by Lynn Roesch
East Shore members of the Beloved Racial Justice and Climate Action Ministry Teams as well as the Earth and Social Justice Coordinating Council have been involved in rebuilding its support of local tribes since 2016. Inspired by the work initiated by Kate Elliott and also fellow UUs at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, we began to provide both educational opportunities and to participate in ally actions at the congregation and in the Seattle area.
A brief summary of events from 2018 – 19 include:
2018: East Shore hosted a panel on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) led by staff from Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative, based in Olympia. In April, a potluck screening of the 2010 Ware Lecture by Winona LaDuke, Anishinaabekwe, was followed by a discussion of Native American human rights and environmental issues facing tribal communities across the country. In May and June, East Shore women made 54 necklaces and blankets for the Paddle to Puyallup Canoe Journey.
2019: East Shore sponsored a community-wide workshop, “Challenges Facing Native Communities and How to be Allies,” dealing with issues related to tribal history and sovereignty, the Liquified Natural Gas plant in Tacoma, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. The next day, both church services focused on tribal issues. Jessie Dye, Earth Ministry, spoke about ways non-native allies support tribes. Freddy Lane, Lummi, and Ken Workman, Duwamish, led the second service about the spiritual dimension of the Canoe journey. East Shore acknowledges its presence on Duwamish land with a statement that will be included every Sunday in the Order of Service. For more information on East Shore’s past involvement, check out this link.
For future plans, contact Marilyn Mayers or Lynn Roesch. v