lives Matter.” Take a moment to consider this New York Times Op-Ed, What’s Wrong with Black Lives Matter? Ultimately the conversation, as difficult as it is, helps us move closer to a world of less hatred and mistrust, greater solidarity and justice.
We have sold 44 yard signs so far. If you would like to purchase one for $5 for your yard or your window, we welcome you to check with us at the back of the sanctuary after either service on March 8. We expect to take some criticism from neighbors, family, and friends. These conversations are well worth having, and richly reward us in building understanding, compassion, and justice in our community.
REPARATIONS STUDY TOWN HALL
Submitted by Tom Hempfling, April 2016
In January 2016, a petition was initiated at UCE to express support for Rep. John Conyers’ House Bill HR 40. This bill will conduct a study of proposals for reparations to the descendants of slaves in America, and it includes studying the effects of slavery and its later manifestations in our society today. A key purpose of HR40 and of making reparations to the African American community is reconciliation – to help make one
America from this divided nation.
Among other areas of inquiry, HR 40 would:
• study the economic deprivation and physical and emotional suffering of the descendants of slaves, including deprivation that occurred because of U.S. Government policies
• seek to expand educational efforts to help Americans move toward a “common memory,” and thus a greater sense of true community in our nation.
If reparations are enacted, the form they could take has yet to be defined, but an example could be public works that include racial justice in their mission.
Our proposal and its rationale was described in an article in the Jan 8, 2016 UCE newsletter and was discussed at a Crackerbarrel session on January 24. On Feb 17 we presented 77 signatures to the Board of Trustees, well in excess of the number needed to bring the proposal to the congregation. A discussion is scheduled for the May 1 Town Hall Meeting, and the proposal is on the agenda for the May 15 congregational meeting.
If it is approved, we will inform elected representatives and others at a later date of its approval and submit a Proposed Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) to the UUA prior to its next deadline of October 1, 2016, for consideration and eventual adoption as a Statement of Conscience by the UUA, or for incorporation into the existing CSAI in progress on “Escalating Inequality.”