Four members from Northwest, including the Social Justice ministry lead, Marcia Kreycik, attended the quarterly meeting of the North Georgia Social Action Cluster held at the UU Congregation of Atlanta on Jan. 24, 2015. The Social Justice Cluster initiative was launched in 2013 by Brad Korb, the Mid-South Regional Coordinator of the UU Service Committee. Brad noted, “There is strength in numbers. When dealing with issues demanding attention, UUs can have the greatest impact when we collectively organize our efforts.”
Members representing eight North Georgia UU congregations discussed a number of current on-going social justice projects including guns, immigration and issues impacting economic equality.
There was lengthy discussion of a draft press release published at an earlier cluster meeting. The draft press release was designed to aid congregations to publicly exercise their church’s legal right to ban guns on their congregation’s property. In 2014, the Georgia legislature passed a law commonly referred to as “guns everywhere law” which significantly expanded where licensed gun owners could carry weapons. The UUMAN congregation had used the draft press release to craft a board-approved position.
Also discussed were up-coming actions of Moral Monday, which organizes social justice actions during the 40-day legislative calendar of the Georgia Assembly.
Other proposed Georgia legislation under scrutiny is SB 6, known as “Georgia’s Road and Safety and Drivers License Integrity Act.” The proposed state legislation would prohibit driver’s licenses for people who have received work permits and deportation deferrals through DACA, the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The state legislation is seen as a rebuke to President’s Obama’s executive action to defer deportation of the parents of US born citizens.
Briefly discussed were the 125th anniversary of Wounded Knee and HB 29, the so-called Religious Freedom Bill.
The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for May 25, 2015 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, GA.
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