Social Justice

Social Justice has long been a part of Unitarian Universalism. Ours is a religion of this world and the Social Justice Committee is one of our congregations’ instruments for making the world a better place to live in. The seven principles that Unitarian Universalists agree to affirm and promote are taken quite seriously and members seek to integrate these principles into their daily lives. We strive to “walk our talk”.

The Social Justice Committee works with Religious Education, Denominational Affairs, Adult Education and other committees of the church as well as community organizations and groups such as: The Peace and Environmental Education Center; Planned Parenthood; The League of Women Voters; The Hemlock Society; Lee County Recycling; Lee County Migrant Workers Association; Quality Life Center, and others.

The Social Justice Committee is open to any member or friend of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers who wishes to become involved in matters of social, economic and environmental justice. We work in a variety of ways to:

• Raise individual, congregational and community awareness of local, regional, national and global issues.
• Advocate and work in support of specific causes and actions furthering social and economic justice.
• Provide opportunities for individual and congregation-wide involvement in matters of concern.

You do not need to be a member of the congregation to attend our meetings, which we try to have monthly (exact date and time is announced in the weekly bulletin and church newsletter). If you would like to get on the church mailing list please call the church office, 561-2700.

UUA Congregational Resolutions of Public Witness and Social Justice Advocacy

Each year we have a congregation wide social justice project, which is chosen and voted upon at the annual congregational meeting. For the 2007-08 church year our congregation chose to join with other members of the Unitarian Universalist Association in efforts to deal with the "Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change". We are doing this by increasing awareness of the issue and by educating members of UUCFM and the greater Fort Myers community about global warming in terms of personal practices, congregational actions and denominational affairs. Our congregation has already been certified as a "Green Sanctuary" and we are continuing our efforts to make our campus as green as possible. During the coming church year we will intensify our efforts at recycling and organize a number of educational programs and events that focus on reducing our carbon footprints and encourage environmental action in the larger community

The Global Warming/Climate Change issue was chosen by the delegates at the 2007 General Assembly of the UUA as the official "Statement of Conscience". You can find out about this in more detail by going to UUA.org and clicking on the Social Justice link.

Ongoing Activities

• 1. We sell Fair Trade Products such as coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate to help independent farmers in developing countries raise their living standards and to grow their products in a more environmentally friendly way. A small percentage of the sales benefit the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and are used to purchase fair trade coffee for church activities.
• 2. We collect school supplies and donate Christmas gifts to the children of the Brightest Horizons Day Care Center in Harlem Heights. This center benefits working families and helps them work their way out of poverty.
• 3. Each January we organize a group from UUCFM to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace March and will be doing so again this year.

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