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Welcome! The Women and Religion Movement is alive and well in the 21st Century. A grassroots project started by lay leaders in the 1970s as an effort to promote examination of religious roots of sexism and patriarchy within the UUA and beyond, UU Women and Religion officially began as a task force following the unanimously-passed WOMEN AND RELIGION RESOLUTION at the 1977 UUA General Assembly. Although the Task Force was eventually sunsetted, the movement still exists in UU communities that hold Women & Religion programs and gatherings for those who identify as women. It exists at the UU General Assembly, where UUW&R brings our Store to the Exhibit Hall and occasionally hosts a gathering. And it lives in the hearts and lives of people who have been touched by the many changes inspired by this movement.

"We do not want a piece of the pie. It is still a patriarchal pie. We want to change the recipe!" -- Rosemary Matson

Select a news topic from the list below, then select a news article to read.
Speakers today were amazing.

Rebecca Adamson of First Peoples Worldwide spoke about the matrilineal culture of her Cherokee heritage. Ruled by the white council, the council of women, in times of peace. The red council ruled in times of war. But the members of the red council get hand-picked by the white council. Because who knows better the leadership qualities of those men than the ones who raised them?

She showed maps of where indigenous peoples are gaining recognition, where their lands are. Indigenous lands comprise 24% of the Earth and they are where the biodiviersity is at its greatest. They are where the big phamaceutical companies are searching for the next wonder drug to come from plants. First Peoples Worldwide is helping peoples take charge of those native plants as their intellectual property, and resisting the drug companies' attempts to come in and steal what's theirs. But there are many indigenous peoples at risk of extinction. Extinction! Why isn't THIS on the nightly news??

Tonight the First International Convocation of U*U Women opened. There were greetings in many languages...
Greetings
Margot Adler

Universal Human Rights

Universal Human Rights
Dignity and Justice for All of Us
Simple Guidebook on Women’s Rights Globally
By Elizabeth Fisher and Robert Fisher

Easy to Access, Read and Download at
www.riseupandcallhername.com/humanrights.html
 
Know your rights! These internationally agreed upon rights provide a powerful framework for advocacy on behalf of women worldwide. Key human rights concerns for women (among many others):

  • Right to Choice in Family Planning
  • Elimination of Violence against Women
  • Adoption by US Congress of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)

Printed copy available $7 including postage and handling. Call Elizabeth Fisher 510-236-9131

Based in part on the UUSC book Gender Justice: Women’s Rights are Human Rights
http://secure.uusc.org/store (scroll down to “books” to order)

Rev Shirley RanckWendy Hunter Roberts in her book Celebrating Her remarks, “Of all the signs on the horizon, perhaps the most interesting are the countless homegrown women’s spirituality groups that have sprung up all across the nation and beyond.” The phenomenon of “homegrown women’s spirituality groups” has been especially widespread within Unitarian Universalism as women worked together to implement the Women & Religion Resolution.

Let us not forget that it was the women in our congregations who stood up every time sexist language was spoken until the ministers and worship leaders changed the words. It was the women in our movement who demanded that sexist language not be part of our Principles and Purposes. It was the women who demanded a hymnal free of sexist language. It was the women who brought home from women’s conferences and incorporated into Sunday worship the sharing of joys and concerns; the sharing of the waters collected on summer vacations; the arrangement of chairs in half circles rather than rigid rows; the closing words “Blessed be.”

Rev Dorothy EmersonComing soon! A new, year-long, 13-session curriculum to prepare women to take on the important role of Crone / Wise Women in their communities.

This course is designed for women who are entering or have passed through menopause and would like to mark this passage. Other important life transitions such as births, coming of age, marriage and graduations are marked in cultures and are celebrated by the family and community. In European Pagan traditions the stages of a woman’s life are marked as maiden, mother and crone. These ritual celebrations occur in communities and honor both the individual and the group. This 13 session course helps prepare women to participate in a ritual celebrating becoming a woman of wisdom.

 

At the end of February there will be an International Convocation Of Unitarian Universalist Women In Houston, Texas. (www.icuuw.com) The program will include an amazing collection of speakers including CMwD's own Sharon Welch, Provost from Meadville Lombard. Rebecca Parker (President of Starr King School for the Ministry), Meg Riley (UUA Action and Public Witness) and Laurel Hallman (Candidate for the UUA Presidency) are also on the speaker's roster.

This Convocation is part of the ongoing stream of the Women and Religion movement that began over 30 years ago. In 1978 Paul Carnes began his UUA Presidency by appointing a Women and Religion Committee. The purpose of this committee was to implement the Women and Religion Resolution and to raise the awareness of Unitarian Universalism to the Issues of feminism. At the time, fewer than 5% of our ministry was women. The hymnal used male identified language. Most Unitarian Universalist Churches had women's groups that had day meetings for women who were not employed outside the home. Unitarian Universalism needed to be challenged and encouraged to reflect upon how we could incorporate the issues raised by the women's movement into liberal religion. The first Women and Religion Conference in CMwD was held in 1980 and has grown steadily over time.

It is 2008. It has been thirty years...

Here's a great Internship opportunity with the UUA Department of Advocacy and Witness. They are seeking a Legislative Assistant for Women's Issues, to assist the Washington, DC office in affecting public policy made by the US Congress and Administration, with a focus on gender and sexual justice. Get the details at http://www.uua.org/aboutus/careeropportunities/socialjustice/index.shtml

Applications must be received by noon EST on Monday, November 17th, 2009. That's this coming Monday!

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If you have any questions, please contact UU Women and Religion, info@uuwr.org.

Main resources from the UUA: www.uua.org/reproductive

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