Northeast District has a lovely blog at http://uuwomenandreligion.blogspot.com/

"Dressing Up" for Dinner 

Joseph Priestley District has updated their website too. We're looking forward to a report and photos from their October 2008 retreat.

Florida District Webweaver, Mary, has unveiled their new website. Wow! There are sections for regional news, an events calendar... go and see! http://www.floridawomenandreligion.org.

Our February Convocation Calls All U*U Women and Friends Worldwide to Improve Women’s Situation in Order to Get Rid of Poverty’s Curses!
Read more about the UN Millennium Goals -- download this PDF document.

 

Gather Together To Develop Individual and Group Action Plans, and To Build Partnerships To Improve Women’s Lives Around the World. Celebrate through worship, music and art Learn from inspiring keynote speakers and each other Build long-term relationships Support women's development and growth Form Global Sisters Covenant Groups...

Margot Adler, USA
Margot Adler is a National Public Radio correspondent based in NPR's New York Bureau as well as the host of NPR's Justice Talking, a weekly one-hour show that takes an in-depth look at the cases and controversies that come before our nation's courts and go to the heart of what it means to live in a democracy. Her work as a correspondent can be heard regularly on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition. She is the author of the books Drawing Down the Moon and Heretic's Heart. She is co-producer of an award-winning radio drama, War Day, and a lecturer and workshop leader. Adler received a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York in 1970. She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1982.

Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, USA
Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards have worked together since 1993 when they met at Ms. magazine. Jennifer was an intern and Amy worked with Gloria Steinham. They have since written several books about the status of the women's movement which have been published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG). Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future published in 2000, Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism (2005) and Amy is the author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself (2008). She is also the co-founder of The Third Wave Foundation, the voice behind Ask Amy which is an online advice column in Feminist.com and the project director of Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight Los Angeles. Jennifer writes for dozens of magazines including Glamour, The Nation, Real Simple and Harper's. She is the creator of the I Had ad Abortion Project, the author of Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics (FSG, 2007) and Abortion and Life (Akashic Books, 2008)

Gini Courter, USA
Gini Courter was elected by the UUA Board of Trustees in 2003 as Moderator for a two year term. She then has since been elected twice by the UUA General Assembly delegates most recently in June 2005 for a four year term. She has also served Unitarian Universalism in her congregation and district, on committees and on the UUA Board - Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint Board and Building Committee 1985-1987, UU District of Michigan Finance Chair 1989-1995, UU District of Michigan Extension Committee member 1990-1992, UUA Board of Trustees 1995-2003, Chair, UUA Finance Committee 1999-2003, Chair, Annual Program Fund Task Force 1986, Liaison, Electronic Communications Committee 1995-1998, Liaison, General Assembly Technology Task Force 2000-2001, Chair, Information Technology and Electronic Communications Team 6/2003-6/2004, General Assembly Planning Committee 6/2003-10/2003, and UUA Moderator 10/2003-present. In her professional life, Gini is a partner in TRIAD Consulting (a woman-owned consulting and training company), the author of twenty-nine books, and a nationally recognized speaker on collaboration and productivity software.

Emma's Revolution, USA
"Bold, profound, moving, hilarious and transformative," emma's revolution is the duo of award-winning, activist musicians, Pat Humphries & Sandy O, who write songs that become traditions. emma's revolution performed with Pete Seeger at the 2005 UUGA, singing Pat's song, "Swimming to the Other Side," which was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered." "Peace, Salaam, Shalom" is sung around the world and has been called the "anthem of the anti-war movement" and "Keep on Moving Forward" opened the NGO Forum at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Bejiing in 1995, becoming the unofficial theme of the Conference. In the spirit of Emma Goldman's famous attribution, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution," emma's revolution brings their uprising of truth, hope and a dash of healthy irreverance to concerts, UU coffeehouses & services, and peace & justice events across the US. They have performed by invitation at the World Culture Open in Seoul, Korea, the Scottish Parliament's Festival of Politics, in Palestine & Israel and, in December 2007, in Chile with Holly Near.

Frances Moore Lappe, USA
Frances Moore Lappé has authored or co-authored 165 books, including the three-million-copy bestseller Diet for a Small Planet, which has awakened countless readers to the needlessness of hunger in a world of plenty. Lappé is co-founder of two organizations, Food First: The Institute for Food and Development Policy and Small Planet Institute. In 1987 she received the Right Livelihood Award. Her most recent books include Hope’s Edge, written with her daughter Anna Lappé, about democratic social movements worldwide and Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad. Lappé has received 17 honorary doctorates from distinguished institutions including The University of Michigan and was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000-2001. In 2008, Ms. Lappé was selected as the 2008 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian Award honoree for her lifelong impact on the way people all over the world think about food, nutrition, and agriculture. Her writing has most recently been featured in The Nation and on The Huffington Post.

Kathy Matsui, Japan
Kathy Matsui is the President of the International Association of Liberal Religious Women. She is currently Professor and Department Chair of Global Citizenship Studies at Seisen University in Tokyo, Japan. Classes taught in the undergraduate program include Communication skills for global learners, cross-cultural understanding and conflict management skills. She also teaches Comprehensive Peace Education in the graduate program. Publications, presentations and workshops focus on the role of leadership in peace education, development of capacities for conflict resolution and reconciliation, and fostering communication skills to build inner peace and cooperative relationships. She has worked with peace researchers and educators internationally in International Institute on Peace Education and Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflict. She is currently an advisory board member for Hague Appeal for Peace, Global Campaign for Peace Education, Oxfam International, Japan, and Society for Educating Parents. She is also a member of the Women’s Executive Committee for World Conference of Religions for Peace.