If you wish more information about the Social Action Committee of First Parish Plymouth, please contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Social Action
The Social Action Committee strives to advocate for social justice on local, state, and national levels and works to provide truthful information to church members and the surrounding Plymouth community on a variety of relevant issues. We regularly publicize social justice opportunities that encourage church members, friends, and the local community to become involved and put Unitarian Universalist values into practice.
Communication
Critical to the success of our Social Action Committee is good communication among all people within our community and with all “stakeholders” including our local, state, and federal leaders. We hold companies and organizations accountable for their actions by writing to corporate offices. We provide a weekly E-Blast to keep the congregation and others informed about our work and about local events/meetings related to social justice issues.
We promote a wide range of information that focus on issues such as environmental contamination; protecting the rights of minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals; passing effective gun laws; addressing the needs of individuals and families who are living in poverty; and providing refugee support. We also strive to maintain communication with other local Social Action Committees, identifying and participating in shared goals and activities.
Climate Action
We, as Unitarian Universalists, are called to halt practices that fuel warming/climate change and to initiate sustainable alternatives. Our Social Action efforts are based on the realization that we must begin at the local community level as well as exert pressure on our local and state governments. We are addressing environmental sustainability such as managing plastic use, identifying eco-friendly product alternatives, promoting recycling of non-degradable materials, and managing a web-based “buy nothing” program. And, we are collaborating with Cape Downwinders, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Sustainable Plymouth, and the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance to provide the Plymouth community with quarterly environment-related films and on-going information about recycling Styrofoam, fabrics, and other non-degradable substances.
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Democracy in Action
Unitarian Universalists recognize the longstanding and ongoing challenges of ensuring a healthy, multiracial, inclusive democracy in the U.S. Actions such as eliminating voter suppression and restoring voter rights are essential. One of our primary paths is to encourage all people who are registered to vote, to do so.
Beginning in August 2024, the Social Action Committee created a working group, Democracy in Action, to encourage all US citizens to vote. The postcard writing activity is continuing: for example, with the Environmental Voter Project, we are targeting Pennsylvania voters who had a critical election year (2025). We mailed over 3,000 Get Out the Vote cards obtained from the following organizations: Progressive Turnout, Moms Rising, and Vote Forward. We also make local elections’ mail-in ballot request forms available and consistently publish voting dates, times, and locations.
Beginning in August 2024, the Social Action Committee created a working group, Democracy in Action, to encourage all US citizens to vote. The postcard writing activity is continuing: for example, with the Environmental Voter Project, we are targeting Pennsylvania voters who had a critical election year (2025). We mailed over 3,000 Get Out the Vote cards obtained from the following organizations: Progressive Turnout, Moms Rising, and Vote Forward. We also make local elections’ mail-in ballot request forms available and consistently publish voting dates, times, and locations.
Community Outreach
One objective for Community Outreach is to provide whatever is needed by people in Plymouth who are living in poverty and cannot afford to meet basic needs. We contribute monthly to the South Shore Community Action Council Back Pack Program to provide food for children who do not have enough to eat. We work with the Hedge School to provide winter clothes and holiday gifts. We have been collecting winter clothing for the Plymouth Recovery Center. We sponsor periodic diaper drives for young immigrant/refugee families living in Plymouth and Kingston and we regularly volunteer to support the winter nightly meals for the homeless in Plymouth. We also actively participate in the annual Plymouth Pride Festival where we proactively seek signatures on petitions supporting state and federal legislation which aims to ensure equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
Other Social Issues
We have begun reaching out to other organizations within the area to address our priorities for action. For example: Plymouth for All: work with representatives to identify projects that we can do together and assist in publicizing information; Grandmothers Against Gun Violence: a representative provided a Sunday Service at First Parish; Mass Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence: we recently became members of this organization.
We wrote over 50 letters and emails (including petitions) and made phone calls regarding local topics such as the Town Manager’s decision to break off communication with the Plymouth Independent, the Select Board’s lack of support for the land management statement and the proposal to allow guns in public places. We publicized and attended rallies and meetings in Kingston to support Ukraine; “Hands off” and No Kings at Cole’s Hill; “Your Children’s Future at the Beal House; and attended meetings at NDCAP, the Select Board, and the Board of Health.
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