1. Breaking Down the Silos
An assessment model for Justice-Rooted congregations
A joint partnership between MidAmerica Region & MUUSJA

2. Intersectionality
“The complex, cumulative manner in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect.”
(Merriam Webster)

3. Intersectionality
Term coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, professor of critical race theory and constitutional law at UCLA & Columbia

4. Intersectionality

5. An intersectional lens to congregational justice work
None of our justice commitments exist in a vacuum: environmental justice is racial justice is economic justice is social justice is reproductive justice is….
Work may move slower because we have to consider multiple lenses (e.g., bringing a disability justice lens to our work on affordable housing; making sure we’re asking how white supremacy is playing out in the decision to build a coal plant in our community, etc.)
Rather than thinking about which issue is ”more urgent,” we must move toward understanding ourselves as all working on different facets of complex, multi-issue problems.
Any justice work that prioritizes one issue while leaving a group (or groups) of people behind cannot dismantle systems of oppression.

6. Intersectionality in UU History
Susan B. Anthony Frances E. W. Harper Frederick Douglass

7. Intersectionality in UU History
“…WHEREAS, use of the word “Standing” as default justice language places a high value on the justice work and commitments of able-bodied people, while it makes invisible and excludes the justice work of people with a wide range of disabilities and autistic people…
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2017 General Assembly calls upon the leaders of the UUA’s ’Standing on the Side of Love’ campaign to create a new imagining that better includes and reflects the needs and contributions of disabled people.”
--Responsive Resolution, UUA General Assembly 2017

8. Social Justice
The state in a society in which all people and communities have access to the resources and freedoms necessary to survive and flourish, regardless of identity or background.

9. Forms of Social Justice Work
Protests, rallies, marches
Education (classes, discussion groups, public forums)
Legislative campaigns
Community organizing
Grassroots fundraising
Media campaigns
Grantmaking
Lobbying policy makers
Door knocking
Public art & performance
1-to-1 meetings
Coalition building
Creating new forms of relationship, governance, resource sharing that challenge systems of domination
Popular education
Letter writing campaigns
Community forums
Direct action
Petition drives

11. Public Witness & Prophetic Voice
The congregation regularly, boldly, and accountably uses its institutional capital to publicly proclaim its yearning for justice and equity as a natural outgrowth of its religious values

12. Service & Solidarity
The congregation offers material, human, and infrastructural support and service to resource movements for social justice, allowing frontline communities to strategically channel their energy and resources into leadership 

13. Interfaith & Inter-organizational Partnership
The congregation cultivates cultural and spiritual humility, and develops deep and mutually-fulfilling partnerships with other faith communities, organizations, and coalitions

14. Financial Partnership & Fundraising
The congregation is self-aware about its financial resources and networks, and is willing to leverage this power to channel money into movement building beyond the congregation

15. Theological Reflection
The congregation sees social justice work as a natural expression of their tradition’s values and beliefs, and are able to evaluate issues and actions through the lens of their faith

16. Spiritual Care & Formation for Activists
The congregation prioritizes nurturing the spiritual and emotional health of its justice leaders, and equipping them with the competencies to be faithful and effective leaders

17. Study & Political Education
The congregation offers regular opportunities for members to learn about justice issues, gain concrete skills, and develop political analysis

18. Institutional Transformation
The congregation engages in critical self-assessment and seeks outside consultation to ensure that power structures and practices align with stated justice values and make space for diverse leadership and participation

19. Worship, Ritual, & Celebration
The congregation regularly expresses its commitment to building a just and loving world through communal worship, embodied ritual, and practices of joy and gratitude

20. Questions?

21. Homework Email: muusja.organizer@gmail.com
Go through the Social Justice-Rooted Congregations rubric for your congregation. If possible, work with others in your congregation.
Rev. Ashley & Pastor Danny your responses to the following questions:
What general observations do you have about your congregation’s social justice work after doing the audit?
What are the biggest barriers to embodying “best practices” for social justice in your congregation?

22. Breaking Down the Silos, Part 2
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
7:45pm EST/ 6:45pm CST/ 5:45pm MST
A joint partnership between MidAmerica Region & MUUSJA