Monthly Interfaith Prayer Vigil – The vigil hosted by UUCB at the West County Jail last month was a powerful, prayerful experience on the theme of Love That Knows No Borders. About 75 people attended, many UUCBers wearing yellow Standing on the Side of Love T-shirts. Evelie Posh of La Peña played guitar and led the singing. Members of the Root Causes Delegation who had traveled to Honduras and Guatemala to understand the root causes of migration gave moving testimonies. We ended with the UU hymn When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place.
We have been gathering now the first Saturday of the month for 4 1/2 years to bear witness to the injustices of current U.S. immigration policies, and to show support for those in detention and their loved ones. The vigils take place the first Saturday of every month, from 11am to noon at the West County Detention Facility, 5555 Giant Highway in Richmond.
Confronting Racism Literature, Film, and Drama Group – Members of the group shared their implicit biases and discussed Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Our next selection is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between The World and Me, which will be discussed at our next meeting on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 12:30pm. CamilleParker (at) comcast.net
Ceasefire Walks – In August, about 15 people from UUCB joined residents from Richmond and other supporters at the second summer CCISCO city-wide Ceasefire walk. We were accompanied by a cadre of about 20 biking men and boys of all ages, thanks to Najari at Rich City Rides (a nonprofit, community-oriented bike shop on MacDonald). Joining in also at this walk were about a dozen brand new Teach For America Richmond elementary and high school teachers! And the line of walkers seemed to grow and grow as we walked along! You’ll find the address for the start of the weekly Ceasefire Walk in The Week Ahead at UUCB and at the Social Justice Table.
Stop the Jail Expansion – We continue to work to defeat the Sheriff’s jail expansion proposal at the state level. Community forums will be held to oppose the Sheriff’s grant proposal. Stay up to date on social actions by visiting the Social Justice Table on Sundays.
Join us for the next Social Justice Pot Luck and Meeting – September 20, 6pm. We will be discussing this year’s continuing and new forays into Confronting Racism.
