UUCSF Legislative Update. February 4, 2012. By Kitty Sherlock (kcsherlock43@yahoo.com) Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe, Social Justice Team
The goals of the UUCSF Social Justice Team and its Hunger and Poverty Task Force are based on the seven principles of Unitarian-Universalism. We are led by these basic values to foster and defend equality and diversity for human beings and respect for the interdependence of all living creatures. This list of current bills being debated in the NM State Legislature was based on input from the listed organizations. I have compiled the list (“PART 2”), along with recommendations for support or non-support, so as to encourage you to take informed action on relevant decisions that are being made right now, decisions that will either implement or ignore our values. I welcome your thoughts about this effort.
For more complete information please go to the UUCSF Legislative Advocacy page of our website.
First Sunday Giving
The recipient for the First Sunday Giving program on February 5th is the Human Rights Alliance. Its mission is building the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, raising political awareness and encouraging social action. The Alliance seeks to build coalitions with groups who will work for the civil rights of all New Mexicans. For further info, please visit www.santafehra.org –Pat Stephens, First Sunday Giving Coordinator
Songs of Peace & Justice Saturday, February 11, 8 pm Fogelson Hall
Veterans for Peace across the nation have become acquainted with Charlie King and Karen Brandow over the years as they have regularly performed at the annual event at Fort Benning, Georgia. There they protest the School of the Americas, known to the protestors – and many of the school's victims – as the School of the Assassins. In 2004, Charlie and Karen both performed and conducted a protest song workshop at the annual convention of Veterans for Peace, and two years later the Santa Fe chapter sponsored their concert at the James A. Little Theatre.
The Social Justice Team and the Veterans for Peace are delighted to help expose more Santa Feans to Charlie and Karen's art – sometimes touching ballads, sometimes hysterical satires, always relevant and enjoyable.
Legislative Advocacy 2012
The Social Justice Team appreciates the 63 responses we received to the survey asking about your priorities for legislative advocacy during the 2012 Session of the NM Legislature. We will use your responses to guide our advocacy efforts and to align them with the other UU congregations’ agendas in New Mexico. We will support all of the issues but give priority to the overall 3 top-rated issues - health care, hunger/nutrition and tax policy. For the complete results of the survey please go to http://www.uusantafe.org/outreach/social-justice-committee-overview/uucsf-legislative-advocacy.~Kitty Sherlock, SJT
Community Service Award Presentation
Debby Maas, director of the HOSTS (Help One Student To Succeed) program at Cesar Chavez Elementary
School, is the winner of our 2011 Distinguished Community Service Award. It will be presented to her at the 11:00 service on Sunday, November 20. Ms. Maas was selected by the Social Justice Team with board approval from the nominees proposed by congregation members.
Her program, now in its 13th year, reaches students needing special attention in reading and language arts. It matches each student with an adult volunteer on a one-to-one basis for a half-hour period four days a week. The child reads to the tutor and takes part in special exercises and games to improve word recognition and pronunciation. The vast majority of the students boost their performance by two reading levels or more. In the 2010-11 school year, 97 students were partnered with more than 110 adult volunteers. Cesar Chavez School serves one of the lowest-income neighborhoods in Santa Fe.
Since 1998 the UUCSF has given the DCSA to non-Unitarians who work for justice, strengthen the bonds of kinship and promote peace. Past winners are: Kathy and Corinne Sanchez of Tewa Women United; Ruth Hoffman of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry; the late Peggy Prince of Peace Action NM; Fred Nathan of Think NM; Dr. Arturo Gonzales of La Familia Medical Center; and Hank Hughes of St. Elizabeth’s Shelter. The event is a recurrent reminder of our UUCSF presence in the larger Santa Fe community.
New Mexico UU’s Study Immigration
THE VP (vagina-penis) DIALOGUES is “Just Say NO!” Enough to Know? Welcome to a performance piece THE VP (vagina-penis) DIALOGUES. From the overture written by Santa Fe’s Alice Ladas, - co-author of The G Spot, the performance is both entertaining and educational, illustrating the universal questions about our two favorite anatomical parts. This piece is all about questions. Audience members are invited to write their own questions, which will be answered in the after-show talkback. What have you always wanted to ask and not had a safe place?
Social Justice News
