Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. It is a huge gathering of UUs from all over the country; from all over the world, really. I love going to our UU General Assembly. As an employee of the church, it is now an expectation that I go, but I started loving GA long before I began working as our OCUUC Director of Religious Education.
My very first two General Assemblies were in Phoenix, where this year’s GA will be held and in our own backyard, in Long Beach. I went with my entire family. Those GAs were very special. I went to GA in Salt Lake City, where I was able to visit my mother’s family, and to GA in Minneapolis, where my husband’s family lives. Those trips were also, very, very special. One of my proudest moments was a GA I didn’t even attend, where youth advisor Birdie Reed sponsored my son, and he carried our UU banner in the big banner parade that opens GA every year. I wasn’t even there, and that GA in Cleveland was very special to me.
But last year we went to Charlotte, North Carolina. So my very proudest moment at GA was putting on this 'Standing on the Side of Love' T-shirt, gathering with so many other UUs wearing this T-Shirt, and marching with everyone to stand up for Marriage Rights for All. Swirling in that gathering of UUs, and knowing that we all stood together; that we all were there to stand on the side of Love gave me goose bumps. I got goose bumps writing about it, too.
We walked together in our shirts that day, we had signs and we sang. We heard inspirational stories and singers. But being part of that group, just being together, straight and LGBT, old and young and in-between, being there to do the right thing and to speak up for justice, was an incredible experience. It rained on the way back from the park that day, and that in no way dampened our spirits. We were there, and we were all present for justice. We were together in the spirit of life and love.
This year we will be standing up in Phoenix for another important issue, immigration and border justice. I want for each and every one of you to be able to have that experience. To march with your UU sisters and brothers, to hold space and speak up for doing the right thing. Please join us for justice GA in Phoenix in June 2012. Walk with UUs from all over, walk together with others from OCUUC. Please come and join hands, and walk with me.
http://blueboat.blogs.uua.org/ga2012/programs/
http://www.uua.org/documents/lfd/1202_youth_ga.pdf