UU Humanist Association

The HUUmanists Association experienced a very productive and rewarding Justice GA last June, featuring a keynote address by Bill Murry on “Economic Justice: A Moral Imperative for UU Humanists” and a hugely successful “Book SmUUggling” project in the exhibition hall. See Roger Brewin’s GA Booth summary later in this Newsletter.

Summary of our annual membership meeting, held on June, 22, 2012

Our treasurer, Greg Seaman, reviewed our successful program to bring our revenue and expenditures into balance through cost reductions and increased paid membership. Our budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year projects a surplus of $2,000.

The nominated slate of officers and new at-large board members was introduced, discussed and approved, with four individuals being elected for the first time. Subsequent to GA, Gayle C. Walter resigned as an at-large Director and Lowell Steinbrenner was appointed by the Board to complete her term. On behalf of the Board and the entire membership of HUUmanists, I extend our sincere thanks to Gayle Walter, Rev. Jane Esbensen, and Walter Wells for their dedicated service as officers and directors of our Association, and for all they do or Humanism and Unitarian Universalism. The current set of Officers and Board is on the website.

The annual meeting was addressed by the dynamic leaders of three organizations, with whom the HUUmanists Association has forged working relationships in the support of reason and compassion in our society. Edwina Rogers, the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America, described the accelerated ramp-up of efforts, on both the national and state levels, to increase the visibility of non-theist values and to defend the separation of church and state. Serah Blaine, the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for Arizona, described the particularly difficult but critical work that SCA is doing in a state whose elected leaders have shown a particularly egregious tendency to mix religion and politics. Tony Diaz, the founder of Librotraficante, related the passionate and effective actions of the Librotraficante movement in countering the effects of Arizona House Bill 2281, which resulted in the removal of books on ethnic studies from Arizona public schools. He thanked the HUUmanists Association for our Book SmUUggling project. His program continues to fight for the repeal of the Arizona law, with a new underground library set up in Phoenix with the books donated at GA, and with more activities, such as teach-ins in every state during Spanish Heritage month.

The State of HUUmanists Association and a Look Ahead

I’m excited about what your HUUmanist Association has accomplished and optimistic about how we are positioned for the important work ahead. Our officers and directors make up a team of extraordinary and accomplished Unitarian Universalist Humanists. I feel both honored and humbled to be working with them. Together, we are developing a comprehensive and multifaceted program to strengthen and extend Humanist influence both within Unitarian Universalism and in the world at large:

• Publishing: We are collaborating with the American Humanist Association in the publication of the electronic version of Bill Murry’s very successful book: Becoming More Fully Human and planning the publication of additional titles
• Conscientious Stewardship of UU Humanist History: We are working with Meadville Lombard Theological School to establish an Archive of Humanist Documents and Materials
• “Embodied Humanism:” Our Book SmUUggling project at the 2012 GA is only the beginning of a concerted effort to make sure we actively live out our Humanist values of reason and compassion, and not just talk about them
• Education: We continue to actively work with The Humanist Institute and the Institute for Humanist Studies in providing opportunities for emerging secular and religious humanist leaders to build their skills and deepen their knowledge base.
• Becoming a Primary Interface (Bridge) between the Secular/Non-believing Communities and Unitarian Universalism: This initiative could provide an unprecedented opportunity for us to truly fulfill our dual mission of being the voice of reason and compassion (without supernatural assumptions) within Unitarian Universalism and an advocate for Unitarian Universalism in the freethinking community at large.

These are the steps we are taking to make this happen:

1. Help to establish and/or strengthen local Humanist and freethinker groups in close cooperation with secular Humanist organizations.
2. Mobilize UU individuals, institutions, and congregations to actively support the activities of our partner organizations, especially those of the member organizations of the Secular Coalition for America.
3. Be recognized by the UUA and individual Unitarian Universalists as the entity assuming responsibility for building bridges with the secular/non-believing community in UUA President Peter Morales’s Congregations and Beyond initiative. We are in discussions with UUA leadership about this.
4. Focus our 2013 GA activities on our role as a bridge between Unitarian Universalism and the secular/non-believing communities. American Humanism coalesced and began to flourish almost a century ago when it captured the imagination of freethinking young people at the University of Chicago and Meadville Lombard Theological School.

I believe that, like our forebears, we Unitarian Universalist Humanists have a special role to play with the freethinking people – especially the young people – of today. We must accept them where they are in their life journeys. Our congregations need to be more openly welcoming to atheists, agnostics – indeed to nonbelievers of all stripes. Young nonbelievers of today deserve the same opportunity that was given to all of us – the opportunity to find a home in Unitarian Universalism, where their life stance will be not only welcomed, but also celebrated and shared. “If not us, who? If not now,when?” Read more about President's Corner »

Those who put together Justice GA (in which HUUmanists participated effectively and enthusiastically) urged all UUs to "Bring it Home," that is, to take the emphasis on Social justice from our week in Phoenix, and convert it to both serious study AND targeted action in our local groups and congregations.

Our HUUmanist action oriented effort (in which many besides humanists participated), was to collect and display over 400 copies of the 80+ text and supplemental readings removed from Tucson classrooms under Arizona's outlawing of Ethnic Studies courses, and then to create a community lending library by donating these books to Puente's new headquarters. We partnered with Puente and Tony Diaz of Librotraficante to blend strong humanist values - intellectual freedom, opposition to censorship and equal treatment of all groups within the human community - with the opportunity for individuals to take direct action by SmUUggling one Banned Book each into Arizona. 

Now we wish to give groups and congregations the same opportunity - to take a stand for the Freedom to Read, and for a minority's right to define and promote their own culture.  On or around September 21, UU congregations, RE programs, social justice committees, and Huumanist organizations, national and local, along with other affinity groups, can join in a nationwide web of events called "Fifty for the Freedom to Read."  More than 40 locations and groups, recruited by HUUmanists and Librotraficantes, are currently considering what actions to take.

Public readings from and displays of the Banned in Tucson books, opportunities for attendees to purchase one of the 83 titles and donate it to a future "underground libary," collections of childrens books of all kinds to supplement the largely adult titles already donated to Puente, a chance to join with local activists and representatives of the Hispanic community, and the sharing of food, music, drama and poetry of the community that we partnered with in Phoenix - any and all of these can be part of an event at your fellowship, group meeting or church.  

We know the time for preparation is short, but we also know that no one event carries all the burden of this effort. Do whatever you can, and join in a continent-wide movement to call attention to the importance of standing together in the face of cultural oppression and the imposition of an intellectual and artistic straightjacket.  Resist, offer alternatives, join together and celebrate!  No matter how large or small your contribution, take action and be part of "Fifty for the Freedom to Read," on Friday September 21, or if it works better, Sunday September 23. Call your local library and bookstore now, and ask them to join with you.  If you can't do it personally, consider recruiting someone else from your membership to take the lead.     

To receive an event guide detailing how simple it is to put together a contributing event, contact Roger Brewin at 773 881 4028 or Rabrewin@aol.com.  Read more about Justice is love and reason, in action »

Arizona has banned books used in teaching in Arizona public schools that advocate the overthrow of the government, which has been applied to ethnic studies in a devastating way.  Arizona House Bill 2281 was created to prohibit teaching courses in Mexican American Studies, although it can be applied to any ethnic group.  The Tucson school system closed the entire K through 12 Mexican American Studies program in order to comply with this bill, and removed some 83 books from the curriculum.

Many of the books banned were on the reading lists of teachers in the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, and include such radical books as Thoreau’s Walden, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and books by celebrated authors such as Isabel Allende and Howard Zinn.

Tony Diaz, a professor of English at the University of Houston and a Mexican American, heard about this bill and started Librotraficante, an organization dedicated to providing the banned books for libraries in Arizona.  He got a van and asked for donations of these books that he could take to Arizona.   This was reported in many places, including the Manchester Guardian, and Roger Brewin (a retired minister in the Chicago area) of the HUUmanists read about it there.  Roger develops and coordinates the HUUmanists booth at GA, and put out a call for GA attendees to smUUggle a book into Arizona for donation to this project.

Roger asked for people to email him their interest in smUUggling a book or donating to the effort, both on our web site and by email to our members.  Hundreds of people sent money or indicated their interest.  For the nearly 300 people willing to smUUggle a book, Roger sent them a title to obtain and bring.   At GA, the smUUggled books were put on display at the HUUmanists booth at the exhibition hall.   This was a major attraction to the booth, and many who attended also donated cash to the effort or bought some of the 20 books from the banned book list at the UUA bookstore in the exhibition hall.   Donors or those who brought books received a smUUggler or Librotraficante button, a copy of the journal Religious Humanism GA justice issue, and will be mentioned in a newsletter to be issued this summer.

Tony Diaz invited Brill Moreno of KSAZ Fox News channel 10 in Phoenix to see the exhibit and report on the effort.  Tony and Roger were interviewed, as well as a professor at the University of Arizona who had his book on Mexican American Literature banned.

On the last day of the General Assembly meeting all of the books were donated to Librotraficante, and used to launch Librotraficante’s fifth underground library.   This is located at the office of the community organization Puente in Phoenix.   And cash donated to the HUUmanists for Librotraficante was given to the project to buy more books.  The HUUmanists expect this to be a continuing effort. Read more about smUUggler's project at GA »