Thoughts from the District Executive:

How Can I Help?

Nancy Heege

In these weeks after Hurricane Katrina, as we become more and more aware of the deaths, the destruction to peoples’ lives, and the long-term nature of the recovery work to be done, it’s worthwhile to think about the multitude of answers to the question: “How can I help?”

In the immediate aftermath of any crisis that impacts people, from a house fire to a hurricane, hands-on service is what quickly comes to mind. What can I do? Can I write a check, collect school supplies for displaced children, offer my services as a crisis counselor, donate blood, go to the area and help with clean up? All these actions, and others like them, are needed. But that’s not all.

As we look at any social justice issue, it’s helpful to remember that there are several different kinds of justice work. One UUA curriculum lists four: hands-on service, education, advocacy, and public witness. I suggest that congregations consider being involved in all four ways.

Hands-on service without the kind of knowledge that comes from educating ourselves to the depth and breadth of the problem at hand can be helpful in the short term, but less than effective in the long term. Taking time to study the many aspects of a problem adds depth to our understanding and gives credibility to our advocacy work.

Advocacy work means working to change the system that contributed to the problem in the first place. In New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, advocacy work might include creating effective evacuation plans for people who don’t have the resources to do it themselves, speaking out for better building codes, putting more money into the system of levees or, as happened after floods in Midwestern cities such as Rapid City and Des Moines, working to see that homes are not built in flood plains.

Public witness reminds the people with the power to make change that we are watching and voting. Testifying before the state legislature or the city council and speaking out for and with people who aren’t being heard by those in power are effective ways of bringing attention to the issues we care about.

Each of us has our own preferred methods of working for social justice. Each congregation gives its members opportunities to participate in one or more kinds of social justice work. I hope your congregation will broaden those opportunities, keeping in mind, of course, that members will not all agree on the best ways to reach resolution.

One of the ways our District supports this work is through our Social Justice Network. Contact Program Coordinator Tom LoGuidice or any member of the Advisory Committee. Go to our website at www.psduua.org and click on Social Justice.

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