Upcoming UUFSD Events

Social Justice Action Committee Visioning Workshop
Monday, May 12; 7:30-9pm; ZOOM

Rev. Ellie and the Social Justice Committee invite anyone who feels called to justice work at UUFSD to attend a visioning workshop on how we can ground our justice work in our spiritual lives, and transform what we do into a cohesive ministry that permeates congregational life. Whether you’ve been involved in justice work for decades or days, you are welcome!

Questions to consider in advance:

1. What UU principle most encapsulates your inspiration for justice work?
2. What UU Value is your inspiration for justice work?
3. What area of justice work does your spiritual life call you towards most?

Palestine-Israel Justice Group Forum
Sunday, May 18; 11:30am-1pm; Founders Hall

Join the UUFSD Social Justice Palestine-Israel Justice Group for an Information Session on becoming an Apartheid Free Congregation. The forum panel includes:

Moderator: Rev. Ellie Kilpatrick, Minister at UUFSD
Rabbi Alexis Pierce, Rabbi of Congregation Dor Hadash
Jamal Kanj, Author of “Children of Catastrophe: Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America.”
Larry Christian, Ex Director Arab Film Festival & President of Karama, dedicated to educating the public on Arab culture and history.

Justice Actions Events Calendar

The following events are not official UUFSD events, but have been offered up by individual members of the Social Justice Action committee as events that may be of interest to community members.

Sat, May 10, 11-12:30pm – Encinitas Tesla Showroom, 1302 Encinitas Blvd

ALSO WEEKLY

TUESDAY: Demonstrate for Democracy with the Black Mt Dem Club, Mira Mesa Blvd & Westview Parkway, 4:30-6:30pm

TUESDAY: Escondido Weekly Sign Waving to Raise Awareness – 11:30am-1pm

WEDNESDAY: Escondido Defend Democracy Rally – 4:30-6pm, Felicita Ave & Center City Pkwy, Escondido

THURSDAY: *Issa Hold A Town Hall Rally, 11-1 Every Thursday, 415 Parkway Plaza, El Cajon – see this KPBS report.

THURSDAY: *No One Voted For Musk/DOGE Has To Go Rally – 4-5:15pm, 1424 Encinitas Blvd @ El Camino Real. March 1 block to Encinitas Tesla, 1302 Enc Blvd.

FRIDAY: *Issa Hold A Town Hall Rally, 10:30-11:30am Every Friday, 221 W Crest St #110, Escondido

SATURDAY: Veterans For Peace Rally – 10-12, Ocean Beach entry, Sunset Cliffs Blvd @ W Point Loma Blvd, SD

SUNDAY: Stand Up Encinitas 12-2pm Cardiff Kook on Highway 101 at Chesterfield

Climate Justice

CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS

In the classic 1967 film, The Graduate, Ben (actor Dustin Hoffman) returns to his parents’ Pasadena home after his recent graduation. During his graduation party, Ben is whisked aside by a family friend who intones, “I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics. Are you listening? There’s a great future in plastics.”

There was indeed a great future in plastics. Flash forward 58 years and now we’re dealing with the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics in our environment and our bodies. Microplastics are less than the width of a #2 pencil and nanoplastics are so small that we can’t see them. They come from synthetic clothes, car tires, paint and many other sources. Scientists can measure them in the earth, sea, drinking water, food and our bodies. Some experts are concerned about potential health effects.

So, what can we do to reduce our plastic exposure? New York Times sustainability editor, Katie Okamoto advises, “Try to shop slowly and buy less. When you prioritize durability, repairability and intentionality in your purchases, you’ll start to lower your plastic exposure and lower your carbon footprint.” Tune in here the next few weeks to learn more specific actions.

5/11/25

From The Workers Circle

We’re watching in real time as the Trump administration lays the groundwork for American fascism. And we won’t sit on the sidelines and watch as it happens. Here’s the latest: the IRS just struck a deal with ICE to begin sharing confidential tax records of undocumented immigrants, after years of promises that that would never happen.

It’s a warning shot from an administration that intends to govern through fear and exclusion, and we refuse to stand for it. Will you take a moment to demand your member of Congress stop this IRS and ICE collaboration?

5/11/25

From Civic Shout

The Supreme Court is on the verge of handing Donald Trump the power to gut one of the most essential parts of the Affordable Care Act. If they succeed, millions could lose access to no-cost birth control, cancer screenings, HIV prevention, and more.

Sign the petition demanding Congress protect preventive care before Trump is handed the power to take it away.

5/11/25

Climate Power/The Juggernaut Project

Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Lee Zeldin, wants to abandon the entire purpose of the agency.

ADD YOUR NAME: It is unconscionable to put corporate profits above the fate of the American people’s health and safety. Join us in demanding a reversal of Zeldin’s actions.

5/11/25

The Juggernaut Project

One public school teacher in Idaho, Sarah Inama, was recently threatened with discipline over a poster simply stating, “Everyone is Welcome Here.” And she’s not alone. This is not freedom—it’s a dangerous abuse of power designed to chill speech and erase history.  Trump’s agenda is clear: ban books, bury history, and bully teachers into silence. But we won’t let him rewrite the truth.

Tell Congress: Stop Trump’s chilling attacks on teachers. Click here to add your name to the petition.

5/11/25

Federal workers must win back their right to collective bargaining, before it’s too late.

Not only is Trump’s executive order gutting federal workers’ collective bargaining rights an attack on unions: it’s an assault on the very people who keep our country functioning.

Send a direct message to your Representative and demand that House Speaker Mike Johnson immediately bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to the floor.

5/11/25

MoveOn via The Juggernaut Project

Birthright citizenship is protected by our Constitution.

Will you add your name to the petition if you agree: Birthright citizenship is the law of the land, and no single president can end it?

5/11/25

From DGA

Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to officially defund NPR and PBS.

<< So please, team, we’re asking: Will YOU be one of the 25,000 supporters we need to sign on RIGHT NOW to oppose Donald Trump’s Executive Order to DEFUND NPR and PBS? Don’t delay >>

5/11/25

From Workers Circle

Elon Musk wants to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Don’t believe us?Let’s be clear about what’s happening: pro-oligarchy lawmakers, backed by Musk and Wall Street billionaires, are moving to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – the only agency tasked with protecting everyday people from financial abuse.

Not on our watch. Will you take a moment to defend the CFPB from Elon Musk and his profit-seeking cronies?

5/11/25

From Localyst Cleaning the Air

Clean energy is under attack. This month, Trump fired the entire staff responsible for running the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).LIHEAP helps low-income families afford heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Now, that support will either disappear or become less accessible for millions.

Summer is coming, and climate change has the potential to make this year’s heat waves more extreme than ever. Tell Congress to stop Trump from gutting LIHEAP and restore its staffing now.

5/11/25

From The Tipping Point

Donald Trump just dismissed ALL of the scientists who are working on the National Climate Assessment (NCA), the premier report guiding U.S. climate policy. This dismissal is a direct assault on science, public transparency, and the American people’s right to understand the threats posed by the climate crisis.

Sign the petition to denounce Trump’s interference in science and call on Congress to continue the work on this Congressionally-mandated report.

5/11/25

From Civic Shout

Right now, House Republicans are pushing a cruel new budget plan that would gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), shifting billions in costs to states and making it harder for families to access life-saving support. All of this comes just months after Republicans passed massive tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations — blowing a hole in the budget, then using that deficit to justify taking food away from hungry children.

Sign the petition to demand your representatives vote NO on Republican-led SNAP cuts. Kids’ lives are on the line.

5/11/25

Climate Justice

From Left Click

President Trump’s EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has just launched an unprecedented attack on our environment and the health of everyone in our country.  He announced staggering plans to repeal or weaken 31 crucial standards that protect public health and address the climate crisis. Click below to sign up.

We need your help to fight back: Demand Administrator Zeldin stop Trump’s agenda dismantling the EPA’s critical protections for our air, water, and communities.
4/27/25

From Democracy for America

The so called SAVE ACT just passed the House. But don’t let the name fool you, this is not about saving anything, it’s about suppressing your voice, your vote and your power.  It’s built to silence eligible voters by forcing them to prove citizenship again and again, in person, with hard to access documents like a passport or birth certificate.

Tell the Senate to REJECT the anti-voter SAVE Act and defend our freedom to vote.
4/27/25

From Left Check

Farmers across the country are trying to power their operations with clean, affordable energy. But Trump is making that harder.

Earlier this year, his administration put a freeze on a grant program that helps farmers install solar panels—leaving thousands in the lurch and delaying critical infrastructure. Now the program is back, but with a disturbing twist: new restrictions could disqualify applicants just for acknowledging climate change or mentioning their community’s history.

Click here to sign the petition to demand the Department of Energy restore full access to clean energy grants and keep politics out of solar power.
4/27/25

Palestine-Israel Justice

Mahmoud Khalil’s “Letter to Columbia” from Jail

Editor’s Note: This op-ed was dictated by Mahmoud Khalil and published by the Columbia Spectator

To Columbia—an institution that laid the groundwork for my abduction—and to its student body, who must not abdicate their responsibility to resist repression,

Since my abduction on March 8, the intimidation and kidnapping of international students who stand for Palestine has only accelerated. On March 9, Yunseo Chung had to file a lawsuit and eventually seek a court order barring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining her for her protest activity. On March 11, Ranjani Srinivasan chose to cross the border to Canada upon the belief that this university was ready to hand her over to ICE. Beyond the gates of Columbia, Leqaa Kordia, Dr. Badar Khan Suri, and Rümeysa Öztürk have all been snatched by the state. The situation is oddly reminiscent of when I fled the brutality of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and sought refuge in Lebanon. Click Here to Continue Reading
4/20/25

More Action Items

From Left Click

A young woman in Georgia recently experienced a medical crisis that no one should ever have to endure alone.  After suffering a miscarriage nearly halfway through her pregnancy, she was rushed to the hospital due to severe blood loss. Instead of receiving compassion, she was met with handcuffs.

Let that sink in: She lost her pregnancy—and now she’s being prosecuted.

But here’s the truth: This was a natural miscarriage. There was no evidence of wrongdoing—only a desperate need for medical help.

Click here to join us in demanding Georgia lawmakers repeal the law that allows miscarrying patients to be criminalized.

5/4/25

From National Campaign for Justice

The House just passed the No Rogue Rulings Act — a dangerous, calculated attempt to cripple judicial oversight nationwide. This bill would strip judges of the ability to issue nationwide injunctions.If the courts can no longer act as a nationwide safeguard, we lose the very foundation of our constitutional rights.

Click here to send a message to your Senators demanding they reject the No Rogue Rulings Act.

5/4/25

From Left Click: Denounce Trump’s Attacks on Planned Parenthood