Since Operation Metro Surge began in December, Minneapolis has been deep in the work of protecting one another and caring for our neighbors. From witnessing firsthand the moments after Renee Good’s murder to coordinating grocery deliveries and rides to work and school to retrieving abandoned cars after their owners have been snatched, my neighbors and I have had to constantly and creatively respond to ICE’s violent occupation of our streets.
Yet amid these horrors, I have never been prouder to belong to this beautiful, resilient city – and I have never felt more rooted in and buoyed by Unitarian Universalism. This faith is unequivocally showing up here and across the country with clarity and courage, refusing fear and injustice and proclaiming the power of love to transform our world.
As a Minneapolis clergy person, I have organized locally for more than a decade with MARCH – the organization that issued the nationwide clergy call that welcomed over 600 faith leaders–including 200 UU ministers– to the Twin Cities. Their powerful witness, courageous actions, and spiritual care were a blessing that fortified my city and ignited a groundswell of hope and action across the country. Ripples are still spreading out from the hundreds of clergy who came and witnessed the truth of what is happening here and deepened the skills and connections to prepare for powerful, faithful, and strategic responses in all our communities.
Here is the part that I want every Unitarian Universalist to know:
Without the skill, strategy, and infrastructure of Side With Love and the UUA, the MARCH clergy call could not have happened.
As the Vice President for Programs & Ministries at the Unitarian Universalist Association, I am fiercely proud of the ways the UUA – especially our phenomenal Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team – have thrown down and shown up for Minneapolis over the past several weeks to defend fundamental principles of democracy and justice. Unitarian Universalists across the country have provided much-needed prophetic leadership to all people of good will over the past several weeks, and the UUA and Side With Love have been an integral component to turning ideas into action.
When MARCH conceived of the clergy call less than a week before we asked people to come, we knew we would need massive support to pull it off. In those short six days, here are just a few of the indispensable things Side With Love and the UUA offered:
- Managed and distributed travel stipends to hundreds of participants
- Provided secure registration systems, Zoom hosting, and backend support to two mass “Know Before You Go” webinars
- Created and served as admins to 30+ secure Signal channels for organizers, participants, and faith groups before, during, and after the event
- Vetted 1000+ potential registrants to verify identities and legitimacy
- Created the Solidarity With Minnesota resource guide, and an FAQ resource document for all participants
- Supported hundreds of UU attendees by creating templates, graphics, and email blasts to registrants and responded directly to registrant inquiries
- Led an in-person workshop at the convening training participants in using Side With Love’s congregational organizing resources and templates
- Sent 10+ UUA staff to be present at the convening, including members of our Congregational Life, Communications, Side With Love, and Executive Leadership teams
- Supported Twin Cities UU congregations in their own responses through the MidAmerica region
- Provided an in-person videographer, photographer, and reporter to contribute to MARCH comms plans and do independent UU World coverage of the events
- Initiated quick planning of ICE Out! National UU Week of Action with daily action hours against the violent, immoral actions of ICE through UU Solidarity Initiative. Join an action hour or phone blitz here!
Friends, our ability to Meet the Moment with this level of agility, infrastructure, and skill is not built in a week – it is cultivated over years, and it requires real investment.
We must continue to invest in progressive institutions to hold our ground, amplify our values, and defeat fascism. The UUA is leaning into what it looks like to provide invaluable strategic support at inflection moments like this one in Minneapolis, while simultaneously supporting our UU congregations and communities to leverage their own resources and capacity with increasing skill, nimbleness, and courage.
Beloveds, history is beckoning, and Unitarian Universalism has a moral obligation to answer the call. Will you join me in investing in the UUA so we can continue to Side With Love in this watershed moment?
On behalf of the UUA and Side With Love, thank you for the generosity that will allow us to answer future calls for support and respond to the many communities under siege, right now.. And on behalf of MARCH and those of us on the ground in Minneapolis, thank you for investing in the kind of national infrastructure that is helping our community organize to win right here, right now, at home.
In faith and solidarity,
Rev. Ashley Horan
UUA Vice President for Programs & Ministries
What is love calling you to do?
Side With Love is the Organizing Strategy Team of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We harness the power of love to confront and transform systems of oppression and build a world where all people can thrive. Through organizing, education, and mobilization, we equip Unitarian Universalists and aligned communities to take spiritually grounded, justice-oriented action. Subscribe to get updates.
Action Center
The work that we do together to build a world in which all of us are free and thriving is interrelated. When we ground our spirits, grow our skills, and act strategically for justice in deep relationship with each other and our movements, we choose to Side With Love. TAKE ACTION is a place where we unite in work towards a world where we all thrive. Together we take action, Side With Love, and make deep impacts in this critical moment.