Prairie Star District

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PSD People

On December 7, 85-year-old UU Carl Nomura was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio’s Midday program, on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. In the interview, he shares his wartime experiences in a California internment camp (Manzanar) and later in the Army during WWII, along with other aspects of his long and interesting life (including his wise advice for achieving a happy marriage). Carl lived in Minnesota, attended First Unitarian Society, served for several years on the Camp UniStar Management Committee, and worked for justice throughout his adult life. If you didn’t hear the interview, it is online at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/07/midday2/

Lawrence Novotny, member of All Souls Unitarian in Sioux Falls and resident of Brookings, was awarded the Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler, Jr. Human Rights Award by the Brookings, South Dakota, Human Rights Committee. The annual award is presented to someone who has shown outstanding commitment to the cause of Human Rights. For over 30 years, Lawrence has been involved in a variety of issues: recycling, environmental education, preservation of family farms, equal rights for our GLBT communities, prisoner rights, and global peace & justice issues.

Rev. Brian Eslinger, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, IA, has published a book of essays exploring his own beliefs as a model for others to do similar work. Can I Call This God? also draws connections between understanding one’s own beliefs and translating those into action. The book can be ordered from the UU Fellowship of Ames.

PSD Congregations

Several of our congregations are supporting micro loan programs. These programs provide small amounts of money to individuals or villages who use the capital to create businesses or start local banks. The UU Fellowship of Winona (MN) is sending money to FINCA, and the UU Fellowship of Mankato (MN) is supporting Kiva. To find out more about these programs and why the congregations are committed to doing this kind of justice work, contact the congregations.

A peace and anti war group affiliated with Shawnee Mission UU Church in Overland Park, KS, plans to become the modern voice for Julia Ward Howe, the Unitarian woman who organized the first Mother’s Day in 1870. The group, which calls itself Julia’s Voice, will begin its mission to return Mother’s Day to its original purpose on May 11, 2008. The Mothers Day event, Moms Against the War, will promote peace and speak out against the war in Iraq. Julia’s Voice will provide organizing tools for churches across the nation to sponsor similar Moms Against the War events in their own communities. For more information, go to their web site www.JuliasVoice.org after January 30.