Justice Needs You

Unitarian Universalist

Church of Loudoun

Advancing Justice Council

October 05, 2026

If you're reading this year's UU common read, you might have come across these words in the essay entitled, "Love Is the Heart of This Church," by Dan McKanan:

"...to "love your neighbor as yourself" meant passing labor laws so that your neighbor would earn enough to feed their family, and their children could go to school rather than having to work in a sweatshop. It meant working for peace and for an end to racial segregation...It is about doing the work of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and confronting those who serve power or greed rather than love. It is about doing the work of calling one another to account when we fall short of love's standard."

To put it more succinctly, as Cornel West has said, "justice is what love looks like in public."

Love is at the center of our shared values as Unitarian Universalists. With that in mind, here are some opportunities to live into those values:

Tomorrow: Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Meeting

Board Room, First Floor, Government Center

1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg

Tuesday, October 06 - Public Comment beginning at 6:00pm

One of the best ways to make your voice heard locally is to attend Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meetings when important initiatives are introduced or discussed. Tomorrow's board meeting (agenda, time, and place here) has two agenda items in particular that we would love your support on (more info below). Here are several ways to support:

Sign the petition in support of the Community Trust Policy.
Email all 9 members of the Board or leave a message for them at 703-777-0115 to ask for an end to data center grandfathering.
Attend New Virginia Majority's press conference tomorrow at 5:30pm outside the Board of Supervisors to support the Trust Policy.
Sign up to speak either in person at the meeting or remotely by phone by calling 703-777-0200 by 12:00pm tomorrow.

Several AJC members will be there in person and we would love to see you!

Item 10.a: Amendment to the 2025 Data Center Grandfathering Resolution

This item will provide background on the site plan application and review process, the determination of grandfathering for administrative applications, and the status of all those remaining applications grandfathered under the Resolution.

This article by Little River District representative Laura TeKrony explains the background of the grandfathering resolution and why she believes it should be retired. She encourages public input and attendance at the board meeting starting at 6:00pm.

Separately from this item, you can write to Gov. Spanberger and the General Assembly to call for a state-wide moratorium on data centers.

Item 14.h: Community Trust Policy

Increased detentions and community threats by ICE in Loudoun have created widespread fear among immigrant residents, making many afraid to access essential services. During tomorrow's meeting, the BOS will discuss drafting a Trust Policy that would:

Prevent coordination between county staff and ICE staff
Prohibit ICE from accessing county databases
Prevent county employees from asking or sharing immigration status unless legally required.

If you're unable to attend tomorrow's board meeting (or even if you are) please sign and share the petition below so that families do not have to live in constant fear of being detained by ICE.

Sign the Petition

Upcoming Events

AJC's Earth Justice Team's event, "Data Centers: Why Should We Care?" has been rescheduled for November 15. Details below.

Sat., Oct 17: March for a Moratorium | Loudoun County Courthouse | 1:00pm
Sun., Oct 18: UU the Vote letter-writing | UUCL Sanctuary | the AJC Democracy group will host and guide a 30-minute letter-writing session after service while the potluck is being set up
Tues., Nov 3: VOTE
Wed., Nov 4: Soup's On: A Post-Election Gathering to celebrate or commiserate | UUCL Sanctuary | 5:30pm
Sun., Nov 15: Data Centers: Why Should We Care? | UUCL Sanctuary | 11:30am-1:00pm (rescheduled from Oct. 11)

Joan places the first "I Voted" sticker on the UUCL AJC vote poster

Good News

AJC's Democracy group (lead by the unstoppable Ann Marie) has met their goal of writing 3,000 letters encouraging voter turnout for the midterms! Help them exceed that goal during a quick letter-writing session before the October 18th potluck in the sanctuary!

What We're Watching

The Supreme Court granted a request by the Trump administration to allow states to use a controversial and unreliable data system to check for citizenship ahead of the midterm elections.

Several states have asked the Supreme Court to strike down other states' laws protecting abortion providers (known as "shield laws").

Amazon is facing a class action lawsuit for punishing pregnant workers for taking breaks.

The Supreme Court will consider whether immigrants living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to decide if they remain in detention while challenging deportation.

Can you help with composting?

Reply directly to this email if you are willing to take compost on Sundays or after larger events, either to take for your home compost or to drop off sites in Leesburg or at the County Landfill.

Please reply to this email with any questions, ideas, or concerns.
We'll respond as soon as we're able.