Justice Updates
Families Moving Forward May 11, 2024
Volunteer Opportunity
Saturday, May 11
Help renovate and beautify the property for families who call this place home.
Projects will include:
- Painting
- Mulching the playground
- Cleaning/Organizing the facility
If you are interested, reach out to organizer, Jane Hewitt.
Durham CAN Survey
Durham CAN (Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods) is performing a short survey on affordable housing for Duke University non-student support staff such as food workers, janitorial staff, librarians, and landscapers. If you or someone you know fits this criteria, please fill out the survey or send it to them!
UU Justice NC May 3, 2024
April 2023: Earth & Climate Justice Month: Living our UU Principles for Mother Earth & our Children
“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” ― Howard Zinn
It may be hard to believe but April is right around the calendar corner and that means Earth and Climate Justice Month at ERUUF with in person and virtual offerings. We invite all members and friends to join us in putting intention and attention on living our UU 7th Principle (ultimately all our Principles are related as we cannot have justice or peace without clean air and water, fertile soil, and stable climate) at higher levels of expression in practical ways, right here and right now!
ERUUFians Invited to Join CSA
ERUUF is taking part in a summer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with a local farmer of color sponsored by RAFI-USA's Come to the Table program. RAFI-USA is partnering with Kamal Bell and Sankofa Farms. Churches involved include First Presbyterian Church and Immaculate Conception, as well as ERUUF.
Sankofa Farms is a multifaceted agricultural entity that seeks to assist in changing the food intake habits of those living in and affected by food deserts. The goal of Sankofa Farms is to create a sustainable food source for minorities in both rural and urban areas located in Durham and Orange County.
Update on Welcome Home Project
The ERUUF Justice Ministry would like to thank the following ERUUFians for helping us sponsor 6 boxes for the Welcome Home project:
Grassroots Democracy in Action at the Hoover Road DHA Community
Early this summer, Durham CAN began organizing at the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) Hoover Road Community led by Organizer, Tinu Diver. Hoover Road is a conventional public housing community located in East Durham. The 54 multi-family townhomes were built in 1968. The units are for low income families and their rent is set at 30% of their income. Hoover Road residents include a mix of young families, multi-generational families, and elderly residents. Some residents have been living in the community for 25 years or more. 98% of heads of household are minorities and 94% make less than 30% AMI (1). According to the housing 1 authority, the average income of its 3,727 public housing tenants is $13,253 (2).
Read more: Grassroots Democracy in Action at the Hoover Road DHA Community
Surprises Can Happen!
Last November I got an email that I nearly deleted, but it turned out to be the beginning of a very pleasant surprise. The message came via the ERUUF website, and had been relayed to me by ERUUF staff. Here it is, in full:
Are you in need of financial donations? I live in Costa Rica now, but was once a member of the UU Fellowship in Clemson, SC. Eno River seems to be a little more active in helping refugees. If I made a donation of $500, how might Eno River use that money to aid refugees?
Peace
A Green Sanctuary Accreditation Progress Update
Congratulations to our ERUUF congregational community for the ongoing progress toward Green Sanctuary Accreditation! As some of you may recall, securing Green Sanctuary became a strategic goal in ERUUF’s
2016-2019 Strategic Plan. Since that time, we have made steady progress to include the acceptance of our Green Sanctuary Action Plan by the UUA Green Sanctuary Program in September 2018. Click on the link below to download a document that outlines some of the exciting progress we've made toward Green Sanctuary Accreditation.
Video: On The Path to Becoming a Green Sanctuary
As part of the Green Sanctuary Project, the Earth Justice Action Team held an Earth and Climate Justice Month in April of 2019 that included activities for the congregation and larger community. In this video, members share their experiences.
