by Rhea Kuhlman, South Bay Food Pantry Volunteer.
At the South Bay Food Pantry, we never know until the last minute what kinds of fresh produce we’ll receive from the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego, or how much meat or bread will be available for our families on Saturday.  But one thing we can always be sure of is that the bags of shelf stable goods the mid-week baggers put together every week will contain good healthy food that can keep a family going, regardless of what else is available.  The SBFB always keeps on hand stores of non-perishable items to supplement the fresh and frozen items we distribute each Saturday

What is SJET doing in January?

• Action: Applauding Rainbow Action for energetically renewing our Welcoming Congregation status. 
• Planning: Outreach to Action Teams for possible SJ oriented events for Outreach and Growth events. Time to start recruiting new SJET members for the 2022-2024 term.
• Orienting: Thinking about how to strengthen SJET for continuing current operation status without SJ staff support - Policy and procedure frameworks.

​Read on for updates from the Reproductive Justice, Peace and Democracy and Rainbow Action Action Teams on.

Help First UU become more of a “happening place” and promote more multi-generational, ethnic, racial, and class diversity at First UU, including greater offerings for events - among members, attendees and families. The Board has created a new board committee to administer the Outreach and Growth Fund (OGF) that was created as part of the generous Renewal and Growth Fund donation to the church in late 2021.  ​

UU's in action! SOLACE volunteer Farrah Karapetian teamed with Rebecca Merton, Freedom for Immigrants staff to write a multi person medical and mental health neglect report. The result is that Otay Mesa Detention Center asylum seeker S. received the MRI he needed and was enabled to get help from a law firm to file a stronger request for disability accommodations at Otay Mesa Detention Center. Learn more about our SOLACE program.

When a BBIPoC person shares that they've been harmed by racism, please learn to listen and respond with compassion. It may seem that we hear about racism in our church more often than in our other spaces. This is not because racism is not happening elsewhere, it is because we have members who trust us with their truth because our principles say that we will hear them. How to Respond with Compassion when Someone is Hurt by Racism.

​Following the leadership of BIPOC folks & admitting we can (& do) harm others are important learnings. Gain some insights by listening to:

• Brittany Packnett's TED Talk "It's About Time to Value Young Women of Color in Leadership" (9:34).
• Our former Intern Minister, Rev. Emily Hartlief's sermon "The Courage to Be Wrong" (20:42 but especially 0-5:56 & 11:52-13:44).

From our partners at the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC):
"Thank you to everyone for your hard work in making the 2020 TRUTH Act Forum a success! Collectively we:

• Got the Board of Supervisors (BOS) to hold an evening meeting.
• Got the BOS to translate the announcement into 4 different languages and to have Spanish interpretation. The Sheriff also translated their presentation and statistics into 5 languages.
• Held a car caravan of 20 cars and had incredible media coverage
• Had multiple SDIRC members and partners interviewed by the media
• Submitted over 82 eComments
• Had 113 people register to give public comment live during the meeting

Amazing work, everyone! This sets a really solid foundation for our 2021 campaign - to #StopICETransfers!"

Journey Toward Wholeness: What Can I Do? Learn about the role of race in Biden's victory & Trump's relative success by listening to NPR's podcast "How Whiteness Affected the Election" (35:39).  Listen to Krista Tippett's interview [51:00] with a trauma specialist "Resmaa Menakem in Conversation with Robin DiAngelo." It has made an impression with Beloved Conversations Virtual participants and may challenge you.

Read our UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick Gray's UU World column "A Message to White Unitarian Universalsists" about how her attitudes on policing has changed over the past years & the resource list at the end of the article. Then watch the brief (2:13) interview with Sonya Renee Taylor on combating racism with action.

Tuesday, October 13, 6 pm, Register here to get the link: http://bit.ly/LWVPropTalk. This year, we will be making decisions on 12 California ballot propositions and five more measures for San Diego city. Get the inside scoop on how to tackle your ballot this election season with the League of Women Voters & First Unitarian Universalist church.

​by Jan Garbosky
Have you heard, said, or thought:

• "Why do we have to keep hearing about racism?" or
• "Why in our service do I have to hear both English and Spanish"? or
• "Why do I hear public apologies during services about things that aren no big deal?"
  

As UUs, we often refer to our covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Yet? just as often, we harm, in words and deeds(intended and not), thoseamong uswho areBlack, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Many were surprised to learn this in the Summer 2018 Town Hall meeting where BIPOC shared the pain of their experiences at First UU and presented a document whose introduction states:

"Confronting Racism is an NPR TED Radio Hour series. Episodes range from seven to 13 minutes and link to the actual TED Talk on each of the five topics. Listen to "Confronting Racism".
Showing Up for Racial Justice's "The Get Together". Watch "White Women on Defunding the Police".

​Written for Beacon Broadside by Howard Bryant, correspondent for NPR's Weekend Edition & featured speaker ("Full Dissidence") at June's UU Virtual General Assembly (GA). Thanks go to Mary Severine for the suggestion. Read "Policing Is the Glue of Whiteness". 

Need more examples of institutional racism & White privilege?

1. ​Watch Debby Irving's TEDx Talk Finding Myself in the Story of Race. If you have more time, read Debby's book "Waking Up White".
2. Have a question or an idea for a project? Email the Journey Toward Wholeness team at jtw@firstuusandiego.org.

We have assembled a list of the best anti-racism articles, books, social media feeds and videos we know of to help people learn about a wide range of topics relating to racism. Please invest in yourself, your family, your community and our world by viewing and sharing these links and, more importantly, we hope you'll join us in taking the steps shared herein to begin to heal our world. 

Text of the speech delivered by Rev. Kathleen Owens at the San Diego Organizing Project's Border Wall Press Conference in San Ysidro. 
"Good afternoon, I’m the Rev. Kathleen Owens, Lead Minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego answering the call of Love. We are here to speak the truth – that unless we are of Indigenous Native American or Mexican heritage, we are all immigrants on this land. We’re here to name the truth that immigrants have always made this country better…that we need bridges, not walls."

This prayer was offered by Rev. Kathleen Owens at an Interfaith Vigil honoring Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile, Friday, July 15, 2016
"Spirit of Life…God of many names and no names…we are here today in grief, in mourning for the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile – two African American men who are tragically representative of so many African Americans who have been killed by excessive police force…killed by questionable means…dead due to systemic racism, not only in our society but within the very structures and systems that are supposed to keep people safe…that are supposed to help and not harm. Dear God, we are angry; our hearts are broken, our heads ache trying to make any sense out of all of this and our spirits are weary of the constant stream of violence that divides the human family. With all of this, it is too easy to give in to despair, give in to apathy, to give in to hate and revenge…but God we know you call us to be better than that; Spirit of Love you lead us into another way; you call us into action, into solidarity with one another, so that we might demonstrate the truth that hate and racism will not divide us; that bigotry and violence will not stop us from living out the truth that we are all connected and that it is long-past time for us to see one another clearly, it is time for us to do the work of justice for all our neighbors and kin; it is time to find a way beyond stereotypes and fear and create meaningful change in our streets and in our neighborhoods…give us strength to do the hard work of real relationship building – give us patience to learn and listen to one another – give us courage to speak out against white privilege and systemic racism; give us the wisdom to work with leaders and officers that will ensure equal protection under the law for ALL of US; …help us oh God to continue the work for racial justice. This we ask in the name of all that is holy. Amen."