Over 50 people attended Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (CBSRZ) in Chester on Saturday, December 5th to participate in a conference that addressed the mass incarceration problem that currently plaques the United States. CBSRZ is a United Action member congregation.

Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg served as hostess, emcee and as a panel member. Other panel members included Tammy Lanier, NAACP-CT, Director of Criminal Justice, David Mcguire, ACLU-CT Legislative and Policy Director and George Chocos, an ex-con that currently is a minister in two churches and has attended Yale Divinity School.

The conference also highlighted the book by Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, which addresses the ever growing imprisonment of people in America that are dispropotionately, overwhelmingly poor people and people of color. The panel members were riveting and lively discussion and a Q & A period followed.

Several UACT members from other congregations attended the conference and they all praised the panel members and the conference format.  UACT Executive Director, Mark Kosnoff, was extremely impressed with the event.  "The panelists were very articulate and highly knowledgable and I also liked the idea that they offered several solutions that would benefit our communities, the state and the nation. It would be great to see more of this type of conference."     

UACT Holds Annual Meeting

United Action CT held it's 2015 Annual meeting on December 1st at the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Meriden.  The meeting is designed to introduce the Board members that will serve and is a motivational springboard for issues work for the following year.

After a short business meeting, clergy from several UACT member congregations spoke about social-justice and how faith communities should embrace helping others.  Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg spoke of how ..."we are all connected to one another, and therefore if one suffers, all suffer." A panel of speakers next addressed the issues work that UACT proposes to work on during 2016 and after a short break small discussion groups were formed to create a plan of action.  

Executive Director Mark Kosnoff also added that in 2016 UACT will be taking a three pronged approach to its work.  "We intend to do our usual advocacy on social justice issues and make a greater effort to grow the organization, but also attempt to change the world view by conducting educational forums on our issues."  

ECSU holds "Speak Up, Speak Out" Forum

Eastern Connecticut State University hosted an immigration forum, entitled "Speak Up, Speak Out, on Immigrant's Rights" on Thursday, November 5th in the Student Center lobby. The event drew attention to the challenges facing the immigrant and undocumented community.  

Speakers included ECSU President, Dr. Elsa Nunez, ECSU student and C4D member Erika Sanchez, United Action CT organizer Jose Diaz, Latino & Puerto Rican Affairs Commission member George Hernandez, CIRA representative Alok Bhatt and several other immigrant students.

The high energy event was highlighted by the stories of the immigrant students and their families who have had to overcome physical and mental hurdles in their quest for a better life. A consistent theme that was brought up over an over was the importance of the immigrant community to continue to tell their stories so as to educate the general population on the injustice of our current immigration policies.

Several UACT members attended the forum.