On Saturday April, 4th, dozens of members of the Fellowship came out to stand up for our core values or Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity. Rev. Sasha and our DRE, Nick shared encouragement and peace with the crowd. Despite the rain, it was truly an inspirational day. Thank you to the organizers, the Mayor and municipal staff of Morristown, and the thousands in attendance. Let us continue to fight for a better world. Here are Rev. Sasha’s and Nick’s remarks: SASHA : Hello neighbors. Take a good look around you. We’re gathered not just as individuals but as a living, breathing testament to the power of community. Look in one another’s faces. What do you see? I see determination. I see hope. I see love — love for our community and our country, the kind of love that calls us out into the streets to say “Hands off!” to those who mean to undermine our democracy. Do you feel the energy buzzing here? I feel it! There is a strength among us, brought into being through our passion. It flows from us and binds us together in one strong body. And it links us to those around the country joining with us right now in so many different places, but one movement. NICK : It is so good to be here today with you. I am so encouraged by the young people here today. My friends, take a look around and see their hope, their desperation, their wonder, their confusion, their energy. Little ones, I want to speak to you. It is up to us older generations to guide you, to encourage you, to learn from you, and to love you. For the Buddha reminds us to “care about our children. Every child is the little Buddha who helps their parents to grow up.” As this administration targets your education, your families, and who you are as people, because they want to instill fear and indoctrinate you with hate. It is up to you children to lead us. To say no to fear and yes to hope, no to selfishness and yes to community, no to hate and yes to love. SASHA : Let’s take a moment now to breathe in — breathe in the courage, the passion, and the resolve we all carry with us today. As we breathe in, we say “no” to all that undermines our democracy. As we breathe out, we say “yes” to our highest values. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, I frequently talk to my people about our highest values. For UUs, as we’re called, those values are justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity. But I know these aren’t just Unitarian Universalist values. These are community values, ones I know so many of you here today cherish and are ready to fight for. These values call us, together, to defend the vision of a democracy with peace, liberty, and justice for ALL. NICK : We must stand together — young and old — to fight for our nation’s highest ideals. As a UU Religious Educator, I often work with people from different walks of life, but unified in the goal of making the world a better place. Unifying for shared goals requires us to celebrate our differences, even if they sometimes make us uneasy or confused. The people who sit in power in DC and on Wallstreet and in Silicon Valley want to use our differences to separate us — to divide and conquer us. But our differences can instead weave us together, stronger than before. As Maya Angelou said, “Diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and all threads are equal in value.” So we must embrace and fight for this beautiful tapestry! SASHA : Now, I invite you to take a moment and listen — just listen. Hear the breaths of those around you, this community that has shown up together to say “yes” to the power of the people. Hear the powerful “yes” in this crowd. “Yes,” we, together, are the force that pushes back against fear and oppression and ushers in the loving and just world that is our right. Breathe together, sharing in that “yes.” NICK : Let us now continue to breathe. Take a moment to close your eyes or gently lower your gaze. As you breathe in the picture those diverse threads that come together to make this beautiful tapestry. The larger it is, the more powerful we will become, and the harder it will be for them to destroy it. [SILENCE] SASHA : And let the people say, “Amen.” Amen!

In the month of March, $1,885 was distributed to our Sunday Plate organizations. The recipients of these funds were Black Lives Matter Morristown, Family Promise, Homeless Solutions, nourish.NJ and NJ Together. Thank you for your continued support!

The first virtual lecture is by my adored friend, Dr. Pamela Lightsey, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Meadville.  Dr. Lightsey will share her wisdom from a recent study leave, in the form of her lecture, “Righting Our Intentions for This Era: A Womanist Perspective on Liberationist Solidarity.”  Time is Monday, April 14, at 7:30 Eastern and the link to register is below – or scan the QR Code.  Bring your thinking caps and your passion!  She never disappoints. Next up on April 29, explore the Digital Archives at Meadville with Sarah Levine , Assistant Director of Library and Archives.  Meadville has been digitizing its 175 years of UU History and Sarah is excited to share some of the most intriguing historical documents and histories, and also will  speak about how these materials can be accessed and used from afar.  Details to come. Finally, on May 6, tune in for “ Partners in Ministry: Supporting our Current and Future Religious Leaders .” Fellowship Member* President Elias Ortega will share insight from a recently completed a market research study conducted by Meadville into new offerings and strategies to better support and equip UU-grounded religious and lay leaders during this moment. Join the discussion and explore how you can be a part of sustaining this important work so that our mission continues to make a difference in Unitarian Universalist ministry and leadership to the world. * OK OK he’s kinda on leave but he still loves us!

“Pledge…or pledge not…there is no “I’ll get to it eventually”. Our annual budget drive continues only until May 4th this year – so get your pledge in soon before the drive ends! So far we are at 57% to our $490,000 pledge goal. Our Stewardship volunteers will be using the force to reach out with their feelings next week, with a friendly reminder for those members and friends who have not made a pledge yet this year – to submit their financial support pledges before our HYPERdrive ends. Our annual budget, funded primarily through your generosity, allows us to be a community of inspiration, connection, and service to the wider galaxy. The Fellowship is sustained primarily by our pledges (roughly 80% of our funding comes from members and friends like you, through our Annual Pledge Drive), so we all truly count on the support of every individual and family. We ask that you make a written pledge during our April Annual Pledge Drive by either filling out and  returning a pledge card at the Fellowship  (these are collected by Katy Julich, our office administrator), or  click this link to pledge on-line  and enter your annual pledge in the giving menu (which can even allow you to use automatic monthly payments). Not a member yet? Stop by the Welcome table on Sunday to learn how you can support our mission. If you have already submitted your pledge – our Alliance  truly  thanks you for your generosity, and invite you to our “ May the 4th be with you ” luncheon after service celebration for members and friends that have supported us this year through pledging. May the Fellowship be with you! Tim Davis Stewardship Trustee-at-Large padawan

Tom, Alasdair and I are gratified that our above-named service on March 30, 2025 was so well-received. By popular demand, we offer the following bibliography and list of sources that we relied on for this service and also for its predecessor, Uncomfortable Liberty: The Legacy of Enslavement in Morris County. We also offer materials for further reading, listening or viewing, some courtesy of Tom Perch. Resources for children and youth are listed separately. For Adults: March 30th, 2025 Service : Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color-Blindness. New Press (2010) Blackmon, Douglas A. Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. Random House (New York: 2008) Hurston, Zora Neale. Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo.” Harper-Collins (New York: 2018). Litwack, Leon F. Been In the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Random House (New York: 1980). Litwack, Leon F. Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow. Knopf (New York: 1998) Raines, Ben. The Last Slave Ship: The True Story of How Clotilda Was Found, Her Descendants, and an Extraordinary Reckoning. Simon & Schuster (New York: 2022). Rothstein, Richard. Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Norton (2018). Walker, Alice. In Search of our Mother’s Gardens. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich(New Yor: 1967) Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns; The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. Random House (New York: 2010). Yetman, Norman R., Ed. Voices From Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives. 2nd Edition. Holt, Rhinehart & Winston (Garden City, New YorK: 2000). California Reparations Task Force – Executive Summary Hammer Museum forum discussion California Reparations Task Force New Jersey Reparations Council Health Equity Public Session As well as other videos under the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) New Jersey Reparations Council: History of Slavery in New Jersey NJRC Public Safety and Justice Public Session NJRC Democracy Committee Public Session NJRC Economic Justice Public Session NJRC Environmental Justice Public Session NJRC Public Safety and Justice Public Session NJRC Segregation in New Jersey Public Session NY Times series: Nice White Parents Nikole Hannah-Jones | Modern Day Segregation Princeton University Study; White ex-cons chosen over blacks. CNN/Money (New York, June 2005) Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight. People With Criminal Records “Need Not Apply”: Criminal Background Checks and Race Discrimination (April 7, 2017). For Children: All books in this section are available for loan from Shari. Happy to provide more information. Rodman, Bella. Lions in the Way. Follett (1966). Fictionalized story of school integration in the South from childrens’ perspective. Intermediate. Taylor, Mildred. The Logan Family Saga. Series of 9 books, fictionalized stories of the author’s family’s life in Mississippi from around 1900 to 1965. Titles, in suggested reading order. Most are appropriate for 3rd grade through upper middle school, though All the Days Past is more of an adult story. The Land Sep-2001 Song of the Trees 1975 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Oct-1976 (1977 Newberry Award) Let the Circle Be Unbroken Jan-1981 The Friendship Oct-1987 The Road to Memphis Jun-1990 Mississippi Bridge Oct-1990 (short story) The Well Jan-1995 All the Days Past, All the Days to Come Jan-2020 The Gold Cadillac – novella/short story falling after Road to Memphis Yates, Elizabeth. Amos Fortune, Free Man . Multiple editions; originally published 1950. Newberry Award, 1951. (Biographical novel based on the life of Amos Fortune, captured in Africa around 1725 and sold in New England) March 5, 2023 Service: Gigantino, James J. The Ragged Road to Abolition: Slavery and Freedom in New Jersey 1775-1865 . University of Pennsylvania Press (Philadelphia: 2015). Greene, Lorenzo J. The Negro in Colonial New England: 1630-1776 . Columbia University Press (New York: 1942). Mitros, David. Jacob Green and the Slavery Debate in Revolutionary Morris County, New Jersey . Morris County Heritage Commission (1993). Mitros, David. Slave Records of Morris County , New Jersey: 1756-1841. Morris County Heritage Commission (Morristown, NJ 1991, 2002) Further reading: Heath, Sam. The 1619 Project vs. The 1776 Project, in Age of Awareness , September 20, 2020. Hannah-Jones, Nikole. The 1619 Project ; many forms; initially published in The New York Times Magazine in August, 2019. 1776 Report: responsive works created by a commission appointed by then-President Donald J. Trump to respond to The 1619 Project to increase “patriotic education , initially released January 18, 2021. Additional suggestions from Tom Perch: 20th And 21st Century History Half American: The Heroic story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad , Matthew Delmont Just Mercy , Bryan Stevenson The Defender, How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America , Ethan Michaeli Devil in the Grove, Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys and the Dawn of a New America , Gilbert King I Never Had it Made, An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson Evicted: Property and Profit in the American City , Matthew Desmond Franchise : The Golden Arches in Black America , Marcia Chatelain Slavery and Reconstruction Master, Slave, Husband, Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom , Ilyon Woo Barracoon, The Story of the Last Black Cargo , Zora Neal Hurston Redemption, The Last Battle of the Civil War , Nicholas Lemann A Short History of Reconstruction , Eric Foner Slaves in the Family , Edward Ball Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy and the rise of Jim Crow , Henry Louis Gates New England Bound, Slavery and Colonization in Early America , Wendy Warren Never Caught, The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge , Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Please join us on April 13 following coffee hour for an Odyssey program featuring John Solu. John’s program will be our 30th, and we look forward to many more. Please contact one of the following team members if you would like to be interviewed: Gabor Kiss, Donna Perch, Tom Perch, Don Preziosi, Paul Snellgrove or Joe Uhrhane.

That’s no moon – that’s an annual budget! Our annual budget drive that started March 23rd continues until May 4th this year – so we are asking our members & friends to get their pledges in early! So far we are at 35% to our $490,000 pledge goal. A reminder that this is the time of year we ask all members and friends to pledge their financial support. Our annual budget, funded primarily through your generosity, allows us to be a community of inspiration, connection, and service to the wider galaxy. The Fellowship is sustained primarily by our pledges (roughly 80% of our funding comes from members and friends like you, through our Annual Pledge Drive), so we all truly count on the support of every individual and family. We ask that you make a written pledge during our April Annual Pledge Drive by either filling out and  returning a pledge card at the Fellowship  (these are collected by Katy Julich, our office administrator), or  click this link to pledge on-line  and entering your annual pledge in the giving menu (which can even allow you to use automatic monthly payments). Not a member yet? Stop by the Stewardship table at the luncheon to learn how you can support our mission. And for those tuning in online from their own hidden outpost, visit our website and click the  “Give”  tab to contribute to our Operating Budget. If you have already submitted your pledge – our Alliance truly thanks you for your generosity, and invite you to our “ May the 4th be with you ” luncheon after service celebration for members and friends that have supported us this year through pledging. May the Fellowship be with you! Tim Davis Stewardship Trustee-at-Large padawan

Join us on April 8 th at 7 pm, at the Fellowship For a potluck of appetizers, cheese & crackers, and desserts with hot and cold beverages.! Finger foods only please! Please consider your contributions by last name: A–G: appetizers, H–P: desserts, M–Z: cold beverages ❤️ And if you are not new to the fellowship, you also may join us to connect & help our new members and visitors to feel welcomed! RSVP here , with the the # of attendees, & what you will be bringing Hosted by the Welcoming Committee & the Fun Team 🌷 We look forward to sharing a delightful evening together 🌷

Annette Tyler A number of years ago when I was the Chair of the Fellowship’s Denominational Affairs Committee I wrote a newsletter article, in which I made the cardinal mistake of many Unitarian Universalists– spouting initials instead of words.  I ended the blurb by saying, “See you at GA.”  The secretary at the time, who was not a UU, edited this sentence to “See you at Georgia.” I am a Unitarian Universalist.  If I had never moved to Morristown or never heard of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship I would still be a Unitarian Universalist. I signed my first UU membership book at age 18, and that is an interesting story for another time. In 1989 I attended my first General Assembly, Bend Toward Justice , which was held in New Haven Connecticut.  The first thing that happened to me was on the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the dorm where I was staying for the conference.  On the bus was a friend from my former congregation in Hastings, New York.  What a surprise; I hadn’t seen her in 11 years!  During this weekend I also got to see friends from other places around the country. One General Assembly, which I did not attend, was held in 1996 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I mention it here, because I think it is so cool that two of our oldest members Ann Renz, then in her 80s, and Eleanor Mason, then in her 70s, attended along with two Fellowship teenagers, David Stasiak and Heidi Schulman.  The theme of the conference was The Future is Now . In 1998 GA, Fulfilling the Promise , was held in Rochester New York.  This time I roomed with Carol Todd, who was there as a member of Olympia’s Daughters, the featured entertainment for the assembly.  I think I also recall seeing teenaged Alison Miller leading an energy break one afternoon.  At one of the workshops I was introduced to an author of some of my now favorite mystery books, who got her start by doing research on the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, near Rochester, in 1848.  Do the math:  1998 was the sesquicentennial of this historic event. In 2007 my husband Toby and I attended GA in Portland Oregon along with a number of other Fellowship members.  The theme for this year was Choices that Matter .  The highlight of this meeting for me was to see more old friends—one of whom was being honored on his retirement after many years as a Unitarian Universalist minister in Brooklyn, New York and Davenport, Iowa.  The other friend was a former congregant from Hastings, New York, who was receiving his initial fellowship as a UU minister. Last year, 2014, Toby and I went to General Assembly in Providence, Rhode Island.  This meeting was entitled Love Reaches Out .  We had dinner with former Fellowship members Larry Nagel and Jeanne Gleason, who were there from California.  One afternoon Toby overheard part of a conversation, and said, “I know that voice!”  Sure enough, it was Janet Randolph, whom we knew from the Fellowship.  She has been an active member at All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington D.C. for many years. As you can probably guess we have many memories of workshops and gatherings at General Assembly, but our fondest remembrances are of seeing old friends and being in an ocean of Unitarian Universalists.  If you want to experience what it is like to be among so many UUs and see how our denomination works I urge you to attend one of the Unitarian Universalist General Assemblies coming to a city somewhere each year in the continent of North America In 2023 we went to Pittsburgh for our last GA; of course, at the time we didn’t know it was our last one together.  Toby grew up in Pittsburgh, so we went early to tour our/his usual haunts.  We also got there in time for some of the local Juneteenth celebrations, and we toured the Andy Warhol museum.  Our first GA evening was spent with other UUs from around the globe watching the Pittsburgh Pirates lose their game.  Toby carried the Fellowship banner on the opening night of the conference.  We had dinner one night with former Fellowship member Helen Lippman, and we bumped into friends from the Princeton and Montclair congregations as well as seeing Alison Miller, Mandi Huizenga, and Elias Ortega-Aponte.  Robin Richards was also in attendance.  One of the highlights of the week was a brunch that was given for members of the 50 lead congregations, where we got our photo taken with outgoing UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray. This year , 2025, GA will be in Baltimore, MD !! June 18-22 Register Here https://www.uua.org/ga/registration THINK ABOUT IT!

Daily news getting to you? Feeling overwhelmed and helpless? Frustrated by the mind-numbing abundance of calls to action? Or the lack thereof?  Same here. We are in the early stages of forming a Rapid Response Team.  This team will initially track events and notify interested parties.  Eventually we hope to expand our range of services. To get started we will be introducing a survey to get a clearer picture of where interests lie and the levels of participation available to the team.  Start thinking about: How do you want to be contacted?  Text, phone, email What issues are of most concern to you?  Multiple choice available What are your preferred ways to engage? Anything from letter writing and sign making to helping organize a march or rally. The Rapid Response Team will have a table at the Social Justice Fair during coffee hour on April 27, 2025.  Hope to see you there.  Until then – STAY TUNED! Tanya Van Order Kelly Gleason Judie Romano Linda DeLap Rev. Sasha Ostrom

The 1st Friday Action Hour is April 4.  The pertinent document will be available at noon.  As usual there are no obligations to participate, no long-term commitments, or requests for donations.  YOU WILL NOT BE ADDED TO A TEXT OR EMAIL LIST.  Check it out at your leisure if you can’t “lunch” with us.  If you decide to participate, please remember to fill out the response form.  This helps UUFANJ gauge our effectiveness.  Since there is so much going on, the main issue to be addressed at this particular Action Hour is still to be determined.

Come join us in celebrating April – a time of renewal, growth, new beginnings – hope. April 7, 6 pm :  The Joys of April:  What a varied and interesting month April is!. It is the month of Earth Day, Passover, Easter, meteor showers, April Fools and GLSEN’s “Day of Silence.” Join other members of GAAMC to learn about the gemstone and flowers associated with this month when animals end their hibernation, the baseball season begins, the Titanic sank in1912, and da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Elizabeth II were born. April 14, 6 pm: The Songs of Spring:  Come join us as we play and discuss our favorite Spring Songs, celebrate the season, and break out of our winter state. What are your favorite songs that put pep in your step? Send links to  info@gaamc.org  by April 7 and be prepared to speak to your selections. April 21, 6 pm: Joys of Easter & Earth Day:  Come join us as we celebrate Easter by learning about the origins of the Easter bunny & Easter eggs. We’ll also view & discuss a video on Earth Day and reflect on the current state of our planet and what can be done to improve it. Refreshments are served, and attendees are asked for a small donation at each of these meetings. April 28 , 6pm: The Florham Park Diner : Enjoy good fun & food at a reasonable price!  We’ll meet at the restaurant located at 182 Ridgedale Ave in Florham Park .  Please rsvp by Friday, April 25,  to Gordon Sauer at president@gaamc.org .