Below you may find highlights of Unitarian Universalist participation in the Occupy Movement. When I started this page UU’s seemed to be looking for some cue that other UU’s were taking action. I wanted to make it clear that UU’s were taking action. Now there is widespread Unitarian Universalist involvement, more than I can track. Best way to stay on top of news is to follow the UU World magazine’s “UUs in the Media” blog and connect with the Facebook group, OccUUpy. Jump to end of this post for more related resources. 
UU’s and Occupy Highlights
Added 11/27/11
A Prophetic Encounter at Occupy Boston (video above)
“UUWorld Editor Chris Walton and author Dan McKanan went to Dewey Square to discuss Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Boston, and the history of radical movements in America. Dan McKanan is the author of Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition. McKanan is the Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School and the author of Identifying the Image of God, Touching the World, and The Catholic Worker after Dorothy. His writing has appeared in Sojourners, America, and many other journals.”
Also see Dan McKanan’s article, The spiritual heritage of the Occupy movement at UU World.
Get the book: Amazon Hardcover ($22.83) Kindle Edition Beacon Press
Religious Leader Organizes Communal Meal At Occupy Protest Site
By Nico Smedley| KPBS | Monday, November 21, 2011.
Listen to excerpt from interview with Rev. David Miller
Aired 11/21/11 on KPBS. Unitarian Universalist Rev. David Miller discusses role of religion in social activism and Occupy movement.
Religious liberals and the Occupy movement
By the Rev. Dan Harper
Occupied: You Are Invited
by Rev. Jeremy Nickel
I Heart the People’s Mic
by Rev. Jeremy Nickel
Added 11/15/11
“Why I was arrested at Occupy Oakland”
by Rev. Jeremy Nickel
“We Will Continue to Aid and Abet”
by Rev. James I. Ford
Added 11/14/11
Spiritual leaders arrested at Occupy Oakland A dozen faith leaders among 32 arrested by riot police
By Emily Loftis on Salon.com
Two churches become Occupy sites
Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, Utah, loans lawn to protesters; Occupy Grand Rapids camps beside Fountain Street Church.
By Michelle Bates Deakin 11.14.11 on UUWorld.org
Occupy Wallstreet – Sermon by Rev. Scott Tayler
Unitarian Universalist Church of Canandaigua, New York
Capitalism doesn’t love you back – Occupy Oakland
Rev. Jeremy D. Nickel brings a message direct from Occupy Oakland on October 27, 2011.
Added 11/1/11:
United We Are One – Jackie Austin-Singer
Beautiful song “written by Jackie Austin-Singer from Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Escondido. A new song about the Occupy Movement – We Are One (WAY TO GO JACKIE)” via OccUUpy Facebook group. Song kicks in after “Mic check!”
UUA Releases Statement on Faithful Budget and Occupy Protests
Added 10/31/11:
UUA Board listens, learns at Occupy Boston
UUA Trustees visit protest site to witness grassroots movement aimed at economic justice.
UU World Magazine | By Michelle Bates Deakin | 10.31.11
Rev. Meg Riley naming Occupy Minneapolis as a Holy Place
Recorded Livestream Video | 10.25.11
Bringing Love to the Occupy Movement
Standing on the Side of Love blog Post | 10.28.11
This post is a copy of the message sent to Standing on the Side of Love supporters on Friday, October 28, 2011. Sign-up for SSL emails here.
Added 10/18/11:
TEXAS FAITH: What does the Occupy movement say about American society?
Included among responses, the Rev. DANIEL KANTER, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
Campus ‘Occupy’ protests peaceful The Post | Athens, Ohio
Featured in photo: “Reverend Evan Young, a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens and United Campus Ministries, speaks to the participants of the Occupy OhioU movement at Scripps Amphitheater Monday, Oct. 17. This is the second day the Occupy OhioU group has camped out at the top of Morton Hill.
Occupy Your Heart new blog post by Rev. James Ford
Occupy Providence Day 1
Can you spot the Unitarian Universalist in this video from day 1 of Occupy Providence? Video starts with a still image for ~3 seconds. Providence is my home city and I can tell you that for every yellow shirt there many more members of the First Unitarian Church of Provdence present.
Rev. Steven Protzman speaking at OccupyWallStreet Iowa City
during a rally on Saturday October 15th.
Added 10/17/11:
This is What Democracy Looks Like
Rev. Marian Stewart (Northlake UUC in Kirkland, WA) featured in this video from Occupy Seattle.
Resurrection City: MLK and Occupy Wall Street blog post by Rev. Peter Boullata
Why I’m Protesting blog post by Rev. Peter Boullata
“Letter of support for the Occupy Movement”
“Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, senior minister of the Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York, writes about signing the UUSC open letter and raising a liberal religious voice in support of the Occupy movement.”
Video: Unitarian Universalists Occupy Boston
Great video by the Mass Bay District of the UUA featuring Unitarian Universalists speaking on Occupy Boston protest.
Why the Left Is Often Late to Tea Huffington Post
by William F. Schulz, President and CEO, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
The Creative Moment by Rev. Ian White Maher
“Faith leaders from across the city have been joining together in an effort to offer our moral authority in service to the cause of Occupy Wall Street. Led by the ministers at Judson Memorial Church, we come from Manhattan, and Brooklyn. We come from Queens and the Bronx. We come from Staten Island and Jersey City. We come from White Plains and Westchester and Long Island. We will be holding a service every Sunday at 3 PM in Zuccotti Park. But if we are to reclaim the moral voice of this nation, pastors and rabbis and monks and imams cannot do it alone. We are nothing without the people. Anyone can be ordained these days. Our authority comes from our creative interchange with the people, comes from the creative moment we share with the people.”
“Welcome to the Universal church of what’s happening now!”
— Rev. Rick Davis.
Occupyers and Supporters in Salem, Oregon Marched October 15th and heard this message from a Salem Unitarian Minister.
Added 10/13/11:
UUA President releases statement
The President of the Unitarian Universalist Associaiton, the Rev. Peter Morales, has released the following statement regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement:
“The Occupy Wall Street movement that has now spread to other cities across the country is a public outcry of frustration and anger. The protestors have taken to the streets to draw attention to the fact that our economic system has not only failed to protect the most vulnerable among us, it has preyed on the majority for the benefit of very few. The Occupy protests are a wake-up call that the American people are in great peril, and we have been for some time… ”
Continue reading on UUA website
Finding Space for Faith at Zuccotti Park
Wall Street Journal Metropolis Blog http://ow.ly/6WRtR #OWS #UU
Rev. Jude Geiger quoted.
Pacific Northwest Protest Chaplains
Report has come in via email that “over a dozen ministers in the Pacific NW are actively supporting the Occupy Movement as Protest Chaplains. Cities with UU presence: Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Salem (OR), and Bend (OR.) Ministers have agreed to start posting on the PNWD Facebook page.” Keep an eye on that page for details!
HUUMS and OccupyBoston Harvard Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Students make plans trips to Occupy Boston.
Added 10/12/11:
The Church and OccupyWallStreet by Marilyn Sewell
“I’m waiting to see what the religious response will be to OccupyWallStreet, which is a true revolution of the people. It is a cry from people who have been abused far too long by those who hold economic and political power. It is a cry for justice and compassion. It is a demand for responsibility from our elected leaders. What will the established churches say in response?“ read more
Tweeted 12 Oct
UU Clergy led vespers at Occupy Boston on October 9th. See photo album from the Mass Bay District of the UUA.
Added 10/10/11:
Rev. Carolyn Paterno quoted in local news coverage of Occupy New London.
Rev. James Ford‘s Oct 9, 2011 occupy sermon“AN AMERICAN AUTUMN?” #OWS #OccupyProv #UU
UU Lincoln Statler gets arrested and loaded into police van. Look for the yellow Standing on the Side of Love shirt.
Photo | Video
When Our Systems Fail: the Wall Street Melt-Down
Sermon by Kathleen McTigue.
Excerpt: “This enormous gulf between the rich and poor is not just an economic issue but a moral and religious one. It demands a response from us, and that response has to be based in something stronger, better and more noble than an economic bottom line. It has to be based on our understanding of how we function or malfunction as a society, and the truth that our collective priorities reach far beyond profit and loss.“
UU Occupy Resources
Short URLs
As I’ve been tweeting on this subject I’ve been making and collecting short URLs for various UU and Occupy pages. These short web addresses are great for e-newsletters and print announcements.
- Sign UUSC letter of Support for Occupy Movement
http://uusc.org/occupyletter - Occupy UU Facebook Page
http://is.gd/OccupyUUpage - OccUUpy Facebook Group
http://is.gd/occUUpy - “UUs and the Occupy Movement” on the UU Growth Blog (this page)
http://is.gd/occupyuu
UU Blogging
See registered UU blog posts containing term “occupy” on the UUpdates.net. If your UU blog isn’t listed, use this form to register your blogs with uupdates.net.
On Facebook
OccUUpy Facebook Group – A Facebook group for Unitarian Universalists interested in discussing and coordinating responses related to the Occupy Movement has been created.
Occupy UU Facebook page – A Facebook page sharing links and information related to Unitarian Universalist news and events related to the Occupy Movement.
Go Yellow!
We’ve seen that Standing on the Side of Love t-shirts and other identifying items make a huge impression on the media. Now’s a great time to stock up – visit the Standing on the Side of Love store. A great way for organizers to start, order packs of lapel stickers! Product description: Planning a conference or a lobby day? Our easy to apply, crack-n-peel lapel stickers are a great way to identify the overarching message of your group to everyone who passes by.
The UU Growth Blog 
Rev. Steven Protzman speaking at OccupyWallStreet Iowa City during a rally on Saturday October 15th.
Woodstock U.U.s Collect Aid for Occupy Chicago
October 19, 2011
Carrie MacDonald wished she could join the protestors at Occupy Chicago, a part of the growing national movement inspired by Occupy Wall Street. The son of a close friend was among those who have been on the scene since the beginning. But Carrie is the mother of a two month old girl and an active two year old boy.
Unsatisfied with following events in the news and signing internet petitions, Carrie decided to help out by collecting donations of much needed supplies for the protestors and delivering them to Chicago.
“I want the folks who are down there protesting day in and day out to know that there are many of us out here who are behind them 100%. Even if we can’t be there physically for whatever reason, we are with them in spirit,” she said.
For help Carrie turned to the members of the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Woodstock who were excited to help out.
The Rev. Jennifer Slade, interim minister, said Unitarian Universalists around the country have been responding to the growing movement. She cited a statement by Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President Peter Morales, “Unitarian Universalism embodies a long tradition of working for economic justice and workers’ rights. Today is another opportunity for us to live our faith, and the Occupy protests are a first step on the road to repairing our country.”
The Social Justice Committee is collecting needed supplies to be delivered to Occupy Chicago on Monday, October 24. Supplies can be dropped off at the UU Church of Woodstock, 221 Dean Street, in the minister’s office on Thursday, October 20 from 2-6 pm, Friday, October 21 from 10 am to12 pm, and Sunday October 23 between 9:30 am and 10:30 am Supplies needed include: tents, blankets, sleeping Bag, Tarps, Winter coats, gloves, scarves, hats, battery packs, power strips, hand and foot warmers, fresh or canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, bread, protein bars, individual size cereal boxes.
For a more extensive list go occupychi.org and click on “supplies.”
On Monday, Carrie and other members of the Social Justice Committee will load up their cars and head into the city.
For more information and details how to make donations, call Carrie at 847 346-8413 or e-mail carrie@carriemacdonald.com.