“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good [people] to do nothing.” So said Edmund Burke, and the corollary is also true: to stop evil from triumphing, something good people can do is . . . something. Anything. It matters.
We are already doing something at UUCPA by our participation in Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice (MVPJ), which we co-founded in the leadup to the Iraq War 20 years ago. Since then, MVPJ has been a powerful network making sure that when one is threatened, we all respond. When the Rev. Debra Murray of First United Methodist was harassed this summer for the Black Lives Matter signs on her parsonage lawn, the community responded with a vigil around the church–including at least a dozen UUCPA folks both leading and participating. Those threats have been renewed, and in the past several months, others have been made against members of our community for being Asian American, Jewish, gay, or female.
When people try to shape our community to fit their bigotry, there are things that we can do.
- Come to Human Rights for All: A Multifaith Call to Action this Thursday evening, December 9. You can attend indoors, outdoors, or online.
2. Help at the event. As of December 4, volunteers are still needed to:
Help assemble luminaria (Tuesday, 12/7 4-5 pm)
Set out luminaria (12/9 5:30 pm)
Welcome & check vaccine cards (12/9 6:15 pm)
Clean-up (12/9 approx 8:15-8:45 pm)
If you can help in any of these ways, please use this form to volunteer.
3. Listen to the calls for action made by the speakers at the event, and take one of the actions.