by Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti
DRUUMM, BLUU, EqUUal Access, UUMA, AUUMM, LREDA, UUMFE and other UU professional and affinity groups have joined together to support UUSC efforts at responding to climate change impacts in the South Pacific.
In the economically modest Pacific island nation of Kiribati, UUSC partners with grassroots activists in Te Toa Matoa, a disability rights federation. Te Toa Matoa’s disabled artists help preserve Kiribati’s indigenous dance and music, which form the backbone of Kiribati’s cultural memory.
Te Toa Matoa’s disabled musicians have asked for UUSC’s support in replacing musical instruments and equipment that were ruined by storm-related water damage. UUSC has responded to this request by committing to raise $100,000 for Te Toa Matoa. Unitarian Universalist affinity and professional groups are collaborating in a first-of-its-kind partnership to support this important work of indigenous cultural preservation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
In addition, stay tuned as the co-sponsoring organizations develop additional tools and opportunities to support Te Toa Matoa and the climate-impacted peoples of the South Pacific.
Circulate information about this joint project in your congregation. More information is available here: https://www.uusc.org/ttm/ .
Consider making a financial donation, should your circumstances allow. https://donate.uusc.org/campaign/616155/donate .
Invite your community’s leadership to dedicate a Sunday service to this set of climate change-related needs. A no-cost UUSC video sermon is available here: https://vimeo.com/1006987058
About the Author
Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti (he/him) serves as senior minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is the co-editor of Seeds of a New Way: Nurturing Authentic & Diverse Religious Leadership (2024), Conversations with the Sacred: A Collection of Prayers (2020), and the 2018-2019 UUA common read, Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and the Environment. He has served extensively in Unitarian Universalist leadership, including as co-chair of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) Board of Trustees, a member of the UUA Board of Trustees, president of the Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), commissioner on the UUA Commission on Appraisal, secretary of the board of Starr King School for the Ministry, and as an author and advocate of the 2007 General Assembly resolution confronting gender identity-related discrimination. He brings to the ministry his multicultural experience serving as a U.S. diplomat during the Clinton administration.
