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UU URBAN MINISTRY eNEWS
Uniting Communities, Transforming Lives
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Our youth learn history and tour-giving skills from former State Representative Byron Rushing -- we think he learned something, too!
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A note from our Executive Director and Senior Minister
Dear UUUM Friends,
Our campus in historic John Eliot Square hums with activity: our afterschool program, workforce development program, and cultural, historic and social events gather young people, survivors and neighbors.
But our work doesn't end at our campus' edge. We build relationships for equity and justice across Roxbury.
We gather UUs to visit Roxbury's rich cultural institutions like the National Center of Afro-American Artists and Black Market -- supporting these organizations while learning about our city's history of racism and resilience.
We join Roxbury organizations like the Roxbury Cultural Network, forging friendships and partnerships to serve this neighborhood.
And our high school students guide visitors through nearby streets and parks to share the legacies left by leaders like Malcolm X.
In our divided world, your support helps us imagine and weave something better.
Your donations, volunteerism and engagement make all this possible -- reminding us in this new season that in the midst of everything, hope remains.
In faith and with gratitude,
Mary Margaret
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What will we unearth?
The City Archaeology Program headed by City Archaeologist Joe Bagley is partnering with the UUUM to provide an archaeological survey of the First Church in Roxbury property in John Eliot Square. This dig is in response to our upcoming landscape improvements and will determine if there are sites or artifacts that may be impacted by the proposed work.
An earlier dig at the site of the Education and Justice Center found fragments of stone tools left behind by Massachuset Native people. This survey will be checking the entire property to see where else there may be artifacts left behind by Massachuset People. Current members of the Massachuset tribe have been actively participating in the planning and design of the archaeological survey.
In addition to Native materials, the property is the site of five meeting houses built on the property in 1632, 1674, 1741, 1743 and the current church built in 1804. The first and second churches were not located where the current church is today, and the archaeological team hopes to find evidence of where they were located during the survey. The dig will be open to the public and residents and neighbors are encouraged to visit and participate in the dig.
The excavations will begin in April and last multiple weeks. Follow us on social media, as well as the archaeology team themselves (who can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @bostonarchaeo). They are posting fun photos of artifacts as they unearth them!
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Calling on UU Youth to be Racial and Social Justice Leaders
Do you want to encourage youth in your congregation to put UU values into action in Boston? To learn about the rich history of Roxbury? To begin working for racial justice?
We are offering four opportunities for our Seeing Me in the World curriculum for UU youth this spring and summer:
- April 27
- June 15
- June 29
- July 27
To hear how you can help UU youth engage, and to learn more about this program, contact Director of Special Projects Monique Marshall-Veale at
mveale@uuum.org.
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Youth-led history tours -- and
you're invited!
We are so excited to share our summer tour dates with you here! All summer tours will take place in August on Saturdays.
Thanks to your enthusiasm, we will be offering two tours per day to accommodate more interested tour-goers.
Questions about the tour program? Please contact us at tours@uuum.org.
We are looking forward to seeing you all on a tour!
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Tending to the growth of spring flowers -- and ourselves --
in Believe in Success
Just as spring has sprung, Believe in Success is entering the last weeks of our spring semester, and is looking forward to the graduation of our fourth cohort in May.
During the month of April, our participants will participate in Career Panels on the themes of Technical Certificate Programs, Higher Education, and Healthcare. While our programming always aims to spark hope, our career panels provide tangible motivation as our participants are introduced to professionals working in those industries and representatives from next step programs who provide immediate opportunities to enter those fields. These panels are always a high point, and we're looking forward to a month full of them!
Another April event we are looking forward to is our first annual Self-Care Day for Believe in Success participants and alum and Renewal House participants and alum. We are still seeking donations of self-care gift baskets to raffle off at this event, but are also looking to make mini swag bags for each participant to take home. If you are interested in supporting this event, please consider making donations of any of the following items.
If you are interested in supporting this event, we are still collecting some final items for our self-care gift baskets. We are looking for new, unused items, and around 20 of each so that each bag can have matching items:
- nail polish and remover
- nail file
- body or face scrub
- tea
- q-tips
- microwaveable popcorn
- shower cap
- hand-soap
- chapstick
- no-show socks
- hair clips
- make-up removal wipe packs
Please email Greta at
ghagen@uuum.org or call 617-318-6010, ext. 204, if you'd like to help with any of these items.
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Walking for Peace
For the third year, the UU Urban Ministry will provide hospitality to neighbors and members of our UU congregation walking in the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Walk for Peace.
On Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12, we will open our doors at 8 am for anyone wanting to begin, take a break or end their walk at UUUM. The walk begins in Dorchester and a second-leg at Madison Park High School, near our John Eliot Square, Roxbury campus.
For more details on the walk's schedule and route, see here.
If you would like to bring a group for a tour of the UU Urban Ministry that morning -- before or after the walk -- please contact Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at mmearl@uuum.org.
We encourage our member congregations to support the important, community-building and peace-making work of the Peace Institute.
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Ending Gender-Based Violence -- Starting with our Youth
In honor of the White Ribbon Campaign to end gender-based violence, our Shelter and Community Advocate, Vanessa, facilitated a conversation with our Roxbury Youth Programs high schoolers about sexual assault prevention, how to support survivors, and how to get help.
Together, youth and staff processed difficult things in the news, how power and privilege impact abuse and victims, and how we can all become part of the solution.
As a step to becoming part of the solution, our youth took the White Ribbon Day pledge: "From this day forward, I promise to be part of the solution in ending violence against women." We are proud of them!
If you'd like to join them in taking the pledge -- or want to learn more about how you can help spread this message with youth and adults in your life -- check out the Massachusetts White Ribbon Day resources
here.
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Our Gratitude -- and an Invitation
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Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!
It is no secret that the UUUM's programs run because of our volunteers! While we appreciate our volunteers every day of the year, we want to take a special moment this Volunteer Appreciation Week to give a shout-out to those who spend time in our Believe in Success and Roxbury Youth Programs classrooms, helping out at Renewal House shelter, bagging produce with Fair Foods -- and sharing their big hearts and many skills in so many other ways. Our programs are possible because of you!
As we expand our programming for the graduates of our domestic violence programs, we are opening a new volunteer opportunity. Read on for more info!
We are seeking Believe in Success Child Care Volunteers
Position Summary: A Domestic Violence Services
Child Care Volunteer supports program participants by providing child care during evening events.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The Urban Ministry is developing evening programs for Believe in Success students and Renewal House residents to provide continued professional support and healing-centered services as participants take their next steps. In order for our program participants to attend these evening events, we need child care support! We are currently seeking volunteers who are available 2-3 times a month during the evenings.
Requirements:
- Supervise and monitor the safety of children in their care
- Complete annual CORI/SORI before participating in activities
- Respect and maintain confidentiality of Believe in Success and Renewal House program participants, participants' families, and program staff
- Organize activities that allow children to learn, play, and explore interests
- Must possess valid CPR and First Aid certifications
Time Commitment:
- Arrival 10-minutes before the event, stay for the duration of the event (1-2 hours)
- Be available Wednesday evenings, two times a month (dates and locations TBA)
Please email Believe in Success Volunteer Coordinator, Christine Dickerson (
cdickerson@uuum.org) to learn more or to apply.
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Upcoming UUUM Connections Events
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All events sponsored by the UUUM emphasize the interconnectedness of all people and the capacity of a community to come together to build a more just world. We hope you'll join us for an upcoming event -- either on our campus or out in the world!
April
- April 14, 3 pm at the UUUM. Join us for this rescheduled date for The Ties That Bind. $10 donation to Opera unMet at the door. You won't want to miss this event, described as "a different kind of MLK celebration". Under the direction of UUUM board member Marshall Hughes, the ensemble presents a thought-provoking look at social justice and civil morality through words, song, music and interactive response. This year, we honor Sam Cornish, Howard L Resnikoff, Elizabeth Donaldson and Joanne Lowry as great leaders in social and civic justice.
- April 15, 8 am at the UUUM: Join us for Patriots' Day festivities beginning with breakfast at 8 am, and continue throughout the day with the William Dawes Ride Re-enactment by the National Lancers at 9, tours of the Dillaway-Thomas House, and historic trolley tours led by Byron Rushing (those begin at 11).
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April 16
, 4 pm at Boston City Hall: We are proud to join The New Democracy Coalition's annual reading of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail again this year. Come be part of this beloved community (as a reader or spectator).
- April 20, 10:30 am at the Museum of African American History: Byron Rushing will share the history of the black community's movement from Beacon Hill to Roxbury. Stay for lunch on site, catered by Haley House Bakery Cafe. Details here.
May
- May 11, 7 pm at Arlington Street Church: Alumnae from Boston Conservatory at Berklee School of Music present Jake Heggie's To Hell and Back. Stay for a talk-back with the singers and UUUM domestic violence advocates. $20 for adults, $10 for students; proceeds to benefit the UUUM's domestic violence programs.
- May 12, 8 am through end of walk at the UUUM. Our doors will be open to anyone wanting to begin, end, or take a break from the 2019 Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. For more info about the walk and route, click here.
- May 14, 6 pm at the UUUM: We Who Believe in Freedom Community Supper and Reading, facilitated by Mimi Jones. Series made possible with support from Mass Humanities.
- May 16, 6 pm at the UUUM: join us for the UUUM Annual Meeting. More details are on our website here, and you may RSVP here. You do not have to be your congregation's delegate to attend -- all are welcome! Questions? Email us at engagement@uuum.org.
- May 19, 3 pm at the UUUM: Join us for an out-of-tune organ concert and reception as we bid adieu (for now) to our Hook & Hastings organ so it can be fully restored off-site. RSVP to engagement@uuum.org.
Summer
- July 13, August 10, September 14, 1-5 pm on the UUUM Green: The Makanda Project jazz concert and family-friendly fair.
October
- October 1, 6-8 pm at the UUUM: Attention all UUUM Delegates, please join us for a special orientation and training evening. Dinner will be served and this is a great opportunity to meet your fellow delegates and UUUM staff, and to learn about our programs and ways to connect your congregation to the UUUM over the next year. Please save the date. Questions? Email engagement@uuum.org.
Visit our
News and Events
page for more information about upcoming and past events. Do you have an event you'd like included in our eNewsletter? Submissions are due to Greta Hagen by the 8th of the month (
ghagen@uuum.org
).
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Other Events in our Community
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The UUUM is proud to be part of the Roxbury neighborhood and the UU community. We encourage our UU and other friends to invest in, support, and learn about the rich cultural offerings and social justice work of our Roxbury neighbors.
Take time to explore the events, businesses, theater, museums and restaurants within Roxbury and throughout the neighborhoods of Boston that you might not already be familiar with.
Below are a few ways to make a difference.
Have an event you'd like us to feature? Email Greta at
ghagen@uuum.org.
Families Creating Together
Join Wendy Ellertson for "The Power of our Stories: What Does Clay Have to Say?", a FREE, disability-inclusive series of art workshops for children ages 5-13 accompanied by an adult family member/guardian. Participants will create clay artwork to be fired in a kiln, then glaze it with bright colors, and see what creatures and objects emerge from the clay, "telling" us what they want to be... surprises are bound to happen! As participants figure out the story of their pieces, they will build backdrops out of mixed materials to display and perform these stories to one other at the end of the series.
- Series runs on Wednesdays: April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and May 1st (+ optional followup fieldtrip), from 5-7 pm at the UUUM.
- To RSVP, call/text Maria Christina at 617-372-3022 or email Edward Pazzanese at edwardpazzanese@gmail.com.
Grand Opening of the Dillaway-Thomas House
On Friday, April 12, the Dillaway-Thomas will host an open house from 2 pm - 6 pm. Come see the First Church in Roxbury's historic parsonage, located across from the UUUM in Roxbury Heritage State Park, John Eliot Square. RSVP to Leonard Lee, General Manager, at leonard.m.lee@mass.gov or 617-386-6047.
Black Market Spring Grand Re-Opening Block Party!
Stop by the Black Market at
2136 Washington Street in Roxbury, from 11-4 on May 4th and 5th.
There will be over 20 vendors present, as well as music and food -- and Boston's 1st Roxbury-Centric Podcast ROXSTARS will be broadcasting live!
Union of Minority Neighborhoods 2nd Annual Poverty Teach-in
Our friends at
Union Of Minority Neighborhoods are hosting their second annual Poverty Teach-in on May 4 from 10 am - 3 pm. Join them for a discussion about how the experience of poverty affects us, and the many ways education (academic and non-tradition) or lack thereof has impacted us all in Boston and beyond.
Email Donna at donnabivins@umnunity.org for more information and to RSVP.
Support Haley House
As you might have heard, our friends at Haley House have suspended cafe operations until further notice while they review and renew their business concept (more
here). Please join us in supporting this important neighborhood landmark by:
- Placing a catering order or wholesale bakery order here to help them continue their catering operations and employ catering staff.
- Joining them for their Community Tables Program on the second Saturday of the month (March - August 2019). More here.
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The UU Urban Ministry in the World:
Upcoming Preach Dates and Congregational Visits
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We would love to bring the energy and vision of the UU Urban Ministry to you!
If you would like to schedule
Rev. Mary Margaret Earl
to preach at your congregation or meet with one of your congregational committees, please be in touch with her directly or with Annie Stubbs at
astubbs@uuum.org
.
And we hope you'll say hello when we visit you in your spiritual home! We can't wait to meet you or see you again.
Currently Scheduled Upcoming Dates:
April
- April 14: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at Theodore Parker
- April 28: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at First Parish Duxbury
May
- May 19: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at First Church and Parish in Dedham
- May 26: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at First Parish in Waltham
January, 2020
- January 19: Rev. Mary Margaret Earl at First Parish in Lincoln
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Support these programs and more at UUUM:
click here.
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UU Urban Ministry | 10 Putnam Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
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