In 2016, Unitarian Universalists voted to pay special attention to learning our history and rethinking Thanksgiving in the year 2020, in observance of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth.
As we enter this season of gratitude and care it is important that we come together as a faithful justice movement to strengthen our strategies, our commitments to justice and equity, and our impacts. Now is the perfect time to gather and think together virtually, and to begin celebrating differently, given that usual travels and traditions for Thanksgiving holidays are already ostensibly canceled/altered by a rampant pandemic.
Please sign up, and help spread the word about the fantastic programs and community documentary film screenings being offered for the Harvest the Power Justice Convergence & Teach-In, November 19-26.
Harvest the Power, inspired by Jim Scott’s hymn “Gather the Spirit”, is a six week confluence of Unitarian Universalist Justice ministries (that began Oct. 21) to deepen our relationships, draw on the sources of wholeness and strength in which we are rooted, and move together in powerful ways for justice.
Register here to receive invitations and links for all of the programs listed below:
REGISTER HERE FOR THE ENTIRE CONVERGENCE
Schedule of Events:
QUICK LINKS:
Thursday, November 19
Friday, November 20
Saturday, November 21
Sunday, November 22
Tuesday, November 24
Wednesday, November 25
Thursday, November 26
Documentary Screenings
Thursday, November 19-
Opening Ceremony
3-4:15pm PT/ 4-5:15 PT / 5-6:15 CT / 6-7:15 ET
Celebrate the start of the Harvest the Power Justice Convergence and Teach In with the Opening Ceremony, weaving together worship and grounding conversations for the week ahead. This program will be led by the Diverse Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) Native Caucus members, Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, Rev. Dr. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa, Kia Bordner, Sangye Hawke, Ian McAlpin, and Rev. Gary McAlpin.
ZOOM ROOM / REGISTER FACEBOOK LIVE YOUTUBE LIVE
United in Faith: Honoring the Spirit of the Earth
THE CONDOR & THE EAGLE
Documentary Screening – 4:30-6pm PT / 5:30-7 MT / 6:30-8 CT / 7:30-9pm ET
Panel Discussion – 6-7pm PT / 7-8 MT / 8-9 CT / 9-10pm ET
Hosted by United Religions Initiative, UU Ministry for Earth, & many partners
The Condor and The Eagle is an award winning documentary that offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as the film’s protagonists learn from each other’s long legacy of resistance to colonialism and its extractive economy on an unexpectedly challenging and liberating journey, which will forever change their attachment to the Earth and one another.
This interfaith, bilingual event will feature a stellar panel of Indigenous religious and spiritual leaders from the North & South:
Hereditary Chief Phil Lane, Jr. (discussion moderator; Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
Casey Camp-Horinek (film protagonist; Ponca Nation)
Patricia Gualingua (film protagonist; Kichwa People of Sarayaku)
Francisco Morales (Aymara community in Argentina; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
Rosa Delia Quizhpe Macas (Kichwa Saraguro; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
All convergence registrants will receive the program links, but you can also sign up and donate here. Share these links with others who want to join this particular event but not the entire convergence:
REGISTER HERE DONATE HERE (suggested $1-100 sliding scale; avg. $25)
Friday, November 20-
Thanksgiving Reframed – Worship Service
9-10am PT/ 10-11am MT / 11am-12pm CT / 12-1pm ET
This worship service will include musical and spoken word from Hartman Deetz, Wampanoag artist and activist, and a sermon from UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray. There will be an offertory special collection for the Create Climate Justice – Indigenous Solidarity Fund with the UU Ministry for Earth. Worship leaders: Ann Gilmore, Nina Lytton, and Aly Tharp
“Historically, UU ministers were instrumental in creating this U.S. holiday and the “Pilgrims and the Indians” pageant tradition that roots the holiday in an historically inaccurate and harmful colonial narrative. Many UU congregations in New England can trace their lineage directly back to early settler congregations that had a role in the genocide of Native communities. As a religious tradition, we cannot decide who we will be without reckoning with the truth of who some of our ancestors were…
This year, let us be grateful in a genuine manner. Let our gratitude flow from our deep, ongoing commitment to justice and equity. Let our gratitude grow from the opportunities we have to be together authentically—whether virtually or in person. Please join me as we reimagine this day and gather in community to honor Indigenous ancestors, experiences and traditions. May it be a time to reflect and find meaning in how our shared values connect us. ”
– UUA President, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray in “A Message From The UUA President: Honoring Indigenous Ancestors, Experiences and Traditions”
ZOOM ROOM / REGISTER FACEBOOK LIVE YOUTUBE LIVE
Time Offline
10-11am PT / 11am-12pm MT / 12-1pm CT / 1-2pm ET
The Thanksgiving Reframed worship service will end with an invitation for all convergence participants (who can) to collectively unplug from electronic devices to spend time reconnecting to self, to place, and to the oneness of life on Earth.
Transgender Day of Remembrance – UUA Chapel
11am-12pm PT/ 12-1pm MT / 1-2pm CT / 2-3pm ET
The UUA chapel worship service on this day will center Transgender Day of Remembrance (#TDOR), an annual observance on November 20 honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
Inter-generational Climate Justice Dialogue
12-1:30pm PT/ 1-2:30 MT / 2-3:30 CT / 3-4:30 ET (NEW TIME)
Space limited to 100 people
UU lay and professional leaders and social/eco justice activists are invited to participate in intergenerational dialogue to share wisdom, stories, memories and lessons of social movements past and present. This space is intended to cultivate deeper understanding and relationship among and between generations in the work for climate justice.
Colonizing Language and the Doctrine of Discovery
3-7 pm PT / 4-8 MT / 5-9 CT / 6-10pm ET
The InterNātional Initiative for Transformative Collaboration (INITC) endeavors to create spaces that engender InterNātional participation in the sharing and exchange of knowledge, experiences, cultural practices, and cultural expressions. Since Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock in 2016, Unitarian Universalist ‘friends of INITC’ have participated in and supported various camps and events. All are welcome.
This session will include interactive discussion and experientials to continue the conversation and process of reimagining what it means to be a ‘Human Being’. Join us for a sharing of knowledge and experiences informing our understanding of the profound social, cultural, economic, environmental and legal challenges impacting our health, well-being, and Planet.
This 4-hour session (w/intermission) will include presentation, group experientials, film and discussion with facilitation by Steven and Shawna Newcomb as well as INITC Council members.
Saturday, November 21-
Here it Began: 2020 Hindsight or Foresight
Indigenous History Conference – Session VIII
7-10:30am PT / 8-11:30 MT / 9-12:30pm CT / 10am-1:30pm ET
SEPARATE EVENT – REGISTRATION REQUIRED (HERE)
Sponsored by Bridgewater State University, Plymouth 400 and the Wampanoag Advisory Council
Writing Ourselves into Existence: Authors’ Roundtable: New England Native Authors and Literature
7-8:30am PT / 8-9:30 MT / 9-10:30 CT / 10-11:30am ET
Moderator: Siobhan Senier (“Dawnland Voices”)
Panelists:
Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel (Mohegan)
Carol Dana (Penobscot)
John Christian Hopkins (Penobscot)
Cheryl Savageau (Abenaki)
Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag)
Break (30 min)
From Traditional Knowledge to Colonial Oversight to Indigenous Integration: Educator’s Roundtable Indian Education in New England
9-10:30am PT / 10-11:30 MT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12-1:30pm ET
Moderator and Speaker: Alice Nash
Panelists:
Tobias Vanderhoop (Aquinnah Wampanoag)
Jennifer Weston (Hunkpapa Lakota, Standing Rock
Alyssa Mt. Pleasant (Tuscarora)
How We Win: Debrief and Moving Forward with UU the Vote
1-2:30 PT / 2-3:30 MT / 3-4:30 CT / 4-5:30pm ET
Join this round table of UU The Vote leaders and partners to debrief the great work accomplished through UU the Vote this year, and to share reflections and announcements about where this monumentally successful campaign will go from here.
We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân
Documentary Screening & Discussion with Jessie Little Doe Baird & Anne Makepeace
Watch the film: 3:30-5pm PT / 4:30-6 MT / 5:30-7 CT / 6:30-8 ET or anytime Nov. 19-30th – link provided to all convergence registrants
Join the Discussion: 5-6pm PT / 6-7 MT / 7-8 CT / 8-9pm ET
We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân tells the story of how Jessie Little Doe Baird became a linguist who is reviving the long-silent Wampanoag (or Wôpanâak) language and is restoring to her Native American community a vital sense of its cultural heritage. Determined to breathe life back into the language, Baird founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, an intertribal effort that aims to return fluency to the Wampanoag Nation. Join Jesse Little Doe Baird and filmmaker Anne Makepeace for a special discussion about the film and the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, facilitated by Ann Gilmore.
FILM DISCUSSION ZOOM ROOM / REGISTER
Reminder: you must register for the full convergence to recive the film streaming link
Sunday, November 22 –
Here it Began: 2020 Hindsight or Foresight
Indigenous History Conference – Session IX
7-10:30am PT / 8-11:30 MT / 9-12:30pm CT / 10am-1:30pm ET
SEPARATE EVENT – REGISTRATION REQUIRED (HERE)
Sponsored by Bridgewater State University, Plymouth 400 and the Wampanoag Advisory Council
Closing Plenary Sessions:
I: Justice for the Land
7-8am PT / 8-9 MT / 9-10 CT / 10-11am ET
Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi)
Break (15 min)
II: Sacred Instructions
8:15-9:15am PT / 9:15-10:15 MT / 10:15-11:15 CT / 11:15am-12:15pm ET
Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot)
Ending and Continuing Thoughts
9:15-9:30am PT / 10:15-10:30 MT / 11:15-11:30 CT / 12:15-12:30pm ET
Linda Coombs and Joyce Rain Anderson
UU the Vote Georgia Phone Bank
11am-1pm PT / 12-2 MT / 1-3 CT / 2-4 pm ET
Join UU the Vote and national partner Reclaim Our Vote to call voters in Georgia before the Senate Runoff elections on January 5. We’ll be using a manual dialer so that we can leave voicemails with important voting information. All training will be included in the event. Once trained, you will be able to use this system to make calls after the phonebank any day of the week.
Congregational Teach-in: Addressing 400 Years of White Supremacist Colonialism
1-3:30pm PT / 2-4:30 MT / 3-5:30 CT / 4-6:30 pm ET
Hosted and organized by Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs, Rev. Karen Van Fossan, Ann Gilmore, & Aly Tharp
Supplementing the 2020 UUA Action of Immediate Witness “Addressing 400 Years of White Supremacist Colonialism”, this teach-in is focused on supporting congregations to cultivate relationships of solidarity with Indigenous Peoples locally. This program will also include a brief UU history lesson dismantling the Thanksgiving pageant myth, and a call to shift UU cultural Thanksgiving practices towards honoring the Fall harvest, the land, and its stewards.
UU Young Adults for Climate Justice Tea Time
5:30-6:15pm PT / 6:30-7:15 MT / 7:30-8:15 CT / 8:30-9:15pm ET (NEW DATE)
Young Adults (ages 18-35) are invited to join the UU Young Adults for Climate Justice Network for a community care space. Enjoy a cup of tea or a meal surrounded in good company and discussion!
Tuesday, November 24 –
Prepare to Care: Stop Line 3
Image source: Stop Line 3 Facebook page
4:30-6pm PT / 5:30-7 MT / 6:30-8 CT / 7:30-9 ET
Hosted by UUSC & Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA)
This workshop will feature updates from climate justice leaders working in frontline communities across Northern Minnesota. We’ll discuss the impacts that the proposed Line 3 oil pipeline could have on our water, land, and communities, and we will explore effective ways that people can join or support the Stop Line 3 resistance movement. This workshop will also include information about nonviolent direct action and other creative and caring conflict intervention opportunities. We’ll close by learning a water song together.
Wednesday, November 25-
Plant-Based Community Meal
5 pm PT/ 6pm MT/ 7pm CT/ 8pm ET
Hosted by UU Animal Ministry and UU Ministry For Earth
This community meal will be a time for convergence participants to come together virtually to enjoy the ethical harvest of a plant based meal. An extensive collection of plant-based recipes will be provided for you to try out and experiment with! This meal and conversation will begin with a chalice lighting and blessing and will be facilitated by The Reverends John and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh.
Thursday, November 26 –
51st National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Beginning at 9am PT/ 10am MT/ 11am CT/ 12pm ET
Unitarian Universalists are encouraged to tune into the live stream of the Day of Mourning events taking place in Plymouth, MA.
The live stream and also pre-recorded content for the Day of Mourning will be posted in the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) website, in the UAINE facebook group, and at https://hate5six.com/ndom.
Day of Mourning resources:
PDFs:
Orientation for 2020 National Day of Mourning (PDF) (Provided for printing with new info for this year)
Word Docs:
Gather: The Fight to Revitalize Our Native Foodways
Documentary film screening, available to watch any time Nov. 19-30
Gather is an intimate portrait of a growing movement amongst Indigenous Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities through obtaining sovereignty over their ancestral food systems, while battling against the historical trauma brought on by centuries of genocide. A link and password will be emailed to all Harvest the Power Justice Convergence & Teach-In registrants (register here) on November 19 and again on November 23. The film will be available to view through November 30.
Documentary Screenings-
United in Faith: Honoring the Spirit of the Earth
THE CONDOR & THE EAGLE
Documentary Screening – 4:30-6pm PT / 5:30-7 MT / 6:30-8 CT / 7:30-9pm ET
Panel Discussion – 6-7pm PT / 7-8 MT / 8-9 CT / 9-10pm ET
Hosted by United Religions Initiative, UU Ministry for Earth, & many partners
The Condor and The Eagle is an award winning documentary that offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as the film’s protagonists learn from each other’s long legacy of resistance to colonialism and its extractive economy on an unexpectedly challenging and liberating journey, which will forever change their attachment to the Earth and one another.
This interfaith, bilingual event will feature a stellar panel of Indigenous religious and spiritual leaders from the North & South:
Hereditary Chief Phil Lane, Jr. (discussion moderator; Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
Casey Camp-Horinek (film protagonist; Ponca Nation)
Patricia Gualingua (film protagonist; Kichwa People of Sarayaku)
Francisco Morales (Aymara community in Argentina; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
Rosa Delia Quizhpe Macas (Kichwa Saraguro; United Religions Initiative Trustee)
All convergence registrants will receive the program links, but you can also sign up and donate here. Share these links with others who want to join this particular event but not the entire convergence:
REGISTER HERE DONATE HERE (suggested $1-100 sliding scale; avg. $25)
We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân
Documentary Screening & Discussion with Jessie Little Doe Baird & Ann Makepeace
Watch the film: 3:30-5pm PT / 4:30-6 MT / 5:30-7 CT / 6:30-8 ET or anytime Nov. 19-30th
Join the Discussion: 5-6pm PT / 6-7 MT / 7-8 CT / 8-9pm ET
We Still Live Here: Âs Nutayuneân tells the story of how Jessie Little Doe Baird became a linguist who is reviving the long-silent Wampanoag (or Wôpanâak) language and is restoring to her Native American community a vital sense of its cultural heritage. Determined to breathe life back into the language, Baird founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, an intertribal effort that aims to return fluency to the Wampanoag Nation. Join Jesse Little Doe Baird and filmmaker Anne Makepeace for a special discussion about the film and the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, facilitated by Ann Gilmore. A link and password to watch the film will be emailed to all Harvest the Power Justice Convergence & Teach-In registrants on November 19 and again on November 21.
FILM DISCUSSION ZOOM ROOM / REGISTER
Reminder: you must register for the full convergence to recive the film streaming link
Gather: The Fight to Revitalize Our Native Foodways
Watch the film on November 26, or anytime Nov. 19-30
A link and password to watch the film will be emailed to all convergence registrants on November 19 and 23, and the film will be available to view through November 30th.
Gather follows the stories of Natives on the frontlines of a growing movement to re connect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide.
A indigenous chef embarks on a ambitious project to reclaim ancient food ways on the Apache reservation; in South Dakota a gifted Lakota high school student, raised on a buffalo ranch, is proving her tribes native wisdom through her passion for science; and a group of young men of the Yurok tribe in Northern California are struggling to keep their culture alive and rehabilitate the habitat of their sacred salmon.
All these stories combine to show how the reclaiming and recovery of ancient food ways is a way forward for native Americans to bring back health and vitality to their people
Register here to receive invitations and links for all of the programs listed above:
REGISTER HERE FOR THE ENTIRE CONVERGENCE