Social Justice Ministry

Social Justice Ministry
2021-22 Annual Report
May 13, 2022

Active Members: Carolyn Chaney (Chair), Hal Hill (note-taker), Rev. Tamara Casanova Suzuki, Larry Bishop, Gail Boehme, Marty Jenkins, Jan Ross

The Live Oak Social Justice Ministry continues to work for justice in our congregation, community and society at large. We continued to work for our previously set priorities: Climate Justice, Racial Justice, and Voting Rights. Under the leadership of Larry Bishop, we have continued to support Transition House through quarterly donations; we also resumed preparation of meals at TH, with many Live Oakers making salads & sandwiches, cutting watermelon, and a few folks making chili in the TH kitchen. We are also looking forward to participation in the Pride Foundation festival August 29.

We experimented with a new model for Half-Baskets this year; we designated 4 HB charities as regular annual recipients (Transition House, Camp de Benneville Pines, Showers of Blessing and UUJMCA). We then asked the congregation to nominate charities for 6-8 slots, and we retained 6-8 slots for SJM, to keep giving flexible. Two slots were reserved for Minister’s Choice (Discretionary Fund). This new model was partially successful, because it seemed to increase participation by congregation members and diversity of our selected charities. We plan to continue to reach out and ask for our members and friends to nominate charities for HBs, with outreach to begin in September. Twenty-one Half-Baskets were organized; the  supported organizations and the amounts donated are listed below.

For our Holiday Project this year, we supported two organizations. We collected purses & backpacks with toiletry supplies, and also new sweaters and sweatshirts and new/slightly used jackets, blankets and sleeping bags for clients of Adam’s Angels, which assists families and homeless individuals. A special Half Basket was split between Adam’s Angels and Transition House.

SJM held two “learning circles” during the hour after service this year. On February 13 we hosted a Zoom discussion of the book Breathe: A Letter to my Sons by Imani Perry. With plenty of advance notice, this discussion (led by Jan & Carolyn) was well attended, and participants indicated interest in more discussions on the topic of race. Our second discussion, led by Hal on April 3, was: Stopping Voter Suppression & Partner for Voting Rights. Rev. Tamara introduced the topic with a sermon, so we were well prepared for action. Hal announced the kickoff for UU The Vote, and Carolyn agreed to start a postcard campaign for Reclaim Our Vote. As a result, Colleen Poulsen purchased postcards and Live Oakers + Fearless Grandmothers of SB (a LOUU allied organization) sent out 2150 cards in April to voters of color in Georgia, Alabama and N. Carolina to get out the vote for the primaries. We will continue to work for voter turnout in voter suppression states at the midterm elections.

LOUU SJM has actively endorsed a number of legislative bills and justice issues this year. We wrote letters of  support for:

• Stop Line 3 and the Dakota Access Pipeline
• California Guaranteed Health Care for All (Act AB 1400)
• Sentencing Reform Act of 2021 (SB 300)
• Exxon Be Gone (to deny trucking permits through SB County)
• Hollister Ranch public access
• Protection for Los Carneros Creek and its habitat

We voted to sign on as co-sponsors of numerous letters supporting climate justice, e.g., a letter to the CA Air Resources Board calling for carbon neutrality by 2035. We supported the Fearless Grandmothers of SB, a  community ally, in their work on climate justice.

In addition to measures supported by our SJM, our members have been active in the community. Of particular note is that Larry Bishop was honored with the Environmental Protection & Sustainability Award from SB County Action Network. As a member of People for Public Banking Central Coast and the California Public Banking Alliance, Hal Hill has remained active all year promoting formation of the Central Coast Public Bank.

The SJM has been able to take action on so many issues for the past two years because we can communicate quickly between meetings using our communication group: LOUU-SJM@groups.io. We also use the io group to share meeting agendas, meeting notes, and other social justice announcements. Carolyn serves as  moderator. In addition to the io group, we maintain a list of Live Oakers who like to be involved in specific social justice issues, and we reach out to those members when a need arises. If you would like to be part of this broader SJM, please contact Carolyn.

Carolyn has served two years as chair of SJM and plans to step down at the end of this year. We are searching for a new chair.

Half Baskets for the 2021-22 Year

• 60 07/04/21 Showers of Blessings
• 232 08/15/21 Water Protector Legal Collective
• 206.11 08/29/21 Isla Vista School
• 100 08/29/21 Operation School Bell/SB Assistance League
• 264.5 09/19/21 LOUU Disaster Fund
• 332 10/03/21 Alpha Resource Center/Slingshot Art program
• 422 11/07/21 Wilderness Youth Project
• 409 11/21/21 CAUSE
• 630 12/05/21 LOUU Holiday Proj. (Trans. House & Adam's Angels)
• 1115 12/24/21 Minister's Discretionary Fund
• 300 01/02/22 Fund for Santa Barbara
• 183 01/16/22 MLK Committee of SB
• 530 01/30/22 Camp DeBenneville Pines
• 322.5 02/13/22 Showers of Blessings
• 275 03/06/22 Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance
• 378 03/20/22 Wide Horizon
• 84.5 04/03/22 Transition House
• 04/17/22 Ukraine Relief (First Ukranian Evangelical Baptist of SB)
• 05/01/22 Voices for Children
• 05/15/22 AHA
• 06/06/22 IV Youth Project
• 06/19/22 Pacific Pride Foundation

Social Justice Ministry

2020-21 Annual Report

May 12, 2021

Members: Carolyn Chaney (Chair), Hal Hill (note-taker), Rev. Tamara Casanova Suzuki, Larry Bishop, Gail Boehme, John Douglas, Marty Jenkins, Gloria Liggett, Kazia Mermel, Jan Ross, Wilma Seelye, Liz Zok

“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Paula Cole Jones and Bruce Pollack-Johnson. Proposed as our UU 8th Principle. Endorsed by LOUU SJM 3/10/2021. 

The Live Oak Social Justice Ministry continues to work for justice in our congregation, community and society at large.  We continued to work for our previously set priorities: Climate Change and Racial Justice, and we worked for Voting Rights during the election season.  Although the pandemic has limited our in-person assistance to the community, we have continued to support Transition House through quarterly donations, and we plan to resume preparation of meals on May 20.  Twenty-seven Half-Baskets were organized, and LOUUC collected $10,066 for charity. The supported organizations and the amounts donated are listed below.  

For our Holiday Project this year, we supported two organizations. We worked with LOUUC member Jennifer Lamberts to procure new sweaters and sweatshirts and new/slightly used jackets, blankets and sleeping bags for clients of Adam’s Angels, which assists families downtown (meeting at USSB). Under Gloria’s leadership, we helped collect items for clients of El Centro, a neighborhood center serving needy families, and we took up a special Half-Basket for this purpose.

Under Gail’s leadership, SJM held one event with two short movies and a forum on Israel's Military Detention of Children, sponsored by Voices from the Holy Land and by Churches for Middle East Peace and moderated by a member of UUs for Justice in the Middle East. At the forum, open to all at LOUUC, we discussed the questions of Israeli treatment of Palestinians and of criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism. We had hoped to have additional movies/forums, but decided instead to hold several open Talking Circles. Jan moderated two circles on the subjects: “Our Democracy in Peril: How do you feel about this?” and “How can we support our immigrant neighbors?” The latter was in support of the Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance’s Welcome Your Neighbor program held in March.

Rev. Tamara has spoken on social justice issues in Sunday homilies.  She organized the congregation’s participation in a series of workshops by Shelly Tochluk, “Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It.” The April workshops were attended in full or in part by about 30 Live Oak UUs.  Rev. Tamara and Jan held two follow-ups to these workshops and are planning another.

The SJM organized and conducted a worship service on April 18, “Walking Our Talk: Putting Our UU Values Into Action.”  Gloria served as our Worship Associate. Many of our SJM members participated in the service, including speakers Larry Bishop (Our Climate in Crisis: Act Now); Carolyn Chaney (Protecting Voting Rights with the “For The People Act”); Nansie Douglas  (Healthcare For All); and Holly Drayton (Racial Justice for Children). Carrie Topliffe demonstrated her commitment to Racial Justice with an original song, written by her and John. A Talking Circle was held in breakout rooms to discuss the issues raised in the service.

LOUU SJM has actively endorsed a number of legislative bills and justice issues this year.  We wrote letters of support for: 

• Santa Barbara County’s participation in Public Banking
• California Guaranteed Health Care for All (Act AB 1400)
• Sentencing Reform Act of 2021 (SB 300)
• VISION Act: Voiding Inequality and Seeking Inclusion for Our Immigrant Neighbors (AB 937)

We voted to sign on as co-sponsors of a letter by Veterans for Peace that asks that our military not be exempted from being counted as a producer of pollution. We signed a support letter by Onshore Oil Planning and Strategy to help close a climate-harming loophole leading to asthma-causing smog. We endorsed the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Act, a ballot initiative. We signed a letter to the Bureau of Land Management supporting a strong ban on oil and gas leasing and permitting of federal public lands and waters. We supported the Fearless Grandmothers Shoe Strikes to call attention to Climate Justice.

In addition to measures supported by our SJM, our members have been active in the community.  Kazia and Larry have served LOUU on the Ecofaith interfaith group. Gloria has kept us informed about the SB public school Ethnic Studies program and later the San Marcos Preservation fund. John, Liz and Carolyn were active during the fall political campaigns, working to ensure a fair voting process (with the help of MANY Live Oak members and friends). Under Carolyn’s leadership, Live Oak UUs and Fearless Grandmothers (a LOUU allied organization) mailed over 15,000 postcards to people of color in voter suppression states.  Hal and John have actively campaigned for public banking. Marty remains active with Showers of Blessings. Jan has been our liaison to the Interfaith Sanctuary Alliance and helped publicize the Welcome Your Neighbor Weekend. John organized events in support of CalCare, Medicare for All. Wilma and Liz have been active in the SJM and the congregation, and are behind-the-scenes support. 

The SJM has been able to take action on so many issues this year in part because we have formed a communication group: LOUU-SJM@groups.io.  This group (by invitation only to members of our SJM) can quickly share information about issues that arise. We also use the io group to share meeting agendas, meeting notes, and other social justice announcements. Carolyn serves as moderator. In addition to the io group, we maintain a list of Live Oakers who like to be involved in specific social justice issues, and we reach out to those members when a need arises. If you would like to be part of this broader SJM, please contact Liz, who maintains the directory.