Chances for Peace in the Midst of Boston Violence

This weekend brought news of thirteen-year-old Luis Gerena being murdered near his home in Boston. This is the third middle-school boy who has been murdered in Boston within the last several weeks. Like Emmanuel Benjamin Saintil, a fourteen-year-old who was shot on December 22nd, Luis Gerena attended the school where I teach part-time. The violence is emotionally traumatizing for children, family members, teachers, church members, and many other people who belong to the communities of which these boys have been a part.

I believe this kind of violence is preventable--that these boys might not have been killed if there were more support for anti-violence programs in Boston. I read in today’s Washington Post about Peaceoholics , a D.C.-based program that reaches out to young people who are considering violence, and gives them encouragement to make a better choice. This kind of program offers the possibility of saving lives. Knowing that successful models for youth violent prevention do exist gives me some hope when the barrage of loss is overwhelming.

Michigan UU’s Protect Children from TABOR

Unitarian Universalists in Michigan scored a recent win against TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights). TABOR is a restrictive measure that limits the state spending base and leads to social services cuts. A TABOR measure was in effect in Colorado from 1992 to 2005. During that time, the quality of services for children plummeted, especially in the areas of education and health care.

The Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) took a stand for children by joining the Defend Michigan coalition. Defend Michigan led the way in opposing TABOR. The coalition united community organizations and emphasized the damaging effect that TABOR would have on children.

On September 8, Defend Michigan and the MUUSJN had a major victory, with the TABOR initiative being struck from the November ballot. The ruling that disqualified the TABOR initiative was in response to an outcry from Defend Michigan about improprieties in the collection of petition signatures.

Congratulations to MUUSJN!

(And to UU’s in the rest of the country: stay alert! Similar TABOR measures have also recently been proposed in Kansas, Pennsylvania, Maine, Montana and Nevada.)

Chalice Chick and I Discuss the Role of Religious Groups in Politics

Over at the ChaliceBlog, CC and I are having a lively conversation about whether or not UU congregations and the denomination as a whole should engage in political activity. Please check it out and add your comments:

Chalice Chick’s original post is entitled "Standing on the Side of Keeping Religion Out of Schools," and addresses Sinkford’s call for Unitarian Universalists to advocate for comprehensive sexuality education.

My comment in response to her posting can be found in the comments on that story (scroll down to find).

Chalick Chick wrote a follow-up post entitled, "More On Keeping (Even My) Religion Out of the Schools."

My second comment, in response, can be found again in the comments on that story (scroll down).

If you would like to join the discussion, please comment at the ChaliceBlog (or, for the publicity-shy, e-mail me at shelby [at] promisethechildrenuu.org).