The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is the central organizing structure for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. [1] Unitarian Universalism is a theologically liberal religion that does not have specified dogma. [2]
The Unitarian Universalist faith claims to be “diverse and inclusive,” with members adhering to the “Seven Principles,” including choosing one’s own beliefs, valuing people, and advocating for justice. [3]
The UUA supports numerous advocacy programs, encouraging organizing to “live out the values of our faith.” [4] These programs span a variety of left-of-center issues including raising the minimum wage, combating climate change, advancing liberal expansionist immigration policy, supporting LBGT interests, pursuing left-of-center ethnic interest policy, protecting abortion access, and supporting the electoral activities of left-leaning populations. [5]
The UUA participates in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) through its Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF). The group’s upcoming 2020 SRI agenda includes addressing climate change against Marathon Petroleum, human rights against Amazon, and demanding disclosures on lobbying and political spending from companies like Abbott Laboratories, BlackRock, Exxon Mobil, Ford Motor Company, and Monster Beverage Corp. [6]
As a religious organization, the UUA is not required to file an annual return with the IRS. However, according to the UUCEF website, UUCEF holds assets close to $200 million as of June 30, 2019. [7]
Socially Responsible Investing
The Unitarian Universalist Association has been involved with SRI since 1966, when, along with several other groups, it submitted a diversity hiring shareholder proposal to Eastman Kodak. The UUA began promoting investment boycotting in the 1970s, focusing efforts against companies doing business with apartheid-era South Africa. [8]
The UUA coordinates with other religious organizations through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, and boasts 1,000 congregations, allowing members to attend shareholder meetings all over the country. [9]
The UUA has been focusing much of its recent SRI efforts on climate change, and has submitted shareholder proposals to ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Xcel Energy. The proposals request that each company assess the impacts associated with keeping global temperature rise below 2 percent. [10]
The UUA partnered with other activist investors to submit a proposal to Goldman Sachs, asking the company to look at its policy regarding funding to the Dakota Pipeline, citing issues of indigenous rights. A similar proposal was submitted to Marathon Petroleum, asking the company to review the supposed environmental risks of the pipeline, along with indigenous rights issues. [11]
The UAA has submitted shareholder proposals asking for greater transparency in political spending to Devon Energy, American International Group (AIG), Cisco Systems, Ford Motor Company, and Occidental Petroleum. [12]
The UUA has posted on its website its upcoming 2020 SRI agenda. It intends to submit a shareholder proposal has been submitted to Marathon Petroleum, asking for their board to establish a strategy to reduce the company’s contribution to climate change by creating scalable goals aimed towards meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement. [13] UUA submitted a shareholder proposal to Amazon, asking the company’s board to provide an independent report assessing Amazon’s “process for customer due diligence,” in regards to human rights violations, especially as it relates to Amazon’s surveillance products and cloud-based services. [14] UUA has also submitted proposals demanding disclosures on lobbying and political spending from companies like Abbott Laboratories, BlackRock, Exxon Mobil, Ford Motor Company, and Monster Beverage Corp. [15]
Advocacy Partners
The Unitarian Universalist Association seeks to advance its left-of-center social agenda by supporting groups created within its nationwide Unitarian Universalist (UU) network, and partnering with outside groups who share common goals. UUA has many State Action Networks (SANs), whose names contain words like “ministries,” “networks,” and “alliances,” that are connected to the larger group called the Coalition of Unitarian Universalist State Action Networks (CUUSAN). [16]
The UAA addresses a variety of left-of-center issues including labor union-aligned employment policy, climate change, immigration, LBGT rights, racial justice, abortion rights, and the 2020 presidential election. [17]
These UUA-aligned State Action Networks actively participate in advocacy promoting a left-of-center social agenda:
- Allies for Racial Equity
- Create Climate Justice Net
- Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries(DRUUMM)
- Green Sanctuary Program
- Love Resists
- New Sanctuary Movement
- UN Climate Justice Initiative
- Side with Love
- Social Justice Trips to the U.S./Mexico Border
- Transgender Religious Professional UUs Together(TRUUsT)
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- UU College of Social Justice
- UU Global Aids Coalition
- UU Women’s Federation
- Witnessing for Justice
The UAA partners and works with national groups and campaigns that share similar agendas:
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Black Lives Matter
- Fight for $15
- Forward Together
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
- Interfaith Immigration Coalition
- Interfaith Organizing Initiative
- Lambda Legal
- Mijente
- NAACP
- National Day Laborer Organizing Network
- National LGBTQ Task Force
- Poor People’s Campaign
- Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
- SisterSong
- We Belong Together
Board of Trustees
Susan Frederick-Gray is the president of Unitarian Universalist Association and takes an active part in the group’s advocacy and organizing. She was a counter-demonstrator against the 2017 far-right extremist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia; worked with the Poor Peoples Campaign on issues of poverty; and has helped to expand voting rights in Florida. [18]
Frederick-Gray is the former lead minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, Arizona, where she was involved with immigrant rights. She was part of the campaign against controversial former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (R), who was accused of constitutional violations. [19]
Barb Greve is a co-moderator of UUA, and former program associate in the UUA Congregations’ Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns. Barb is the co-founder of TRUUsT (Transgender Religious Unitarian Universalists Together), and sits as the vice-chair of the board of the Starr King School for the Ministry. [20]
Elandria Williams is a co-moderator of UUA, and works for the education team at the Highlander Research and Education Center. Williams helps coordinate the Southern Grassroots Economies Project (SGEP), sits on the board of the US Solidarity Economy Network,[21] and is a founding member of Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. [22]
Lucia Santini Field serves as UUA’s financial advisor and has worked for Walden Asset Management since 1982. Field has served on numerous UUA committees, including of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the SRI Committee, and the Investment Committee. Field has formerly served on the board of the Liberal Religious Charitable Society (LRCS). [23] Field currently sits on the board of the Boston Trust Walden, holds positions as president and director of Boston Trust Walden Inc., and as serves as president of the Boston Trust Walden Funds. She is a member of the Investment and ESG Research & Engagement Committees, and serves as Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee. [24]
Andrew McGeorge is UUA’s treasurer and CFO.
Carey McDonald is UUA’s Executive Vice President, and has a background in educational policy, formerly working with the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Department of Education. [25]
Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti serves on the UUA board, and has served as President of DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries). He is the former Board Secretary of Starr King School for the Ministry. Mishra-Marzetti served as a U.S. diplomat during the Clinton administration. [26]