Faith: Showing up, together, for justice
On a Saturday in January, Unitarian Universalists from around the state came to Austin to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our state action network, the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry. I felt the joy and relief of gathering together in person for the first time since COVID-19.
In between speakers on democracy, reproductive justice, and more, we sang. We laughed. We broke bread — tortilla chips — with friends we hadn’t seen in years and made new connections to encourage us to stay in the work we call “bending Texas toward justice.”
I am deeply thankful for Zoom and online activism, particularly for the ways it has made collective action accessible for more folks. But God, I had missed hugging and high-fiving our people.
Showing up for justice, in community, is the foundation of my faith, ever since I was a youth signing petitions and reading Amnesty International pamphlets during coffee hour at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin in the 1980s.
Decades later, as the leader of TXUUJM, I often chuckle when I have to introduce myself. “I’m the minister and executive director of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry. I know, it’s a mouthful.”
Thankfully, people often smile when I simplify it. “We’re the ones with the yellow shirts.”
What I mean when I say “the ones with the yellow shirts” is that Unitarian Universalists are called to show up together. We are called to be visible in our faith that affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person, that we are all connected, that we need one another.
Ours is a relatively small denomination, so it is especially important that we find ways to connect with each other and to forge interfaith partnerships in our communities and across our state.
At TXUUJM, that looks like a weekly gathering with the Texas Poor People’s Campaign. For an hour every Thursday, we gather on Zoom — not just yellow-shirt UUs but people of varied faiths and no faith — to discuss issues of poverty and justice. We are taking the book "We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People’s Campaign" chapter by chapter, reflecting on how we may be part of liberating change.
On days when I feel overwhelmed by work or grief or parenting, I remind myself to take life like we are taking "We Cry Justice": little by little.
We have a time of grounding and check-in, sharing the celebrations and struggles in our home communities. Then one of a rotating group of volunteer leaders introduces a short list of justice actions that participants can take. One week, we might write letters to the editor in support of transgender kids and their families. Another week, we might call our senators to urge support for refugees.
Every week, the Action Hour ends with gratitude. Each participant emails or otherwise reaches out to someone who is doing the ongoing, often unheralded, work of justice organizing. We tell them thank you, that we see them, and they are not alone.
That is what so many of us need to feel to keep going — that we are seen. We are appreciated. We are part of something bigger than ourselves.
On March 13, the Texas UU Justice Ministry will gather with interfaith partners at the Texas Capitol. We will sing justice songs in the rotunda, talk with our legislators and their staff about justice issues, and yes, take a big group picture in our yellow shirts.
The yellow shirts and group photos are not the justice work itself, but they are the tangible reminders, when we are feeling isolated or overwhelmed, that we do not seek justice alone. We are part of something bigger than ourselves, and we will keep doing our part, one action at a time. I cannot wait to be together again.
The Rev. Erin Walter serves as the minister and executive director of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry (txuujm.org) and the interim minister for Joy and Justice for First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Stories of faith: Create community by group justice work
