5.12.26 Action Center Update

Written By Side With Love

Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we’ll share:

  • A brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment

  • Immediate actions you can take

  • Resources to deepen knowledge and strengthen our collective work to side with love

Nothing is inevitable. Justice movements are built by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and nurture a loving world. You are not alone. We have power. Together, we can create a just and thriving future.

Movements are strongest when we act together. Organize with your teams and networks, and take these actions in community. For practical tools, see our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.

Decriminalization & Immigration

Core Principle: Criminalization and dehumanization deny the dignity of our communities. Safety cannot come at the expense of others. As people of faith, we proclaim a future of care, abundance, and mutuality—not domination.

The Update:As UUs, we believe that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and no one deserves to have their family torn apart or their home terrorized whether in rural Alabama or southern Lebanon.  We also believe in the strength of community: from the Michigan clergy who waged a solidarity fast with hunger striking detained immigrants in Michigan to those showing up to defend democratic representation in the Tennessee and Louisana State houses.  We hope that you are finding your way to act with  strategic courage in your local community.   

Take Action: 

Majority leadership are now working on a plan to fund ICE and CBP through reconciliation, which would not require any minority support. They plan to introduce a narrowly focused reconciliation bill that would fully fund ICE and CBP for three years, and President Trump has endorsed this approach. The reconciliation bill would provide about $70 billion in funding for ICE and CBP to sustain them until at least the end of Trump’s term.  The UU Solidarity Initiative is considering another phone call blitz - sign up here to get updated and join.  

Resources:

Solidarity Sessions are an opportunity for folks working for immigrant justice to connect with one another, take action, and learn about the most recent changes in immigration laws and policies. This week is our deeper dive into the administrative updates and the impact the changes they will have on folks seeking immigration relief. 

How do we stop the authoritarian administration from becoming full on fascism? This hands on workshop will overview some of the answer: Pillars of Support, non-cooperation, and strategy to defeat authoritarianism. Then we’ll talk specifically how UUs can play a key role in growing networks of Fourth Amendment Workplaces, helping employers and workers understand their rights if ICE shows up. We’ll send you out with training and materials to recruit your local businesses to take a stand while building relationships within your congregation and community. Co-sponsored by Side with Love and UU Justice PA.

Climate Justice

Core Principle: A just and loving world is also a flourishing one. A fossil-free future is possible, where clean energy is a human right and all beings thrive. To get there, we must create new systems, norms, and practices.

The Update:
Oppose Legal Immunity for Big Oil

After months of fossil fuel industry lobbying, Republican lawmakers have introduced federal legislation to grant oil and gas companies immunity from any laws or lawsuits that could hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis.

More than one in four Americans live in a community fighting in court to make Big Oil companies pay for lying about how their products fuel climate change. At at least a dozen states have passed or proposed climate “superfund” laws to make polluters, not taxpayers, cover the growing bill for climate damages. The fossil fuel industry’s allies in Congress are trying to block these accountability measures by introducing a total liability shield for fossil fuel companies based on the 2005 law protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits.

No industry should be above the law, especially not Big Oil. Tell your Members of Congress to oppose S. 4340/H.R. 8330, the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act, and condemn the fossil fuel industry’s effort to strip communities of their right to take corporations to court.

Thanks to People vs. Fossil Fuels for the text of this week’s Action Center Update

Take Action: (2–3 partner actions)

Resources:

 Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.

Side With Love
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5.19.26 Action Center Update
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4.28.26 Action Center Update