by Rev. Dave Dunn
On Saturday, October 18, “No Kings” protests and marches were held throughout the country (and the world - specifically in London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Dublin and Montreal to name a few).
Overall attendance at the 2,600 events nationwide was estimated to be approximately 6 million.
I was surprised that so many members of UUMAN attended No Kings events around Metro Atlanta. We had UUMAN members at events in Atlanta, East Cobb, Woodstock, Canton, Suwannee (two different rallies), Smyrna, Gainesville, Tucker…and likely a few more.
I am proud of how UUMAN is showing up at this difficult time.
I was especially proud to see one of our members, Mark Peterson, a U.S. Navy veteran, speak on behalf of Common Defense: A Movement of Veterans on the main stage at the Atlanta protest. (He was sharing the stage with the likes of Stacey Abrams and Sen. Raphael Warnock. Common Defense’s mission is to “organize veterans and engage the military community to transform our society by advocating for progressive policies that work for all of us.”)
In the face of the administration’s attacks on all things DEI, Common Defense’s commitment to equity, stated on their homepage, would resonate with all UUs. It reads as follows:
We are committed to organizing a multi-racial, multi-generational, inclusive movement that empowers all veterans – a movement that fully represents the diversity of our veteran community. We know it is absolutely necessary that we proactively work to counter inequity within the spaces we create if we are serious about countering the systemic injustices of our broken political system. Achieving this goal is a task that demands continuous effort and attention, and we are fully committed to doing the work
That’s a military organization I’d be truly proud to stand with! A special “THANK YOU” to Mark Peterson for extending his values beyond the walls of UUMAN and into the world.
Nurture our spirit. Strive for Justice. Transform the world.
Dave
