Posts by Justin Jagoe

Join the UUHA at This Year’s UUA General Assembly!

Not even a month remains until General Assembly 2019, the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association, convenes in Spokane Washington. GA continually ranks among the year’s most vital gatherings of members within the UU religious community.

And the UU Humanist Association cannot wait to be there.

The UUHA plans to offer attendees a series of exciting programs and exhibitions, each of them demonstrating the value of Humanism within the UU tradition. If you plan to be in Spokane between June 19 and June 23, we would love to meet you! Here’s where you can find us:

 

PANEL: “Whose Humanism Anyway? Answers from the Humanist Collaboratory”

When: Thursday, June 20; 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Where: Davenport Grand — Ballroom A


What happens when UU ministers, Ethical Culture clergy, humanist rabbis, and “renegade” humanist organizers -- often creating community among humanists of color -- get together? They discuss what humanism means, right now, to people of many identities. Join Humanist Collaboratory organizers to hear their take on humanism in an intentionally multiracial, intersectional context.

Though officially hosted by the Humanist Collaboratory, this panel is co-sponsored by the UUHA and was created by two of our serving Board members: Leika Lewis-Cornwell, our newest Board member; and Rev. Amanda Poppei, President of the UUHA. UU minister Rev. Dr. Patrice Curtis will join Leika in presenting the workshop.

The UUHA Annual Meeting

When: Friday, June 21; 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Where: Davenport Grand — Meeting Room 1

Join us for the UUHA’s most important formal event of the year, where all standing UUHA members are encouraged to attend and have your say in the direction the UUHA might take in the next year. We have an awfully tight agenda to work through in a small amount of time, but here’s what we’ve got planned:

 

The UUHA Person of the Year Award

Earlier this week the UUHA proudly announced the 2019 recipient of our annual award to individuals whose work affirms, promotes, and advances the ideals of Humanism within the Unitarian Universalist Association or in society at large. That recipient is Vanessa Gomez Brake, Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. Vanessa will be present to receive her award, and we encourage you to read more about her work before meeting her in person.

 

UUHA Board Elections

Our most important business at GA is the election of our Board and Officers for the following two years. Every current member of the UUHA attending this meeting is welcome to vote and, in the next month, is encouraged to bring their names forward for consideration for any open position. Look for more details on who will be on the 2019 ballot—and for the possibility of online voting—in the coming weeks.

 

Exhibit Booth

When: Wednesday June 19 - Sunday June 23, Exhibit Hall hours of operation
Where: Booth # 211 at the Exhibit Hall in the Convention Center

Each year the UUHA relishes the opportunity to connect in-person both with our members attending GA, and for any attendees curious to learn more about Humanism within Unitarian Universalism. Our booth in the Exhibit Hall is a great chance to meet and get to know us better.

What delights await in booth 211 of the Exhibit Hall at the Spokane General Assembly?  

  • A display of nearly 200 different pins, bumper stickers and fridge-magnets (bite-sized nuggets of Humanist, UU, and Social Justice wisdom and humor)

  • Two new books: Grandmother Fish - A Child's Introduction to Evolution by Jonathan Tweet (perfect for families and RE programs) and Religious Humanism: the Good Life Lived in Community (a UUHA publication) by Andy Reese and Peter Kandis

  • The latest issue of the UUHA Journal (Humanist Resistance - Some Resources)

  • Recycled fabric art from the studio of Rev. Jim McConnell (stoles for ministers and choir members, bags and banners and aprons, decorated with UU and humanist symbols)   

Our booth is a chance to chat with UUHA volunteers and Board members, meet author Jonathan Tweet (have him autograph his beautifully illustrated book), renew your membership and donate to one of our social justice projects.

We will continue to post updates about the UUHA’s presence at GA over the next few weeks, both here and on our Facebook page. As always, feel free to contact us with any specific questions.

See you at GA!

 
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Vanessa Gomez Brake to Receive UU Humanist Person of the Year Award

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association is pleased to announce the 2019 recipient of the UUHA Person of the Year Award. This year the UUHA has chosen to award Vanessa Gomez Brake, Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California.

Vanessa receives this award with the distinction of being the first Humanist chaplain at an American university to serve as an Associate Dean. As her USC profile details, Vanessa “works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life broadly conceived, and helps oversee more than ninety student religious groups and fifty religious directors on campus.”

The UUHA board has roundly expressed gratitude for Vanessa’s role in higher learning, which reaffirms the value humanism brings to any spiritually and religiously diverse community. Amanda Poppei, President of the UUHA, frames Vanessa’s work and role on even grander terms. “Vanessa's work as the first-ever humanist university religious affairs official highlights the growth of humanism as a core part of America's religious landscape,” Poppei said.

Awarded annually, the UU Humanist Association Person of the Year Award honors individuals whose work affirms, promotes, and advances the ideals of Humanism within the Unitarian Universalist Association or in society at large. It recognizes leadership and effort in promoting values reflected in the UU Humanist Association's Mission.

Vanessa will receive the Person of the Year award at the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association’s Annual Meeting, which will take place on Friday June 21 at the UUA’s 2019 General Assembly in Spokane, Washington. The UUHA will maintain a presence for the entirety of this year’s General Assembly as well. We encourage you to stay tuned this week for updates about the exciting programming we have planned. Read more about Vanessa Gomez Brake to Receive UU Humanist Person of the Year Award »

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Apply to be a UUHA Ambassador

Dear UU Humanists:

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (UUHA) Board of Directors appreciates the work that you do to promote humanism within your congregation. As the number of non-theists continues to rapidly increase in the US, we believe Unitarian Universalist congregations will thrive in the future only if programs that appeal to humanists, atheists, agnostics and religious naturalists expand. In order to facilitate this, we are initiating a new Ambassador Program.

What We Do

The UUHA board communicates with the UUA to promote humanism in the association.  We also organize a presence at General Assembly with a booth, presentation of the Religious Humanist of the Year Award and our annual meeting. Our publications include the Journal of Religious Humanism and books published by the UUHA Press.  In the coming year, we anticipate having conference calls including humanists in local congregations and UUHA board members to discuss successes and concerns of local groups so that the UUHA board can ascertain the best way to support the local groups.

We Need Your Help

To become more effective in encouraging our congregations to be more welcoming to those who value reason, democracy, science and critical thinking as a guide to living in a congregational setting, we need to communicate more effectively with humanists in our congregations and beyond. We need your voice, your ideas, and your perspective!

What are the roles of the Ambassador?

The goal of the Ambassador program is to identify at least one individual in each UU congregation who will promote knowledge of the activities and publications of the UUHA and encourage fellow UUs to become members of UUHA.  Would you be willing to be our Ambassador in your congregation?  If so, please fill out the application form.  We hope that you are willing to take on this responsibility, but if you cannot, the board would appreciate any nominations for another advocate in your congregation who would be interested in being the UUHA Ambassador. 

If you have any questions or if you would prefer to send a paper copy of your application, please contact Jim Barnett, a member of the UUHA Board of directors. We will also have copies of our application available at our booth at GA.  

Sincerely Yours,

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association Board of Directors

Apply online to become a UUHA Ambassador today!

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Mandisa Thomas to Receive UU Humanist Person of the Year Award

The UU Humanist Association is pleased to award Mandisa Thomas, founder of Black Nonbelievers, our “Person of the Year - A Celebration of Religious Humanism" award. Mandisa has been an inspiration both within and far beyond Unitarian Universalism. 

Mandisa will be the keynote speaker at our UU Humanists Annual Meeting, which will be held on Friday, June 22, 5-7pm at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown -- Andy Kirk Conference Room A/B

You can read more about Mandisa and the work of Black Nonbelievers here.

Mandisa will also participate in our GA panel, cosponsored with the UU History and Heritage Society

 

Black Humanism in Unitarian Universalist Context and Beyond

Thursday 6/21/2018, 1:30:00 PM - 2:30:00 PM  
Kansas City Convention Center -- 2502 B
Sponsored by UU Humanist Association and UU History and Heritage Society

 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Black Humanism developed within a Unitarian context but spread far beyond. We consider UU ministers Lewis McGee, a 1940s Unitarian minister in South Chicago, and 20th century William R. Jones, and how their work continues today. We conclude with a powerful voice of Black Humanism from outside the UU context.  

 

SPEAKERS : 

Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk
Rev. Patrice Curtis
Rev. Karen Hutt
Mandisa Thomas Read more about Mandisa Thomas to Receive UU Humanist Person of the Year Award »

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