Other People Matter
Like many of you, I’ve been spending a good bit of time in recent months writing postcards, making phone calls, and participating in door-to-door canvassing. These are activities I had no time for before I retired a year
ago. Yet, at every event, I spot other UUs. Each glimpse of a bright “Side with Love” tee-shirt or creative campaign button reminds me how proud I am to be part of this congregation. I don’t always love the campaign activities. For every person who enthusiastically reports favoring pro- reproductive justice candidates (my social justice focus in particular), there are those who shut the door in my
face, metaphorically or literally. But from both the 20-somethings and the long-timers with whom I’ve worked, I’ve learned to shrug off negativity.
And here’s what I do love: the community that is built through social justice work. The late psychologist Chris Peterson summarized the field of positive psychology in three words: “Other people matter.” This is not only
my motivation for involvement in social justice, but also my reward. Our reproductive justice ministry began a year ago, a group of ten women studying a UU curriculum together. Despite the depressing news of
increasingly restrictive abortion rulings around the country (legislation that has caused serious physical harm to women in many states, including the recent death of a woman in Georgia), I left each session comforted by our shared commitment and desire to act. I wasn’t alone in my outrage any longer.
When our congregation voted to make reproductive justice one of our top three justice priorities, along with voting rights and climate justice, our group was ready. We’ve organized and/or participated in a variety of events since January, including fundraising for Planned Parenthood, assembling of abortion care kits, and collaborating with Congregation Beth HaTephila members to show two different documentaries (Plan C and North Carolina’s Abortion Story). As the election nears, our efforts are increasingly directed toward supporting UU values at the polls; for example, with UU the Vote, we co-sponsored a workshop on defusing the antisemitism that is being used as a weapon in local and statewide political campaigns.
I’m proud of our efforts and hopeful we are serving a greater good, but let me be clear: My own contributions are far from selfless. I’ve discovered that the best antidote to my worry or despair is action. If the morning
news is grim, I can turn to Rev. Claudia’s Voting Engagement document (updated weekly) and sign up for a new activity. Even better, I am finding connection everywhere I turn while learning about the amazing work of
our many diverse justice ministry groups. As goes the title of a song Chris Rosser performed in one Sunday service, “We are each other’s angels.” I am grateful to all of you for supporting the values and work of social
justice.
Melissa Himelein
UU Asheville Board
