Since shorthly after the State of Arizona outlawed Public School courses in "Ethnic Studies," and removed some 80 books, mostly by Hispanic authors, from Tucson classrooms, HUUmanists has been involved with opposing these acts of censorship and cultural oppression.  Partnering with Puente (a community organizing group in Phoenix) and "Librotrafficante" Tony Diaz of Nuestra Palabra, we had well over 300 people each "smUUggle" one of these banned books into the UUA's 2012 General assembly in Phoenix.  

Over the next year we helped establish community libraries based on banned books at Puente's new headquarters, and in Tucson, El Paso and Louisville.  This year we are giving individuals the opportunity to "spread banned books around:" buying a low cost copy of one of the titles, and after reading it, passing it on to a friend, or dropping it in a public location.  Labels on the cover and fly leaf of each book explain why it was "banned," and how the reader can participate.  Read more about HUUmanists Continue the Fight Against Classroom Censorship »

If you support Humanism in the Unitarian Universalist Association, please join the UU Humanists. If you would like to receive the electronic edition of the journal, the cost is now only $35 per year. You can receive the print journal for $60 per year. Your paid membership or donation will help us continue to expand our projects and reach and is greatly appreciated! Read more about New Lower-Cost Membership Level Available »

John Hooper and Pat Mohr, president and vice president of the UU Humanist Association, attended the Moral March on Raleigh event on February 8, 2014. In the picture on the right, they are standing with Mike and Susanne Werner, fellow UU Humanists and secular activists. The march brought together approximately 80,000 people from around the country, including UUA president Peter Morales and over 1,500 other UUs, many wearing their bright yellow "Standing On the Side of Love" t-shirts. They came to Raleigh to protest regressive North Carolina GOP policies around health care, education, the criminal justice system and voter suppression that especially disenfranchise the poor and people of color.

Read more about The Moral March on Raleigh »

UUHA president John Hooper recently participated in the Secular Leadership Summit, on January 25, 2014. The event was held in Columbus, OH and was sponsored by the Secular Student Alliance. This meeting, formerly known as the Heads Meeting, brings together the leaders from all of the major non-theistic organizations to discuss strategy and to coordinate activities.

John described the event as, "a very positive meeting" and the people as, "a really cool bunch of folks".  Read more about Secular Leadership Summit 2014 »

Have you heard about the Humanist Community Project? They are, "a Cambridge-based initiative to help create, establish, and connect a stronger nationwide network of Humanist communities focused on individual, group, and societal betterment, for the benefit of the secular and freethought movement." In other words, they are group that seeks to promote "Godless Congregations". Greg Epstein, the group's leader, described the project at the HUUmanists 2013 UUA General Assembly program, and explained that "Godless Congregations" is also the title of an upcoming book that he and co-author James Croft are working on.  Read more about The Humanist Community Project & UU Humanists »

Before I tell you about the important progress we are making in both reinforcing the Humanist core of Unitarian Universalism and acting as a bridge between Unitarian Universalism and the secular/non-theist community, I have an exciting announcement to make:

On November 18, 2013, your Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Maria Greene to the part-time position of Development and Communications Director of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (HUUmanists).  Maria will guide our efforts in three areas: Membership Development/Fundraising; Local Group identification, formation and affiliation; and Communications. Please join me in thanking Maria for taking on this critical job in our movement and in giving her our enthusiastic support.  In a related action, the Board has appointed Rev. Dr. Neil Gerdes to the position of Secretary of the Association, replacing Maria.

Let me tell you about just a few of the exciting "happenings" involving your UU Humanist Association. Read more about President's Corner »

Unitarian Universalist Humanists will be very encouraged by reading UUA President Peter Morales' recent article "Science and the Search for Meaning," published in last summer's issue of The New Atlantis.  Peter forcefully reaffirms the Unitarian Universalist principle: "we affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning." The entire essay could be interpreted as a thoughtful explication of our Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (HUUmanists) core values of Reason, Compassion, and Community. Thanks, Peter.  We needed that!

Here are Peter Morales' words:

One of the pleasures I had at the HUUmanists' yearly meeting a the 2013 UUA General Assembly was naming David Schafer our President Emeritus. David has been a friend and mentor for many years and I am personally grateful for all he has given the HUUmanists Assocation, including the years he spent as president from 2003 - 2010 and his on-going service on our Board.

Here is a David's abbreviated biography: Read more about Celebrating David E. Schafer, President Emeritus »

At the 2013 UUA General Assembly in Louisville, KY last June, the HUUmanists held our annual business meeting. At that meeting we had the pleasure of awarding the first ever Religious Humanist of the Year Award to our distinguished board member, the Rev. Roger A. Brewin. In his introduction to the award presentation, president John Hooper listed these accomplishments that made Roger the obvious choice for this honor: Read more about Roger Brewin ~ Religious Humanist of the Year, 2013 »

Committed as we are to the goal of compassionate action in all human interactions, the HUUmanist Association commends the United States Supreme Court for the ruling in United States v. Windsor that the federal government may not discriminate against same sex unions.  To treat some marriages as less worthy of federal recognition than others is to deny the inherent worth and dignity of the persons joined in such unions.  Our hearts have cried out against such discrimination and now we rejoice that it has been found unconstitutional.  We also celebrate that same sex marriages will again be permitted in California.  It's beautiful to see the "arc of justice" bending into a rainbow.

Although grateful for these developments, the HUUmanist Association will not be satisfied until same sex marriages can be contracted in every state in the land, until same sex marriages entered into in any state are recognized in all states, and until all of the other ways in which sexual minorities are marginalized throughout the country are repealed or struck down.  Equality and justice for all. Read more about Standing on the Side of Love »