Tue, April 29th

​8:30 - 10:30 am PST
Not Working for Workers: The First 100 Days of the Trump Administration

11 am - 1:15 pm PST
The First 100 Days: Can Civil Society Defend Democracy?

​On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to fight for American workers and was rewarded with a majority of working-class votes. As we reach the end of the first 100 days of the second Trump administration—a period that has included mass layoffs, executive orders cancelling union contracts and revoking collective bargaining rights, deportations of immigrant workers, and attacks on the independent agencies that enforce labor laws—it’s time to ask how these actions can be benefiting workers. More broadly, it’s the right time to reflect on what it means to support workers in America today and how we can build an economy with good jobs for all.

May 1st at 6pm
​Waterfront Park

Join us and our community partners at Waterfront Park (1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101) as we rally in support of workers and immigrant communities and take action in resistance to the Trump Administration’s cruel and racist policies that have torn communities apart. May Day has long stood as a moment to celebrate the rights of workers and immigrants and now is more crucial than ever to rally for those rights to be upheld. More info here.

“Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families” 

This spring, First UU will be participating in the UUA Common Read.  The book, “Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families” is a timely anthology of personal stories.  The last two group sessions will take place on April 24th and May 15th, 6-8PM on Zoom.  

Books can be purchased at the InSpirit Book Store. A limited number of copies are also available to borrow from church. To borrow a copy, email [email protected] 

There will also be handouts for the group sessions.  Handouts and Zoom links  will be emailed out to those who register.  So even if you're thinking that you might participate, you're encouraged to register at: https://www.jotform.com/build/250146308596056 

TRUTH Act Forum
Tue, April 22 at 6pm
County Administration Building

Join us at the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (TRUTH) Act Community Forum. Its purpose is to provide information regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to individuals and to receive and consider public comment. We must ensure the safety, protection, and dignity of all immigrants and reject our county’s cooperation with federal immigration agencies. 

Thu, Apr 24th
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner

Rainbow Action supports the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s 19th Annual Dining Out for Life. Dozens of participating restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, and nightclubs in San Diego will donate a minimum of 25% of sales for The Center’s health and wellness programs.



​Grab your family and friends and make plans to Dine Out and Give Back for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, cocktails and more!

Dining Out for Life website

UC San Diego will soon begin a utility infrastructure improvement project that will impact portions of Arbor Drive, Front Street, and First Avenue. This project aims to underground select SDG&E poles and wires, improving both the safety and aesthetics of the area by eventually removing a portion of the overhead infrastructure.
Timeline:
Prep work is scheduled to begin next week, with trenching work starting the week of April 21.
Access During Construction:
Access to and from all surrounding facilities—including medical centers and emergency services--will always be maintained. No full closures or significant delays are expected for essential access points.
Key Traffic Impacts:

• Eastbound Arbor Drive (between Front St and First Ave) will be closed 24/7 for several months.
• Traffic signals at Arbor/Front will flash red 24/7 for 4–6 weeks.
• Signals at Arbor/First will follow with the same flashing red pattern for another 4–6 weeks.
• A dedicated traffic control flagger will be on site Monday–Friday, 7 am to 3 pm. to assist with flow and safety.

The team’s goal is to complete major trenching work before Bachman Place reopens at the end of June.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to improve the area’s infrastructure. For questions or concerns during the project, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

It has been quite a while since the Bard Hall Art Guild has had a show made up exclusively of photography, but on April 11 the Guild celebrated their all photos show “ My Eye is a Camera” at a reception for the artists. Attending were many friends, old and new.  

The format of an Art Guild reception is to have a half hour of socializing with snacks and beverages and then have each artist discuss their work and answer questions about their technique and motivation. Don Barrie and Nancy Fisk gave insight into nature photography.  Fritz Goeckner discussed his original color techniques.

“My Eye is a Camera” runs until May 1st and features the works of Donald Barrie, Daniel Booth, Katie Boskoff, Richard ChauDavis, Nancy Fisk, Fritz Goeckner, Betty Hageman, Melinda Hohlbein, John Keasler, Nancy Neel, Robert Riger and Carolyn Woodbury.  John Keasler coordinated entries.  The installation was designed by Fritz Goeckner and Robert Riger.

April 12th, 2025 was the 65th Anniversary of the Art Guild, founded in 1960 as the Religious Arts Guild.  Through its history it has contributed much to the design, furnishing and beautification of the First UU campus.  It has organized educational and enrichment programs, and it has hosted thousands of established and emerging artists as well as seven children’s exhibits including one from China and three from Belarus.

May 1st will mark the beginning of the new exhibit “Therese and Her Friends”, a tribute to the late Therese Belanger, a multimedia artist and member of the Guild.  The reception for “Therese and Her Friends” will be at 6 pm on May 1st with special guest host Drew Massicot, Therese’s husband and talented keyboard artist.

Members and friends of First UU are welcome to submit their work for our first summer show “Protest and Peace”.  The electronic entry deadline for “Protest and Peace” is July 10th.  The installation is July 24th.  There is never a fee to enter or display in the Art Guild Exhibitions.  More information can be obtained at [email protected].

Sat, May 3rd
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA

Join First UUs and thousands of San Diegans to rally together, march in unity, and enjoy live music, organization booths, inspiring speakers, face painting and more!

RSVP Rhea Kuhlman ([email protected]), especially to coordinate transportation to the march.

From scorching wildfires to devastating floods, climate disasters are no longer distant threats—they are happening here and now. The administration has launched an all-out assault on climate, rolling back decades of environmental protections, firing federal workers and climate scientists, and shamelessly calling the climate crisis a “hoax.” We march for clean air and water, to protect our families and homes, for a just economy with good-paying green jobs, and for a world that puts people before polluters. Unite for Climate website

Saturday, April 19th
10 am - 5 pm

Join Journey Toward Wholeness (JTW) in commemorating the 55th anniversary of Chicano Park. This free, family-friendly event celebrates the theme "Bringing Back the True Spirit and Energy of the Chicano Park Takeover." Enjoy a car show, live music, delicious food, and more in a vibrant community atmosphere.

Everyone is welcome!
More info.

Location: 1949 Logan Avenue, 92113

Taste of Hope by Laura Coppens
May 8, Thursday | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | Bard Hall at First UU
​
“Taste of Hope” is the fascinating story of a workers’ cooperative on their bumpy and conflicting road to real utopia. In 2010, Unilever announced the closing of the profitable Fralibtea processing and packaging plant in the South of France. After 1,336 days of resistance, the workers celebrated their victory against the giant multinational and became owners of the factory. Now, with the take-over of the company and production under workers’ control, a new struggle has begun. 

After the screening, join us in an open discussion of the film and its themes facilitated by Bob Nowlan.
RSVP!

This is a free event! Check out the trailer.

Location:
First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
4190 Front Street
San Diego, CA. 92103

Join us to help wrap burritos on May 29th from 3:45 to 7:00.
 
Burrito preparation will take place from 3:45 to 5:00 in the Common Room at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego in Hillcrest.
 
The process involves scooping beans, rice, and corn into a warmed tortilla, wrapping the tortilla, placing two burritos into a bag with two cold waters, and then putting the bagged items into a wagon.
 
Between 5:15 and 5:30, we will caravan to the South Bay to distribute bags containing burritos and water.
 
We expect to return to the First Church campus in Hillcrest by 7:30pm latest.
 
You are welcome to participate in either the preparation, distribution, or both. 
 
RSVP to Lara Anderson ([email protected])

Prep Location and Caravan Meetup:
First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego
298 W Arbor Dr
San Diego, CA 92103
 
Distribution Location and Meetup:
First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego—South Bay
970 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Funded through the Young Adult Ministry program

First UU's Rainbow Action will collaborate with the Transforming Hearts Collective in presenting this webinar. The webinar is aimed at pro-LGBTQ Christians but is open to all people of faith. Registrants will receive key insights from trans faith leaders and advocates from organizations like the Transgender Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and more. Speakers will discuss the moral and spiritual imperative to defend trans lives and how attendees can take action in both public spaces and faith communities.

Tuesday, April 8th at 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm on Zoom

Register and learn more here.

​I am pleased our initial Social Justice Film Screening and Discussion Series event attracted a sizeable crowd and a lively discussion. For me, a principal lesson of The Lesson is that fascism is insidious. Even after fascism has seemingly suffered a crushing defeat, and even in a country where fascism is seemingly thoroughly discredited, fascism is not dead, and fascism can return to power. In our discussion one attendee initially thought I underappreciated the fear many people in this country experience in 'resisting' fascism. I am glad this attendee and I quickly recognized we actually agreed we each other. Because fascism is nothing if not frightening.
Throughout my 38 years as a university teacher I emphasized that I feared fascism is a real threat in this country and that we here in the U.S. need to be prepared to do what we can, together, to resist. I maintained this position even when many found the idea absurd, because fascism, they claimed, was 'long ago' and 'far away'. But in support of my position I cited evidence of frightening tendencies in U.S. society and culture, including frightening tendencies in everyday life. And I made it clear that all of these frightened me. Fear of the damage and destruction that fascism exerts must be the basis upon which we collectively organize and commit to resistance. We cannot effectively resist individually, isolated, and alone. We can only do so united together in a collective movement that manifests substantial support for and solidarity with the distinctive struggles of all constituent groups involved. We can only do so united together in respecting and caring for each other, including respecting and caring for each other's real vulnerabilities. We can only do so united together in recognizing and appreciating the need for different people to contribute in different ways and to different degrees in different times and at different places. After all, what we want, and what we need, is the antithesis of fascism, and this is a society in which care for each other and for the collective good is fundamental, and this is a culture of solidarity, where we appreciate we are not only all interdependent but also all vulnerable, and that our shared vulnerability as well as our shared dependence is our greatest strength.
-- Bob Nowlan

For some time, the Pantry’s community volunteer Manny has picked up and unloaded a truckful of food every Friday by himself. When another volunteer, Adrienne Kaplan, heard that Manny’s back was bothering him and realized that he needed help, she marshalled her artistic talents, made a sign, and took to the patio. In solidarity, four UUs answered Adrienne’s plea, and now the pantry has new volunteers – one every Friday – to help Manny. Thank you, Manny, Adrienne and all those who make the pantry work!

To volunteer at the Pantry, email Deirdre Lonergan ([email protected]).

​April 5th has been named as a National Day of Action, with demonstrations happening all across the country. Our San Diego community is gathering at the San Diego Civic Center Plaza beginning at 12pm. This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of the billionaire class and to show up in support of those who have been greatly affected by the current administration's policies. 

If you would like to join First UU at this demonstration, here are some details for meet up below:
If you want to meet at First UU (Hillcrest):
Meet at the campus parking lot by 11:15am 
We are encouraging participants to carpool or rideshare into Civic Center Plaza due to limited parking
Please email [email protected] if you are planning to meet with us here so we can accurately plan for transportation
If you want to meet at SD Civic Center Plaza:
Meet near the fountain outside the Civic Center Plaza building at around 12pm
Please email [email protected] if you are planning to meet with us here so we can get an accurate head count

Come prepared with comfortable shoes, hats, sunscreen, and water. You may participate in some or all of the aspects of the demonstration—join us at whatever capacity fits your needs!

The Lesson by Elena Horn
April 3, Thursday | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | Bard Hall at First UU
​
“The Lesson” is the personal journey of director Elena Horn who returns to her small hometown to follow four children as they experience Holocaust education in the public school system in rural Germany. Filmed over five years, from 2014 to 2019, the film is a window into deeply rooted social and political attitudes in Germany amidst the resurgence of the far-right, xenophobia and a fractured, disparate collective memory of the nation’s history.

This is a free event! RSVP here: bit.ly/4c4iDg1

After the screening, join us in an open discussion of the film and its themes facilitated by Bob Nowlan.

Some of us have trouble imagining what our church campus might look like if we choose to Go, or Stay and Share. We have gathered information and photos of new church buildings, as well as churches that have shared their property. You can explore these possibilities on the OSF web page or by viewing the PDF document here. ​ We look forward to hearing your thoughts and exploring these possibilities together.