A Social Justice Task Force (SJTF) was formed in February for the purpose of identifying and initiating a congregation-wide social justice project. Task Force members are Lula Beatty, Sue Bollens, Carmelita Carter-Sykes, Mark Denome, Margaret McLellan, and Patricia Most. The Task Force surveyed all church members and held a listening session to determine congregational interests in social justice concerns. Based on those findings, recommendations for priority areas were made to the Board of Trustees along with implementation criteria that will help ensure the success of any project undertaken. The following three project areas were approved.

Project 1 Voting and Elections. This was the most highly endorsed and most time-sensitive priority. Paint Branch members attended the Unitarian Universalist Association voting workshop held at All Souls UU church which allowed us a jump start on this priority area. Project 1 is underway with Kathi Yu providing leadership. See Kathi if you want to volunteer for this work or if you want more information.

Project 2 Women’s Rights and Project 3 LGBTQIA+ Concerns. Mark DeNome and Lula Beatty, respectively, will be exploring whether there is sufficient congregational leadership and resources to begin implementation of these projects soon. Stay tuned for more information.

If you want more information about the SJTF findings, please send a note to stjf@pbuuc.org.