Social Justice

Social justice is the lifeblood of our congregation. It nourishes us spiritually and enriches our community. We are committed to making a difference in our communities and in our world – to work to help our neighbors, to protect our environment, and for peace and justice.

LEARN! Why do Black Lives Matter? Why commit to reparations? How does slavery and oppression of Black people affect life today? The Black Lives Matter nuggets below have articles that will take a couple minutes to read, and some videos that are a few minutes to over an hour. Learn something new every day!

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If you have 5 minutes...

Critical Race Theory has been talked about a lot, with school boards now taking action to ban CRT. Listen to this mother talk about what she wants her children to learn about in school at CRT_A mother's story

The Tulsa Massacre isn’t the only massacre of Black people in the US. Our history is full of them. Read about others at Racist massacres

Eliminate these racist words and phrases from your vocabulary. Go to List of racist words/phrases​

Racism is at the core of anti-abortion sentiments. Anti-abortion sprung as a more palatable issue than racism for Christian Nationalists. Read or listen about this eye-opening history at Religious Right Origins or History of Abortion

Many white people think that they are discriminated against about the same amount as Black people (63%). Being racist and calling out those who see systemic racism is part of the plan, according to this opinion. We've seen it in local non-partisan school board races, and it’s evident in national politics too. Begin to see how current issues are intended to continue white supremacy. Read more at Most see discrimination or The Racist Plan

Law Enforcement and Black Lives
Police kill one in every 1,000 Black men. Police are taught that traffic stops are potentially lethal but they’re not – the (estimated) odds of an officer being killed during a traffic stop is one in over 6 million. Traffic stops can be done differently. Read about it at The Risk of Police Violence or Enforcement without Police.

All of the 3 total law enforcement officers who died in the line-of-duty in Wisconsin in the past 2 years died of Covid-19. Police are not in constant danger – the job is not even in the Top 10 of the most dangerous jobs, with construction workers, truck drivers, and trash collectors being much more dangerous. Read or listen to an NPR report about fatal police shootings of unarmed Black people at Police Job is not as Dangerous or Unarmed Victims

If you have 15 minutes or more...

Blockbusting:     
    Definition of blockbusting:  Blockbusting 
    How blockbusting affected (and still affects) segregation in our neighborhoods and contributes to systemic racism: Suburban Segregation 
    For a deeper dive into the history of blockbusting in Milwaukee:  History of Blockbusting
    Local cemetery refusing the burial of a Black person:  Refusal of Burial

The Racist Origin of Tipping:  History of Tipping

Trevor Noah explains what to focus on when thinking about Black Lives Matter issues at Black Lives Matter
​ (18 min)

Watch Suppressed, the Fight to Vote featuring Stacey Abrams at Fight to Vote (38min)

Read about Rape Colored Skin at Rape Colored Skin

If you have about an hour...

“SOCIALIST!” This accusation harkens back to the suppression of Blacks from a century and a half ago when rich white landowners didn’t want Black men to vote. Socialism being equated with something awful is racism. Read about socialism and Black suppression in history at "Socialist" Slur is Racism
​For a deeper dive into the correlation between socialism and racism, listen to Heather Cox Richardson on Nov. 19, 2020 at Socialism & Racism. (1 hour) If you want to listen for less than an hour, begin at 54:00. (Follow historian Dr. Heather Cox Richardson on Facebook or sign up for her daily letters.)

White Supremacy: Wisconsin is a bastion of white supremacy and Milwaukee is the most segregated metro area in the country. About 13% of Wisconsin Black men of working age are in jail or prison. The US average is 6.7%. Read How Wisconsin became a bastion of white supremacy at White Supremacy in Wisconsin

Prisons in the USA:  Watch the film "13th" at "13th" (1 hour 40 minutes)

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​We are a Welcoming Congregation!
​Find out more about the UUA's Welcoming Program at UUA Welcomes

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Organizations We Support

A member of LCUUC does volunteer work at the Free Clothing Store in Waukesha's Hope Center.

Family Promise of Waukesha County http://www.fpowwc.org

SOPHIA Waukesha (Member) https://www.sophiawaukesha.org/about-sophia 
 
Hope Center http://www.hopecenterwi.org
 
Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic http://www.wccdentalclinic.org
 
UU Service Committee http://www.uusc.org
 
Black Lives Matter http://blacklivesmatter.com
 
Southeastern Wisconsin Common Ground http://www.commongroundwi.org
 
Lake Area Free Clinic http://www.lakeareafreeclinic.org
 
Lake Country Bread of Life Community Meal http://www.lakecountrybreadoflife.com

America's Black Holocaust Museum https://www.abhmuseum.org/
 
Hebron House of Hospitality http://hebronhouse.org
 
Eras Senior Network (previously known as Interfaith of Waukesha County) https://eraswaukesha.org

Various Food Pantries including The Food Pantry of Waukesha, Hartland Food Pantry, Oconomowoc Food Pantry, Pewaukee Food Pantry, New Berlin Food Pantry, Kettle Moraine Food Pantry, North Lake Food Pantry, Mukwonago Food Pantry, and Sussex Food Pantry 

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