Media roundup: UUs show up at town halls, their federal representatives do not

Media roundup: UUs show up at town halls, their federal representatives do not

A weekly guide to stories about Unitarian Universalists from other media sources.

Rachel Walden

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People are organizing throughout Kentucky to have their views heard by their federal representatives. Unitarian Universalist minister the Rev. Dawn Cooley helped found a local Indivisible group in Louisville to oppose the Trump administration and its policies. The group plans to continue protesting outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office every Tuesday for the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. ( Courier-Journal– 2.22.17)

In Illinois, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford co-hosted a town hall meeting to share its support for immigrants, reproductive rights, and healthcare coverage with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos and Adam Kinzinger. Neither rep showed up for the town hall meeting, so comments were collected by the group to be delivered to the legislators later. ( 23 WIFR– 2.22.17)

More coverage:

Stivers, Tiberi to skip Obamacare supporters' town-hall meetings ( Columbus Dispatch– 2.22.17)

Town halls held without GOP congressman in attendance ( NBC4i.com– 2.22.17)

No-Show Marco Rubio Replaced With Empty Suit at Citizens' Town Hall ( Miami New Times– 2.24.17)

Supporting sanctuary on several fronts

Participants in a Presidents' Day rally in Fresno, California, called on the current president to change his stances on deportation and immigration. The Rev. Tim Kutzmark of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno read aloud demands for the local sheriff’s office, which included an in-person meeting with interfaith representatives and an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in county jails. ( Fresno Bee– 2.20.17)

The Rev. Michael Morran of First Unitarian Church in Denver, Colorado, said his congregation's decision to shelter immigrant mother of four Jeanette Vizguerra came, in part, out of what the congregation learned about America’s impossible immigration system when they took in Arturo Hernandez Garcia in 2014. UUA President Peter Morales also noted that Unitarian Universalists have a long history of activism in defense of progressive values: “People associate us with causes that protect the most vulnerable,” Morales said. ( LA Times– 2.24.17)

More coverage:

Unitarian Universalist Church considers becoming a sanctuary church ( 23 WIFR– 2.16.17)

Here Are the Churches Fighting Back Against Trump's Immigration Crackdown ( Mother Jones– 2.21.17)

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