Social and Environmental Justice

CVUU is committed to making the world a better place. Our community is involved in a number of issues and our members actively participate in promoting social and environmental justice. As a group we have been involved in many causes.

CVUU also co-sponsors the Cache Valley Peace Works organization, an organization dedicated to initiating and supporting projects that foster peace, equality, and social responsibility.

Announcements

September 21 was the International Day of Peace. Details below.

Current Activities

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

September 21st has been established by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace. It is an occasion to take stock of our efforts to promote peace and well-being for all people everywhere, to dedicate ourselves to all that remains to be done. It is also meant to be a day of global ceasefire: a 24-hour respite from the war induced fear and insecurity experienced by many world citizens. In a letter of support for the International Day of Peace, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated,

As the guns fall silent, we have an opportunity to ponder the price we all pay due to conflict. We should resolve to vigorously pursue ways to make permanent this day’s pause.

Our service on September 21st is dedicated to the International Day of Peace. We have a wonderful speaker for that day, original music with an orientation to participation and children, and hopefully a dedication of CVUU's peace pole. If you are interested there are several ways of getting more information about this day:

Cache Valley Peace Works group, which is sponsored by but not directly affiliated with CVUU, is interested in knowing, if they are willing, what people are doing to acknowledge the International Day of Peace. If there is something you are involved in to acknowledge this day and you are interested in sharing, you may go to the CVPW website and add your activity.


PEACE WORKS! FILM SERIES 08

We co-sponsor the PEACE WORKS! FILM SERIES 08. For information about the next showing in the CVUU fellowship's building, download the complete 2008 film schedule here: Peace Works! film series.


GETTING INVOLVED

If anyone is interested in getting involved in CVUU, specifically focused on social and environmental justice issues, please contact George Wootton.

Past Activities

Longtime member of CVUU, Isabel Katana, initiated the CVUU social justice prize. A Celebration of Isabel’s life took place at CVUU July 8, 2008 on what would have been her 95th birthday. The Isabel Katana Center for Social and Environmental Justice was dedicated in her honor. Read more about Isabel Katana from the Herald Journal.

Many Members joined in peace marches on the anniversaries of the start of the Iraq war.

CVUU sponsored and organized the Alternative Gift Market for several years. If the November gift market is not conventient for you please consider giving via the international web site.

Movie Night presentation of "John Lennon versus the USA". This film showed how the government and immigration office was being used to silence critics of the Vietnam War.

Friday night service and presentation by Iraq war veteran and Peace activist Marshal Thompson.

We award a prize for good works in the general area of Social Justice. This year's winners (2008) were Marshall and Kristen Thompson of A Soldier's Peace, and Brenda Chung of Cache Valley Peace Works.

Members, friends, congregants, children and our minister all chipped in to provide $4500 to the Hispanic Center. This money was earmarked to provide much needed support to the latino community after an Immigration raid at the local meat packing plant.

We also provide partial to complete subsidies to groups whose activities and goals are aligned with Unitarian-Universalist principles. We are allies of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Association.

Contact Information

George Wootton
Social and Environmental Justice Committee Chair
(435) 753-4017
GWootton01@comcast.net

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