Justice at GA 2024
Justice work at the UUA General Assembly each year is addressed by:
Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAI), Statements of Conscience (SOC) and Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW)
Social Witness Statements Affirmed at General Assembly 2024
These statements were affirmed at General Assembly and are undergoing review by UUA legal counsel. Final text is posted at UUA Statements.
- AIW: Centering Love Amidst the Ongoing Impact of COVID-19
- AIW: Solidarity with Palestinians
- AIW: World on Fire: Humanitarian Work and Climate Change
- 2024 Business Resolution Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse People is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values
- Responsive Resolution: UUA General Assembly Support for October 7 Hostages
Summaries:
Whereas, the emergency declaration for COVID-19 was terminated in 2023 without sufficient strategies in place to manage the persistent challenges of the virus, exacerbating its disproportionate impact on marginalized groups (i.e., disabled, uninsured and underinsured, incarcerated, BIPOC, LGBTQIA…
Immediate Concerns: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that the year 2023 was the hottest year in recorded history for planet Earth….
Our Unitarian Universalist faith draws on the moral imperative of radical love, and despite all odds, calls us to uphold a world where liberation is real and we all thrive. Our faith community has long recognized the horrors of violent antisemitism against generations of Jewish people and we…
- 2024 Business Resolution: Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse People is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values
On behalf of the member congregations and communities of the UUA, we proclaim that our principles and values unequivocally commit our faith to honor and celebrate the full spectrum of gender identity and expression. Being transgender or identifying with any gender other than the one assigned at…
Whereas, UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt’s report beautifully reflected upon the profound horror and loss in the Middle East, which is amplifying growing antisemitism and anti-Arabism and islamophobia in the U.S. and beyond;Whereas, real harm that has come to and continues to be suffered…
June 2023 General Assembly
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) reported on ways the national organization has fulfilled the goals of the current multi-year Statement of Conscience which is Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy which calls upon the Unitarian Universalist Association and Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations/groups to actively engage in undoing systemic white supremacy in all of its manifestations — seeking universal justice and equity. This commitment of learning and engaging is in its fourth year, was voted on by last year’s delegates. This is considered one aspect the UUA’s goal of Widening the Circle.
UUA Background Information
UUA General Assembly Justice Meeeting Required Components
About Congregational Study/Action Issues and Statements of Conscience
Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAIs) are proposed by Unitarian Universalist member congregations for adoption at a General Assembly. CSAI accepted by GA result in four years of study, reflection, and action by member congregations. In the third year of this process, delegates at GA can vote to approve a Statement of Conscience (SOC) resulting from three years of congregational feedback on the CSAI.
About Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW)
Delegates at each annual General Assembly have the opportunity to take positions on issues that require immediate witness through the Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) process. An AIW expresses the conscience and carries the authority of the delegates at the GA at which it is passed. The AIW process allows Unitarian Universalists to respond quickly to social issues deemed urgent. Affirmed AIWs are used by congregations in local efforts and empower the UUA’s Advocacy and Organizing staff to take action and recommend action. Only the three that get the most delegate votes are affirmed.
When GA delegates adopt an AIW, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), other UUA leaders, congregations, districts, and Unitarian Universalists organizations may use it as a basis for public statements on the matter and are urged to act on it.
A list of Congregational Study Action Issues and Actions of Immediate Witness through the years can be viewed here.
The UUA states: “We are stronger together. Our combined efforts to make the world more fair and humane can accomplish more than any one of us working alone. As Unitarian Universalists, we set priorities for our social justice efforts by investing in key issues that exemplify our commitments to justice, equity and compassion.” Learn more about the social witness statement process.