As we usher in 2009, millions of Americans are excited and hopeful that an Obama administration will correct the many wrongs we have endured over the last eight years. One of them is the restoration of civil liberties eroded by irrational post-9/11 policies, which have been directed largely at law-abiding Muslim and Arab Americans.

Just last week, nine Muslims were kicked off a New Year's Day flight on AirTran to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security. The confusion started at Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., when one of the Muslim passengers, Atif Irfan, talked about the safest place to sit on the airplane.

Irfan said that when he boarded the flight Thursday, he mentioned something to his wife and sister-in-law about having to sit in the back. His sister-in-law replied that she believed the back of the airplane was the safest, but Irfan believed it was better to be by the wings.

These innocuous comments, however, were reported as a national security threat, and shortly after boarding, members of the family were approached by federal air marshals and taken off the plane. They were detained for a few hours while being questioned. However, although they were cleared by the FBI, AirTrain refused to allow the family to reboard the plan or any other later AirTran flight.

Although this incident, a clear example of racial and religious profiling, is shocking, it is not surprising. Post-9/11 hysteria and long-held stereotypes have created a fundamental misunderstanding and fear of Islam, Muslims, Arabs and anything "Middle Eastern."

Unfortunately, since 9/11, what most Americans see on television or read in the papers are examples of Arabs and Muslims responsible for terror attacks, repression of women, and riots over things like political cartoons. The demonization of Arabs and Muslims in mainstream American media is a not a new phenomenon. Films over the past decades have reiterated stereotypical images from crazy oil "sheiks" to violent, angry, chauvinistic men committing acts of terrorism, from oppressed women veiled in black to savage tribes roaming the desert, as depicted in the popular Disney film Aladdin.

According to a 2007 poll conducted by the Pew Forum, 54 percent of the American public does not know a Muslim personally. The 2007 Pew poll concludes that 45 percent of Americans believe that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

UUSC's Civil Liberties Program will soon be launching a Building Bridges for Civil Liberties project that seeks to challenge the rhetoric and unfair and illegal targeting of Arab and Muslim Americans in the post-9/11 United States and to remind us all that the erosion of civil liberties for any one group threatens the rights of all Americans. Stay tuned for more details!

The work we do at UUSC can be overwhelming in its scope and subject matter. But we have a way of dealing with large and complex issues that allows us to create positive change in even the most dire circumstances.

By taking a complex issue and breaking it down into individual components we are able to manage and control what appears to be an unmanageable problem.

One great example of this approach is our work in Darfur, creating stronger protection measures for women in camps for Internally Displaced Persons.

Violence Against Women and Girls in Darfur

Gender violence is only one part of a large number of issues that need to be addressed in order for violence in Darfur to come to an end. While we wait for a larger cease-fire to be called, there are concrete ways we can make a difference now in the lives of those who are most impacted by violence.

The protection of women and children in IDP camps is a staggeringly large project to undertake, but we, along with our partners on the ground, have been able to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. All these pieces add up to a larger web of protection for women and girls in Darfur.

UUSC has identified many of the steps needed to ensure that protection for women is a concrete reality, rather than a theoretical policy. Things like providing trained and supplied firewood patrols to accompany women on their trips outside camps and creating market spaces inside camps for women to generate income combine with other steps to add up to a complex solution for a complex problem.

We have a lofty goal, but by taking things step-by-step, we can reach that goal.

It is important to stay up-to-date on the situation in Darfur, as things are constantly changing. Please check back with our website regularly to stay up-to-date and to learn more about the conflict in Darfur.

If you would like to help us to ensure that women in Darfur are protected, please join our Drumbeat for Darfur campaign or consider becoming a member of UUSC.

I am happy to announce the publication of UUSC's 2008 Annual Report.

Our report offers highlights of UUSC's major programmatic and advocacy activities in 2008 and illustrates our work through compelling photography. It also provides year-end financial statements and recognizes recipients of UUSC's annual social justice awards, as well as the year's outstanding local representatives. And of course, the annual report acknowledges the generous and vital support of UUs congregations and individuals just like you.

Click here to download and view a PDF of the 2008 Annual Report.

To download PDFs of annual reports from past years, please visit our annual reports archive. You may also order copies of the 2008 Annual Report and other UUSC publications to help promote UUSC's human rights work in your congregation or community.

Happy reading!

On November 25, 1960, the Mirabal sisters Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa, known as Las Mariposas (or the Butterflies), from Salcedo, Dominican Republic, were brutally murdered by assassins hired by the dictator Rafael Trujillo. The Butterflies were activists involved in an underground movement of resistance against Trujillo's corrupt military rule.

Since 1999, the United Nations has recognized the anniversary of this day, November 25, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The day also kicks off 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, which run through December 10. This year, December 10 marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The 16 Days of Activism are a time for the world community to come together to proclaim that violence against women and girls is a global issue that must be addressed at the local, national, and international levels. Efforts around the 16 Days of Activism focus on building international solidarity among women and sharing effective strategies to combat violence against women, as well as developing new tools to advance the work of women's human rights.

It is also a chance to recognize that not all violence against women is as dramatic as the assassination of three political dissidents that sparks off a public uproar, as in the case of Las Mariposas. There are many forms of violence against women — physical, psychological, sexual, and economic — from domestic violence to trafficking, from harmful traditional practices to rape as a weapon of war. Most often abuses take place day by day, at home, in the family, in the workplace, in the community, or through policies and institutions of the state.

UUSC's Economic Justice partner the Center for the Promotion and Defense of Human Labor Rights (Ceprodehl) has taken a strong, vocal stand against gender-based violence. Specifically, Ceprodehl calls attention to the gender dimensions of occupational and workplace violence, as well the labor dimensions of violence against women and the fact that indigenous women are particularly targeted.

In addition to using organizing and outreach to build the capacity of workers to act collectively to defend their rights, Ceprodehl uses one powerful tool in particular — the media — to raise public awareness and to pressure the government to respond to violations of women's human labor rights, especially in the maquiladoras (factories that produce goods for export) in the state of Yucatán.

Here are two articles written by Socorro Chablé, Ceprodehl's president and a professional journalist, describing how violations of workers' rights and violence against women converge. Her piece "Reyna Ramirez: Among blue waters, a story of violence," is about the struggle of activist Reyna Ramirez, and former UUSC program partner the Commission for Human and Labor Rights of the Tehuacan Valley, for justice for women workers in Mexico's Maquiladora industry.

In a second article, "Under threat of removal, The 'Maquila Monologues' performed in the Nonpolluting Industries Park," Chablé shows how artist-activist are using theater in unlikely places to raise awareness about violence women workers face in maquiladoras.

In maquiladoras, violations against the rights of primarily young, indigenous workers are pervasive, as employers often do not allow workers to seek medical care and neglect to provide adequate safety equipment and training, putting workers' health and safety at risk in the name of greater profit.

But at the same time, women are taking action to inform themselves of their rights as workers and to build allies in a global movement to eliminate violence against women.

UUSC's theory of change understands that human rights are not won without struggle.

We believe that justice is about people living together in respect and dignity, sharing resources fairly and equitably, and affirming hope, human potential and creativity.

Toward that end, our human rights and social justice work is driven by two key engines:

• the work and leadership of our courageous partners around the world; and
• the support and engagement of our members and supporters — including, in large number, Unitarian Universalists.

Both of these came together in a historic moment this November when UUA President William Sinkford took a trip to Africa to meet with African UUs and social justice leaders and partners across the continent.

During their tour, Rev. Sinkford’s group of met with several UUSC partners who are strengthening economic and environmental justice and rights in humanitarian crisis in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Sale of "mitumba," or second-hand clothes, is a major part of the informal economy. KENASVIT is lobbying for set spaces for sellers of mitumba clothes, which are easily damaged by the sun and become hard to sell. The group is seeking stalls, roofing, and storage, not just for those who sell mitumba, but for many of the other sellers in the area. One of KENASVIT's recent achievements was to acquire a community space for vendors of perishable wares, making it easier for people to keep their goods longer.

One of those partners, the Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders (KENASVIT), shared with President Sinkford an important aspect of their work in the aftermath of Kenya’s post-election crisis (following the December 2007 contested election).

In response to the violence and resulting economic and humanitarian crisis, KENASVIT launched a revolving loan fund for street vendor members that delivers essential financial support to devastated livelihoods while also providing peace and reconciliation and conflict resolution training. KENASVIT has done exceptional work modeling inter-ethnic cooperation, and responding concretely to the needs of street vendors and traders so that their vital livelihoods — and organizing and policy work — can continue.

Without the support of Unitarian Universalists for this fund and this partner, this work would not be taking place.

Rev. Sinkford’s presence also put a tangible “name and face” on the UU denomination for our partners. The visit by Rev. Sinkford and his delegation and the interest they expressed in their work bring to life significant UU principles, which comprise both a foundation and a mandate for putting faith into action.

As we celebrate the holiday of “Thanksgiving” in the United States this week, I am grateful to be inspired by the resilience, leadership, and principles of both our partners and Unitarian Universalists — as evidenced by this joining of hands this November.

Passover is my favorite holiday that I do not celebrate. I say that because I have only celebrated Passover once, in Tel Aviv, back in 1999. At that time, I was living in Jerusalem — and the irony of saying the last words of the Hagaddah, "Next year in Jerusalem," inside a Jewish state, was not lost on me.

Since that Seder, I have been invited to just one other, at my friend Daniel's house in Chicago, but I could not make it. That is why I was so excited when I got another invitation, last Friday.

Our events coordinator, Cristin Martineau, came around with a list of local congregations that were kicking off their Guest at Your Table programs, and she invited me to attend one. When I looked at her list and saw that the Northshore UU Church, in Danvers, Mass., was holding a Seder to celebrate Thanksgiving and the opening of Guest at Your Table, my plans for Sunday were sealed.

I arrived at 10:30 Sunday morning, not sure exactly what to expect; but I got a great seat, next to the most well-known and well-liked person in the congregation, Tony Toledo, a resident writer and professional storyteller. He filled me in on the who-is-who and what-is-what of the busy 200-person congregation.

Soon the service began, and an intergenerational group that included two children, the religious educator, and two others adult congregants took their seats at a well-laid table, in the center of the church. The youngest at the table took up the microphone, asking, "What makes today different from other days?" And so our Thanksgiving Guest at Your Table Passover Seder began. Later, we shared a corn-bread-and-cider communion, just to make it a thoroughly UU, intradenominational celebration.

Beyond the restriction of eating unleavened bread and unfermented wine, there is so much to like about the Passover Seder (dinner) — sitting together with family and friends, eating course upon course of delicious food, and listening to stories about the heroic fortitude of one's ancestors. (Sounds a bit like Thanksgiving, right?, if you substitute the Pilgrims for the Israelites.)

I love the Passover tradition of leaving the door open for a special guest, Elijah, who may or may not arrive. Even in his absence, Elijah is a magical presence, representing hope, redemption, and future blessings. We pour him a cup of wine, and we reserve him a seat.

To me, there is no more fitting way to celebrate Guest at Your Table than with a Passover Seder. I have always envisioned this UUSC/UU tradition as a playful adaptation of Passover and its symbolic guest, Elijah. Just as during Passover, we open our door to hope, inviting in a special guest with whom we share our blessings, even if it is with something as simple as a gift box full of folded dollars or a "cup of wine for Elijah." We give thanks, and we look to a brighter future.

"Thank you for the vine and the fruit of the vine, for the produce of the field, and for the precious, good and spacious land." — The Haggadah

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Guest at Your Table!

Photo courtesy of Jeff Malet

In the spring of 2008, UUSC forged a partnership with the creators of Tents of Hope, knowing it would be a powerful, community-building project that would inspire hope and creativity. We felt that UUSC's Drumbeat for Darfur campaign, with its focus on the protection of women and girls in Darfur, was complementary to the goals and objectives of Tents of Hope. Since then, we have been seen that this was true.

The Tents of Hope project concluded this weekend in Washington D.C., on the Mall, with a gathering of over 300 tents, from 48 states, before they were shipped to Darfur to be used in camps for internally displaced persons.

It was an amazing sight, approaching the colorful tents, as I made my way from the Metro. I saw many people walking between the tents, talking to those who had decorated them. All were beautiful works of art, some decorated by youth and some by experienced artists.

UUSC staff members were invited to share the Washington-based All Souls Church, Unitarian tent, which had been decorated by their youth along with a youth group from the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas. As I stood in the tent, I felt humbled knowing this tent would soon be used as a school for children in a camp in Darfur. We thank them for inviting us in.

While the presence of the tents and their intended uses are amazing in themselves, the attendance of so many concerned citizens at such an incredible time in history was inspiring.

Over the course of the weekend, two other UUSC staff members and I provided three workshops about the need for improved civilian protections, particularly for women and girls. We were heartened by the interest and energy that those who attended shared with us. In addition, while on the Mall this weekend, we were spoke to hundreds of individuals wanting to learn more about our work and how they can help.

I also want to highlight all of the UUSC members and supporters who have been involved in the Drumbeat for Darfur campaign. Over the last 6 months, we have sent Drumbeat for Darfur materials to over 160 individuals and congregations. They have shared them with their communities, helping to spread the message that women girls need particular protection strategies. We are seeing the effects of all this good work. Standing beside you, we will continue to keep the pressure on.