justice Archives - United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

February 18, 2025

The Hawkinson Fund for Peace and Justice Finds a New Home at United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, February 18, 2025. Now in its third year of operation, the Leadership Center for Social Justice (the Center) at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (United) is thrilled to announce that the Hawkinson Fund for Peace and Justice (Hawkinson Fund) is a new programmatic focus thanks to an agreement with Grace University Lutheran Church (Grace Church). (more…)

June 2, 2023

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Honoring Pride at United

Welcome to the first day of Pride. With its roots in protest and a collective yearning for justice, Pride is a defiant, joyful resistance against the intersecting oppressions LGBTQ+ people face, and the pursuit of a future wherein all can be free. While nearly 54 years have passed since the Stonewall Riots, targeted rhetoric, policies, and legislation continue to wage harm against LGBTQ+ lives. Trans people and youth, in particular, bear the brunt of this assault. (more…)

November 18, 2020

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“A Rare and Magical Space”: An Interview with Community Partner Allison Jones

Allison Jones is a community partner and friend of United who has participated in numerous events and programming at the seminary, including Arts Lunch, Social Transformation events, and Queertopia United. She is a long time musician and emerging artist with a passion for social justice, education, and public health. She currently works in the education department at JustUs Health in Saint Paul. I sat down with Allison Jones last Friday Nov. 13 to interview her about her experience being a community partner with United. (more…)

September 25, 2020

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Cycles of Violence: On Breonna Taylor, the Verdict, and Sacred Protest

The following message comes from CARJ, United's Committee Advocating for Racial Justice: Above all else, our politics initially sprang from the shared belief that Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else's but because of our need as human persons for autonomy. -The Combahee River Collective, “A Black Feminist Statement” (more…)

February 7, 2020

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Statement Regarding the Expanded Travel Ban From the Academic Council of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

The Trump administration recently added six countries to the travel ban list which, as a recent New York Times article puts it, “will virtually block immigration from Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, and from Myanmar, where the Muslim minority is fleeing genocide.” (more…)

November 19, 2019

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“Being faithful sometimes requires us to break the rules:” A Response to the Issue of LGBTQ Inclusion in the UMC.

“I’d rather be excluded for who I include than included for who I exclude.” This sentence, often appearing on a church sign, shows up fairly regularly on my social media feed, a moving reminder of what the communities of faith are called to be. The Rev. Eston Williams, a United Methodist pastor, said these words in 2016 to a reporter for a story on his rural Texas church’s decision to begin offering same sex weddings. The congregation voted overwhelming to offer the services, even though they are banned by the United Methodist Book of Discipline. (more…)

October 14, 2019

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Water is Life: A Sacred Witness

The voice of a young Indigenous drummer echoed out over Lake Itasca at the headwaters of the Mississippi River as faith leaders, elders from the White Earth Nation, and climate activists from a variety of traditions gathered last weekend in a respectful prayer circle. Other spiritual voices included a Muslim call to prayer, Jewish singing, a Zen Buddhist chant, a Unitarian Universalist prayer/poem (included in this post), and a Christian homily. Organized by Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Honor the Earth and the RISE Coalition, the event focused on protecting waters sacred to indigenous peoples and necessary to sustain life for all in this region. Rev. Karen Hutt and Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis, joined by their families, represented United Theological Seminary. Rev. Hutt led the UU contribution to the program, drawing connections between the experiences of African-American and Native experiences of water, which you can read below. (more…)

September 27, 2018

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Introducing Social Transformation at United: Videos from Students.

At United, a key question is what makes an ethical leader. According Steve Newcom, Director of the Social Transformation Program, "there are injustices in the world" and for many of our students "their faith calls them to do something about that." In the following videos students discuss what calls them to study Social Transformation at United. (more…)

September 27, 2018

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“Beloved is Where We Begin”: Sermon by Claire Curran

Beloved is Where We Begin (more…)