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Social Justice
Want to be an agent of change in the community and the world? This is the place for you.
For more information:
Jeri Bigbee
209-931-6871
jeribigbee@gmail.com
The First UU Church Social Justice Committee is involved in a variety of efforts, including ...
Supporting Local Non-Profit Organizations
On one Sunday of each month, our offering goes to support a local non-profit organization. This effort raises over $2,500 annually.
Addressing Homelessness and Hunger
We are a leading congregation in supporting Family Promise of San Joaquin (http://familypromisesjc.org/), a local interfaith effort that proactively addresses homelessness in our community through providing comprehensive services to families at risk. We also coordinate food and clothing drives to support local agencies supporting families facing food insecurity and poverty.
Environmental Action
We are leaders in promoting a healthy, sustainable and equitable community. In 2022 we established the First UU Church Waterwise Garden in collaboration with the Master Gardeners of San Joaquin County and Cal Water. On the third Saturday of each month we host a "parking lot event" where we collect recyclables and donations for community organizations. In September each year we also participate in Coastal Cleanup Day, cleaning up the Calaveras River. We also maintain an “Adopt-a-Road” crew that provides ongoing clean-up on a county road and we host an annual water-wise plant sale with plantings from our own gardens. .
In Addition....
We coordinate and participate in a variety of community efforts to promote peace, justice, equity, and inclusion, including community forums, petition drives, and demonstrations. Each year we also participate in the Peaceful Holiday Fair, sponsored by the Peace and Justice Network of San Joaquin County and the San Joaquin Pride Festival.
Banned Books Lending Library
Banned books are in the news of late, but the concept has been an issue in society, for --- forever. Click this link to get a short history of book-banning in the U.S. from the Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-banned-books-in-america-180983011/
If you are wondering what all the fuss is about, check out our small lending library during coffee hour. Take a look at our current holdings (spreadsheet attached) to see the range of books we have and where they’ve been banned. Some of have been banned in elementary, middle, and/or high schools; some from libraries; some eliminated from specific school curricula. We’re betting that just reading one of these will give you a very strong opinion about at what age, and in what context, a particular book should be included, as an option or a requirement. For example, one title in our collection is Maus, a two-part graphic novel written by an established graphic novelist about his parents’ story of being Holocaust victims and his own story of trying to learn his parents’ story. It is banned from an 8th grade curriculum unit on the Holocaust in one school in Tennessee. What do you think? Grab a book; join the conversation!
