UUFM

Some people make a space feel warmer just by being who they are—the ones who welcome, check in, bring the snacks, answer questions, and help others feel they belong.

Tag in the comments the UU who always saves you a seat and let them know they matter. 💛

These days understandably cause fear and distress for so many beloveds. Fear for individual safety and wellbeing, and for the safety of our families and communities runs deep for many right now.

Please know that as Unitarian Universalists, we will not forsake you. The deep theological roots of our faith, going back to transcendentalists in early U.S. history and inspired by nonviolent resistance around the world, call us to resist unjust laws and refuse to cooperate with oppression. The very symbol of our faith – the flaming chalice – originated as an offering of hope and refuge to all who seek to live freely. We will continue to show up for our communities, demand justice of our leaders, and work together to protect the basic human rights that each one of us deserves.

Ours is a faith of courage, of resilience, and of moral witness. The time to protect our communities and our democracy is now. Holding fast to one another, we will meet this moment courageously, together.

We take in stories each day – headlines, ideologies, campaign tactics, politics, and stump speeches – attempting to convince us that human goodness is impossible. It would be understandable to adopt this lens as our own in this chaotic time, if it were not for the way we as Unitarian Universalists live with one another in community.

When we affirm in our congregations and communities that humanity is inherently worthy and met in that highest value by all of creation, when we give of our time and our resources to strengthen the work of partnership and faithful witness, we are refuting the stories of the day and renewing the very wholeness and possibility of our tradition.

Nicole Presley, the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team director, insists that for democracy to work, we need one another and therefore, we must care for each other. All of the work of Side With Love is an investment in democracy and the collective power of community. It is all about the promise, the process, and the people.

Our labor on behalf of climate justice is an investment in democracy. Our work for abolition is an investment in democracy. Our insistence on bodily autonomy through reproductive justice, LGBTQ and gender justice, and disability rights is an investment in democracy. Organizing against criminalization as racial justice and immigration justice is an investment in democracy.

Our showing up for electoral justice, especially in this election season, is an investment in each other and through this, an investment in democracy. The promise of democracy lives in the collective whole and it is made manifest through our actions and our care for one another.

In August, we resume our virtual Democracy Defense and Community Safety training series!

Please join us on Wednesdays at 7pm ET through the end of August to expand our individual and collective capacity for election protection and neighborhood defense. We'll share concrete safety tools and practices for our collective wellbeing.

Register for all sessions: https://www.sidewithlove.org/uu-the-vote-events

Image description: A dark blue background and torn white paper with red and dark blue text. Text reads, "Training Series. Democracy Defense & Community Safety. Wednesdays, 7-9pm ET/6-8 CT/4-6 PT. Risk and Threat Assessment, Electoral Safety, Protest safety and preparedness, & more! www.UUtheVote.org." A light blue circle in the top right corner says "Wednesdays April-August, no sessions in July." At the bottom is a yellow button that says "Register!" and the UU the Vote logo, as well as a doodle-style image of a shield with UUs standing together inside it, wearing Side With Love shirts and stoles.

Restorative Justice for People of Color 101

How can we respond to conflict in ways that strengthen our relationships rather than pull our communities apart?
Join DRUUMM for a 90-minute interactive workshop with Alison Aguilar Lopez Gutierrez McLeod, a restorative conflict facilitator, religious education director, lifelong Unitarian Universalist, and Co-Chair of the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee.

Together, we will explore practical restorative justice tools for:
• Responding to harm with accountability and care
• Offering meaningful apology and making repair
• Navigating conflict in covenantal communities
• Building healthier leadership, relationships, and shared practices
Grounded in DRUUMM’s updated Community Health & Safety Policy and Community Covenant, this workshop is designed for DRUUMM members, leaders, and others committed to building stronger and more responsive BIPOC Unitarian Universalist communities.

📅 Monday, August 10, 2026
🕟 4:30–6:00 PM Pacific
🕢 7:30–9:00 PM Eastern
💻 Online via Zoom
Free for DRUUMM members
$25 for BIPOC friends and guests
RSVP at druumm.org/events

This Sunday at UUFM

Democracy doesn't defend itself. It takes people who know the history, understand the moment and are ready to get involved.

📢 If you want to understand what change really means for your community, reserve your seat today: https://bit.ly/3R79MUC

BREAKING: We're taking the Trump administration to court to bring affordable solar energy to working households.

While millions of Americans struggle to pay their electric bills, we’ve filed lawsuits against the Trump administration’s EPA to fight for funding that had been awarded for a groundbreaking program that would lower energy costs for the people that need it most.

On behalf of several nonprofits, SELC and our partners filed lawsuits in federal claims court challenging the EPA’s decision to unlawfully break grant agreements under the Solar for All program that would put low-cost solar on more roofs around the country.

In 2024, through the Solar for All grant program, EPA awarded $7 billion nationwide to provide relief to over 900,000 households. This innovative program is expected to save an estimated $350 million on energy bills every year and generate 200,000 new jobs alongside workforce training programs.

Nonprofit solar grant recipients are seeking the full value of their unlawfully terminated grants so they can continue their work expanding solar access, cutting skyrocketing power bills, and creating new clean energy jobs across the country.

Photo by Andrew Whitaker