Two weeks ago, when the Senate Judiciary Committee was debating the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744), we asked for your help. Many of you responded powerfully to protect asylum seekers and torture survivors — and succeeded in urging the committee to reject harmful amendments to the bill!

UUSC supporters sent approximately 1,500 e-mails urging Senate Judiciary Committee members to keep provisions of the bill that would protect asylum seekers from unnecessary detention. We were also heartened to hear from UUSC supporters made calls to influential committee members. Thanks in part to your efforts, amendments proposed by Senators Grassley and Sessions that would make detention even more draconian were struck down, and the bill passed the committee with protections intact.

Andrea Black, executive director of the Detention Watch Network commented: "DWN is encouraged to see that the Senate Judiciary Committee upheld American values of due process and fairness by voting against harsh amendments introduced by Senators Grassley and Sessions. The provisions would have stripped important detention reforms the Gang of Eight wisely included in the bill."

UUSC has worked with allies like Detention Watch Network and the Center for Victims of Torture to protect torture survivors and political asylees who are put into immigration detention when they enter the country requesting asylum. This new bill, which opens the possibility of the road to citizenship for 11 million people, offers real hope for the political asylees and torture survivors caught in immigration detention.

For people who have experienced and fled torture in their own country and come here seeking safety, their first experience under the current law might be getting apprehended by armed border agents and put into an "ice box," a cold cell. Then they might be handcuffed and brought to a detention center. For torture survivors, this treatment is dramatically re-traumatizing. They often languish months in detention waiting for their "credible fear" interview with Immigration Enforcement — this is their chance to establish grounds for asylum. If they do not speak English, they can disappear into the system for months.

The new law as currently written would change much of that. It makes provisions for all detainees to get an interview within five days of detention — with a nongovernmental organization, not an immigration officer. It also explores community-based alternatives to detention, rather than locking people up in jails, and provides access to legal aid, which most detainees do not currently have.

The Immigration Modernization Act will face a tough struggle on the floor of the Senate in mid-June before it goes to an even tougher struggle in the House. UUs proved they could make a difference during the markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee when they helped protect the positive detention provisions. We need you to stand firm over the next few weeks and help this bill pass the Senate with those provisions intact. Stay tuned, because once the bill gets to the floor of the Senate, we will ask you to raise your voices again in defense of people unjustly caught in the detention system. Use your rights to help them make a case for theirs!

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings and as the new immigration bill moves forward, there’s been increasing fear mongering toward immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers.

One of the things I appreciate most about UUSC and our supporters is how we stand firm for our basic values. Even in the face of difficult events, UUSC’s activists have been steadfast in affirming that human rights are fundamental and cannot be compromised.

Last week, UUSC supporters sent more than 1,200 e-mails to Sen. Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling for the protection of asylum seekers. These e-mails, in addition to follow-up phone calls from UUSC supporters, made an impact. On May 9, two amendments that would have harmed asylum seekers were rejected.

But our biggest challenge during this markup period is still ahead. Sen. Chuck Grassley has introduced amendments that would eliminate humane alternatives to detention, remove protections for stateless people, and make it possible for the United States to jail asylum seekers for even longer periods of time. He’s even proposed delaying certain sections of the bill until one year after an investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing!

UUSC's offices are in Cambridge, Mass., and the marathon bombing was close to home for us, both physically and emotionally. But at UUSC, we do not believe that safety and respect for human rights are mutually exclusive.

And we reject the idea that immigrants should automatically be treated as criminals. Instead we believe that the law should encourage due process and protections for vulnerable populations. Immigrants should “be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person," as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This respect is upheld in the principles of many Unitarian Universalist congregations.

Contact Sen. Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today. Ask him to oppose the Grassley amendments that would weaken or eliminate protections for refugees and asylum seekers in the new immigration bill. The pace at which this process will move is hard to predict, but right now it looks like Grassley's amendments could be considered as soon as Thursday, May 16.

You can also call the Senate Judiciary Committee by dialing 866-940-2439.

We can’t let fear mongering derail the best chance we’ve had in years to protect survivors of torture and others fleeing persecution. Please act now.

Working at an international human rights organization like UUSC makes me no stranger to the daily injustice that takes place at home and abroad. I know there are disasters large and small that happen every day — and many we never hear about. And yet, for me this past month has felt particularly fraught with tragedy. First, the Boston Marathon bombings; then the fertilizer plant fire and explosion in West, Texas, that killed 14. Now, the latest: a garment factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that killed at least 446 people, with the death toll expected to rise.

As the New York Times is reporting, this factory collapse is "considered the deadliest accident in the history of the garment industry." And the worst part: the loss of so many precious lives was entirely preventable. Cracks had been discovered in the building, and factory employers were apparently ordered to halt work until further inspection could be done. Yet more than 3,000 employees were at work when it collapsed the next day. "'I wouldn't call it an accident,' the government's information minister, Hasanul Haque Inu, told Bangladeshi journalists. 'I would say it's a murder.'"

Accidents like this aren't new. But they shouldn't be this old. In the United States, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 exposed the dangers that garment workers faced — and this problem hasn't gone away, even if factory locations have changed over the years. As our collaborator the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) outlines, unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh garment factories — resulting in fires and building collapses like that of last week — have existed and persisted for years. In November, 112 people were killed in a Bangladesh factory fire, and more than 600 workers have died in preventable sweatshop fires since 2006.

These conditions are the result of a global economy that bolsters corporate profits at the expense of workers' lives. As consumers, we are part of that economy — which means we have the responsibility and the power to change it. In the ruins of the Rana Plaza building, activists found labels for clothes made for J.C. Penney, Cato Fashions, and other clothing brands. In this time of tragedy lies the opportunity for action and the seed for change. Let's get to work — by choosing compassionate consumption, by calling on clothing companies to proactively improve safety at suppliers' factories, and by supporting labor rights and organizing throughout the world.  

What you can do

• Sign ILRF's petition calling on Walmart, Gap, and H&M to take proactive steps to improve safety at their suppliers' factories. These brands are the largest buyers of the garments that are manufactured in Bangladesh.

• Deliver ILRF's statement to Gap calling for the company to participate in a comprehensive factory safety program. Print and deliver it to Gap store managers either individually or in groups.

• Learn more about the ongoing issues in Bangladesh and emerging news and commentary on the building collapse:
  • "Bangladesh Needs Strong Unions, Not Outside Pressure," New York Times op-ed
  • "Sweatshop Fires in Bangladesh," ILRF
  • "Bangladesh Factory Disaster: Benetton Paper Trail Discovered in Rana Plaza Rubble," International Business Times
  • "Another Preventable Tragedy in Bangladesh," New York Times editorial

• Make use of the SweatFree Communities' "Shop with a Conscience Consumer Guide."

In the wake of Monday's Boston Marathon bombings, we're all reeling. I'm lucky, because no one I know or love was directly affected by the blasts. But still I'm horrified, I'm heartsick, I'm in shock. I'm fed up with the mass media. I am holding on to the wisdom of Mr. Rogers:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.

There were and are so many helpers when we watch the news and hear accounts from Monday's tragic events. But when I read "The Saudi Marathon Man," a piece on the New Yorker website, I was struck with the question: "Who gets the help?" — a question UUSC tries to answer in all of its work.

The article talks about a young man who was injured in the first blast. He was badly hurt and running away from the bomb site, afraid there might another. Many other people were also running away in fear. People rushed in to help those injured by the blasts. But this young man — from Saudi Arabia — was tackled to the ground, because he looked "suspicious." He "smelled like explosives"; I imagine many who were at the site of the bombs might. It appears from media accounts that as he was questioned (and maybe guarded?) in the hospital, his apartment was searched and his roommate was aggressively questioned.

I understand that people are scared. But no one was tackling white men because they looked suspicious, even though one of the most devastating acts of domestic terrorism was committed by Timothy McVeigh. And hearing how this young Saudi Arabian man — who was cleared — was treated after being injured in the bomb blast leaves me searching for even more answers than I was before.

I don't blame the man that tackled him so much as I blame the culture at large that enables unfair targeting of people who look different or have different religious beliefs. That's why I think UUSC's work with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) to end racial and religious profiling is so important. Public perception informs laws and policy, which in turn informs public perception — and that all is acted out in very concrete ways, whether it's an injured Saudi man getting tackled in the wake of Monday's bombings or someone who "looks like an immigrant" in Arizona being stopped by police and asked for proof of their citizenship.

We don't know who committed the heinous acts we witnessed on Monday. But when we do, I have hope that we will all work — through the anger and the fear — to remember that the person's acts do not speak for a whole people, whatever their race or religion.

Find out more about UUSC's work with BORDC.

UUSC is all geared up to host a dedicated group of UU College of Social Justice Haiti program alumni in Washington, D.C., for an upcoming lobby day! April 6–8 is going to be an exciting three days full of training, conversation, and legislative advocacy.

As UUSC's associate for grassroots mobilization, I'm thrilled to report that 25 service-learning trip alumni and community members from nine states and the District of Columbia will be convening on Capitol Hill to speak up for a just recovery in Haiti. They will team up with two representatives from the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPP): Mulaire Michel, an agronomist, and Philefrant St. Nare, a leader of popular education.

Plus they'll be joined by UUSC Haiti Program Manager Wendy Flick, who will have just returned from MPP's 40th anniversary celebration; Evan Seitz, UUCSJ's senior associate for service-learning programs; and Shelley Moskowitz, UUSC's manager of public policy and mobilization. And I'll be there, too!

Together, we will advocate on behalf of the men, women, and children who are slowly rebuilding their lives after the most devastating natural disaster in Haitian history. We will urge our policy makers to be accountable and transparent about the progress that is or is not being made in the reconstruction process.

The goals for the weekend include the following:

• Share firsthand experience of Haiti with our legislators
• Support the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, which asks for accountability and transparency about how relief funding is being spent in Haiti
• Highlight the eco-village as a new model for recovery that empowers the people of Haiti
• Ensure the inclusion of Haitian civil society in the recovery efforts as well as special protections for vulnerable populations
• Keep the recovery in Haiti on the radar of our policy makers

The alumni's experience, dedication, and commitment are valuable resources. They have witnessed the resilience and innovation of the Haiti people firsthand and have been part of creating a sustainable recovery by working on the ground to build the first eco-village with MPP. And they will be translating that experience into further effective action as we meet with members of Congress.

Stay tuned for an update and more on how you too can help spread this message!

To honor the exceptional efforts of individuals and congregations that we work with, UUSC presents four social justice awards annually. We welcome your nominations for the following awards now through April 30, 2013.

1. The Mary-Ella Holst Youth Activist Award recognizes and honors the achievements of a youth individual or group who is advancing human rights and social justice through activism and leadership in collaboration with UUSC. In addition to a certificate, this award includes a $500 grant to continue the work specified in the nomination.*
   
2. The Social Action Leadership Award was established in 1977 to honor creative, inspiring, and effective leadership by an individual or group working for justice in cooperation with UUSC. In addition to a certificate, this award includes a $500 grant to continue the work specified in the nomination.*
3. The Social Justice Congregation Award recognizes an exemplary congregation for its institutional efforts to advance human rights work in collaboration with UUSC.
4. The Outstanding Local Representative Award is presented to dedicated members of the UUSC National Volunteer Network who work tirelessly to promote UUSC membership, congregational outreach programs, social action, and advocacy efforts.

Recipients will be announced in June at the Unitarian Universalist Association's 2013 General Assembly in Louisville, Ky., and certificates will be presented in the awardees' home congregations during the following year.

Timeline

April 30: Nomination deadline. Please fill out a nomination form and submit to Volunteer Services by mail or e-mail:

• E-mail volunteerservices@uusc.org.
• Mail to UUSC, Attn: Volunteer Services, 689 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.

May 24: Selection committees recommend finalists.

May 31: UUSC selects award recipients; winners notified during the following week.

June 20–23: Winners announced at UUSC events during the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly.

July 1, 2013–June 30, 2014: Awards presented to recipients at their home congregations.

* The $500 grants will be payable to the congregation and mailed to a fiscal manager (e.g., treasurer or administrator). The fiscal manager will be required to sign a receipt, and the award recipient will be required to complete a report form regarding use of the grant.

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The following blog post was written by Saru Jayaraman. She is the author of Behind the Kitchen Door: What Every Diner Should Know About the People Who Feed Us, and the cofounder and codirector of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.

I am so grateful for UUSC supporters like you who are dedicated to economic justice. At each stop on my national book tour for Behind the Kitchen Door, Unitarian Universalists have shown up and expressed their commitment to restaurant workers’ rights. Hundreds of UUSC supporters have bought the book, and many are organizing related activities in congregations around the country. Because of you, the book is a national bestseller, having made it to #1 on Powell’s online bookstore bestseller list and the top of several categories in Amazon.

Now let’s take our message to Congress! 

Step 1: Call your senators.

You can reach their offices by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Talking points:

• Tell your senators' offices that you care about restaurant workers’ rights.
• Ask that your senators support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would increase the federal minimum wage, including the base wage for millions of tipped workers.
• Explain that tipped workers are often paid as little as $2.13 per hour, a wage that hasn't been raised in more than 20 years!
• Optional: Mention that although the current law requires employers to make up the difference between the tipped minimum wage and the regular minimum wage if tips fail to cover the gap, the reality is that employers often don’t.

Step 2: Please take one moment more to let UUSC know that you called. When you tell us which senators you called and how their offices responded, we can further hone our strategy.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 (bill number S. 460) was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) in a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill last week. Now we need to show that there is a groundswell of support!

I know you can create a buzz. I’ve seen how UUSC supporters are already generating enthusiasm for restaurant workers’ rights in your congregations and communities — now let’s change the conversation in Congress!

Raising the minimum wage for millions of workers — including tipped workers — is the fair and right thing to do.

But this won’t be an easy win. And it won’t be quick. The National Restaurant Association is a powerful opponent, and they spend millions of dollars each year to keep the tipped minimum wage low. We’re going to need your support every step of the way — starting this very moment and continuing in the months ahead. 

Thanks to you and other UUSC supporters, the change we seek is possible!