I am so grateful for UUSC supporters like you who are dedicated to economic justice. At each stop on my national book tour for Behind the Kitchen Door, Unitarian Universalists have shown up and expressed their commitment to restaurant workers’ rights. Hundreds of UUSC supporters have bought the book, and many are organizing related activities in congregations around the country. Because of you, the book is a national bestseller, having made it to #1 on Powell’s online bookstore bestseller list and the top of several categories in Amazon.

Now let’s take our message to Congress! 

Step 1: Call your senators.

You can reach their offices by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Talking points:

• Tell your senators' offices that you care about restaurant workers’ rights.
• Ask that your senators support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would increase the federal minimum wage, including the base wage for millions of tipped workers.
• Explain that tipped workers are often paid as little as $2.13 per hour, a wage that hasn't been raised in more than 20 years!
• Optional: Mention that although the current law requires employers to make up the difference between the tipped minimum wage and the regular minimum wage if tips fail to cover the gap, the reality is that employers often don’t.

Step 2: Please take one moment more to let UUSC know that you called. When you tell us which senators you called and how their offices responded, we can further hone our strategy.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 (bill number S. 460) was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) in a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill last week. Now we need to show that there is a groundswell of support!

I know you can create a buzz. I’ve seen how UUSC supporters are already generating enthusiasm for restaurant workers’ rights in your congregations and communities — now let’s change the conversation in Congress!

Raising the minimum wage for millions of workers — including tipped workers — is the fair and right thing to do.

But this won’t be an easy win. And it won’t be quick. The National Restaurant Association is a powerful opponent, and they spend millions of dollars each year to keep the tipped minimum wage low. We’re going to need your support every step of the way — starting this very moment and continuing in the months ahead. 

Thanks to you and other UUSC supporters, the change we seek is possible!

Elias Estabrook was a recent UUSC grassroots mobilization intern whose work focused on engaging youth. In the following blog post, he reflects on his time as a UUSC intern and the questions that youth face as they try to make positive change in the world.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
— Rev. Howard Thurman

What does this mean for young people like me? Rev. Howard Thurman's widely cherished and respected words capture what I grapple with as I seek out opportunities to learn about the world and make a difference. Where and how will I discover what truly makes me come alive? And how can we help other youth discover that for themselves?

Over the past two months, after an eight-month immersion experience abroad, I've settled into UUSC's office in Cambridge as an intern for grassroots mobilization. Just as I did in my rural, Senegalese host community, I've taken on the challenge of examining the role of youth in social change — and formulating ways for them to engage as leaders and aware members of society. In particular, I've focused on youth activism with respect to economic justice, from fair trade to restaurant workers' rights.

In my final week, I had the opportunity to attend parts of the National Youth Justice Summit, a UU College of Social Justice program. It was a privilege to see how 10 young Unitarian Universalists — much like I was just a few years ago — are tackling fundamental questions about social justice and developing realistic visions for how they can be agents of change. During the week, the youth forged connections as they shared perspectives. They were united by not only their UU faith and their leadership qualities but also their joint motivation and aspiration to make a difference. And that week can serve as the jumping off point for something even bigger.  

It was a blessing to end my stint at UUSC with such an interactive week. As we closed one of the sessions, assembled in a circle with joined hands, I voiced my gratitude for seeing my hopes for engaged young people manifested in the wisdom and determination of these eager leaders. Even though I spent much of my internship at a desk shaping important research and creative ideas into strategic information kits and workshop programs, being face-to-face with young UUs for a short time was ultimately the most gratifying. It made the youth-led social-justice movement I was envisioning and writing about incredibly real.

The world needs youth leaders to take on the complicated challenges of our time. But there are far too many for one young leader to take on alone. And so, as Howard Thurman believes, we need more youth who are intrinsically motivated and passionate about the good they can do in the world. As they explore, they will discover what they are most drawn to, whether it be campaigning for marriage equality or coordinating job-training programs for marginalized youth.  

Bringing out this enthusiasm and conviction is, of course, easier said than done. Reaching and harnessing this energy was one of the greatest challenges of my work. How do you motivate youth to contribute to social action, to understand and get involved with an important human-rights campaign? These were the questions I pondered. Yet, after this National Youth Justice Summit, this task seems much more possible. Surrounded by lively, inquisitive, and invested youth, I find my optimism about our generation reaffirmed.

In preparation for Justice GA in Phoenix, Ariz., (June 20-24, 2012) the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) have jointly organized three Service Learning trips to the U.S.-Mexico border with our partner organization, BorderLinks. In this blog post Rev. Eric Cherry, the Director of the UUA’s International Office, describes what is planned for the third trip which will begin on May 25th. The BorderLinks service learning trips are made possible through the generous contributions of UUA and UUSC donors.

It was a privilege to journey with Unitarian Universalists who are engaged in a diverse array of ministries during the BorderLinks delegation last January. And last month (April) a second UUA/UUSC delegation had an equally powerful experience. Together the people on these delegations grew in understanding the complex justice issues related to the US/Mexico border. They also found room for theological reflection about those matters. And, through the eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart connections with people living in this context, each returned deeply committed to the ongoing religious work for immigration justice.

The participants in this third UUA/UUSC delegation are also faith leaders engaged in diverse ministries: lay and ordained, in both parish and community settings. And, they are sure to have a deep and rich experience that will include visits with:

• Scholarships A-Z: A network of students and advisors working to make education accessible for all students. They help connect students to available resources and train them to be their own advocates.
• Grupos Beta: A Federal Mexican Organization that has offices along the northern and southern borders of Mexico and one in D.F. There mission is to protect the migrant.
• The Green Valley Samaritans: Volunteers who to into the desert on water runs and searches Their goal is to help protect any migrants they come across in the desert, in an effort to prevent deaths along the border region.
• Hogar de Esperanza y Paz (HEPAC): HEPAC is a sister organization to BorderLinks and a community center in Nogales, Sonora. Programs offered at HEPAC include adult education and training classes, and the Child Food Security Program, which provides lunch to children and education for their families on nutrition and gardening. HEPAC also is home to a women’s cooperative that produces jewelry that raises awareness about deaths in the desert.
• Observing Operation Streamline and analyzing its injustices with legal professionals who confront it constantly.

Further stories from the journey will be posted after the trip. Please come back to see the reflections of the participants.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28-May 5, 2012. In the post below, trip participant Jocelyn Furbush writes about the hope and inspiration she experienced with the Papaye Peasant Movement, a UUSC partner in Haiti. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

In the United States, we mostly hear bad news about Haiti. I suspect that in the outpouring of support after the earthquake, many donors like me gave with the thought of temporarily alleviating suffering. We didn't expect to permanently lift anyone out of poverty, let alone transform the country. It's hard to imagine changing deeply rooted systems of power and oppression. It's hard to imagine restoring a depleted environment to the point where it could provide a decent life to millions of people, ensuring that the inherent worth and dignity of each is respected. Nonetheless, I came here in search of hope that both those things were possible — and that's exactly what I've found.

One example of this living hope is the home garden of Moccene, an MPP youth leader. His inspiring success in improving soil productivity (and thus family income and well-being) through creative and organic methods represents more than a single story of someone making a positive change. Because this change grew from and continues through a mature and sophisticated system of community organizing and because this young farmer connects his personal actions to the larger political struggle for food sovereignty, I truly believe it represents a movement.

Another example of hope stirring in Haiti is seen in the MPP's cooperatives, not just for agricultural production but for value-added processing from what's grown. These co-ops craft jams, peanut butter, honey, and I'm sure more to come. The twin pines logo on the jars connect the system of equal shared investment and reward that created these products to cooperatives of all kinds around the world. In 2012, the International Year of Cooperatives, I'm especially honored to learn from Haitians who are building the kind of cooperative economy I'd like to see in my corner of the world.

Just one more beacon from my short time here has been the joy and human connection I've found with my fellow UU travelers and the Haitians we've worked and eaten beside. I've discovered the power of spontaneous song and dance to cross language barriers. I've seen incredible resilience, generosity, humor, love, and faith. As I reconnect with my own UU faith and the space it creates in my life for balancing social-justice action with reflection, I'm blessed to be witnessing the community bonds here. They are strong enough to mobilize members to action and flexible enough to welcome newcomers. MPP calls their organizers "animators," which brings to mind waking the community up to its own potential and sparking it with new life. In returning home, I hope to be more of an "animatrice" than an activist, waking people like me to the hope Haiti has for itself and to offer to the rest of us.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28-May 5, 2012. In the post below, trip participant Barbara Nelson reflects on the various ways to build foundations — with stones and with voices. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

I knew something was waiting here with this experience but had no idea what that something would be. Yesterday the form began to emerge. Much of what we had seen and heard began to fall into place. We now were participating in the helping to put the pieces together. The rain ceased, the preliminary steps were taken, and we actually began to build a home.

The organic nature of passing rocks and working side by side with the Haitians to lay the foundation of a new home was awesome. It felt so good to do something so concrete. To participate in an effort that will absolutely improve the quality of life for a family is amazing. At the start of the day it was "Yeah, stones!" At the end — tired, dirty, and sweaty — we still felt the same way: "Yeah, stones!"

Later on in the evening something totally unexpected happened. Our team was sitting on the front porch singing songs, practicing rounds, and sounding actually quite lovely in our own way. A young Haitian woman was standing on the path in front of our porch listening and smiling. We invited her up, along with some of her friends. With just very little encouragement she began to sing! Wow — how beautiful and powerful and very Haitian. Not a clue what she was singing, but we were still mesmerized. Our songs didn't quite have their energy, so we sat back and listened.

Over the next hour and a half, we sang. Well, mostly she and her friends sang, and we listened. We actually knew a Haitian song and sang it with them with gusto. And we all sang "Amazing Grace," us in English and them in Creole — that was magical. 

As the evening wore down, we invited them to join us another evening for another song fest. We hugged and said goodnight to our newfound friends. Another stone was laid.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28-May 5, 2012. In the post below, trip participant Orelia Busch reflects on tiny movements and cataclysmic earthquakes. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

Since our arrival in Haiti last Saturday, I have experienced moments that I can only describe as touch points, when my whole body responds to something I have seen or heard with a tingle or a shiver in the core of my being. On the drive north from Port-au-Prince through the mountains, we waited for the drivers to fix a flat tire on the side of the busy road. Haitians dressed up brightly and sharply for church passed by our car windows, and we talked about earthquakes.

Someone said that the tiniest movement deep within the earth creates what we experience on the planet's surface as a cataclysm that can wreak unbelievable destruction and chaos. One of the trip leaders told us that she didn't really understand the full impact of the earthquake until she witnessed that not only had it destroyed lives and homes, but it also left cracks in the earth that changed the pattern of the very rivers that feed the farms and the people of Haiti.

I think about earthquakes as I feel something stir in me and muddle through my own reflections on the sensory and new-experience overload of beauty and hardness that I see in Haiti. I think about earthquakes when I listen to Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, our host and leader of the Papaye Peasant Movement, describe his dreams for Haiti. He is working with 60,000 others all over this country to build a nation where the divisions that keep neighbors from working together are no more; where all people have enough healthy, locally produced food to sustain their families; and where neighbors work together to educate themselves, better their lives, and preserve the environment for future generations.

I think about earthquakes and I believe that each small motion towards sustainability and self-determination in Haiti could have such great positive impact in the future.

I think about earthquakes, I feel those shivers and tingles at my core, and I wonder what new channels, cracks, and ways of being and seeing that this experience will forge within me.

Video Diary: Haiti Day 2 from UUA International on Vimeo.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28–May 5, 2012. In the post below, chaplain and trip participant Megan Lynes talks about the powerful sense of community and interconnection she is finding there. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

­­­­­I came on this trip to Haiti because I felt deep compassion for the Haitian people following the earthquake two years ago. In learning about the devastation, I was aghast to find out about the centuries-long history of oppression and the long-term disempowerment of the Haitian people. When it became possible for me to participate in a UUA-UUSC service-learning trip, I knew I wanted to come here, learn all I could, contribute anything I could, and return home to teach others about what we can do together. What I didn't know when I signed up was that I would come into contact with one of the most important grassroots peasant-worker movements in the world today — and I didn't know how much hope is alive and spreading through this powerful people's movement. 

Yesterday was our second day at the Papaye Peasant Movement (Mouvement Paysan de Papaye, known by its acronym, MPP), and we spent much of it touring the compound and meeting Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, the executive director. He is warm, enthusiastic, clear-minded, and kind. It's easy to see why he has led more than 60,000 people for over 35 years, building this community into a place of health, equality, and visionary purpose.

Chavannes told us how human-rights organizations like the UUSC, and many governments all over the globe, partner with MPP. I felt in that moment that my life is intrinsically linked to the lives of the peasants here. What I have been so lucky to experience firsthand here in the Central Plateau is a sustainable community that most in Haiti can only hope to dream about. Yet, because we are all a part of the interconnected web of all existence, even the Haitians living in cities are part of the web, too. I cannot help but see each struggling or helping person as part of the entire picture. We each matter more to one another than we can ever really fathom.

"No one educates no one. We humans educate one another through the intermediary of the world." These words come from The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a book written by Paulo Frieri. Chavannes mentioned them in his talk with us, describing how one of MPP's key goals is to empower the oppressed, emphasizing that everyone has the capacity to teach and learn from one another. He described "gwoupman," the organizational system of MPP, in which groups of 15-20 people spend three months working, bonding, and learning how to be cooperative together. They then stay together as a united group through the years. This is a powerful community model with respect at its center. I think there are many elements of U.S. society that could benefit greatly from the wisdom of their organizing model. The interconnected web of life extends beyond borders. Educating one another through the intermediary of the world begins with each of us.