The pursuit of social justice has always been core to the Unitarian way. The vision of the Kingdom of God, a global commonwealth of peace, justice and plenty for all, has always been important for Unitarians. It has inspired social and political involvement across a range of concerns. These concerns include:
Religious freedom – British Unitarians were amongst the founders of the first global interfaith organisation over one hundred years ago; what is now the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF).
Penal & Social Affairs – an active campaigning group draws together Unitarians with an interest in prison issues.
Unitarians have consistently advocated for international peace and against nuclear weapons. At the 2018 Annual Meetings a further Resolution was agreed calling upon the UK Government to abide fully by its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and materials have been made available from the Unitarian Peace Fellowship to support congregations and individuals.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender – Unitarians have a proud record of leading the way in promoting the rights of LGBT people including supporting same-sex marriage.
Human Rights – Unitarians have given support to many of the campaigns of Amnesty International reflecting a belief in the inherent worth of every individual.
We're putting Unitarian community projects on the map!
Many Unitarian congregations undertake community projects, social action campaigning, fundraising or partnering with local organisations. They are proud of their social action initiatives and curious about what other Unitarian communities are doing. SimpleGifts Centre for Social Action has created an interactive map of community projects in Unitarian congregations. You can view it here. Click on each little blue pin to see what’s going on in our fellow congregations!
Resolutions
The General Assembly has agreed a number of Resolutions on faith and public issues at its Annual Unitarian Meetings and these are available in a publication drawing upon various themes.
Specific Projects
There are many locally-based social justice activities being undertaken by Unitarians, many in conjunction with other groups. However, worth noting are a few specific projects:
Send a Child to Hucklow (SACH) - A fund which arranges and administers holidays at the Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom for groups of disadvantaged children, having no regard to religious, political, racial and other considerations.
SimpleGifts: Unitarian Centre for Social Action - Based in East London, a group engaged in community programmes.