"Justice" General Assembly 2012 in AZ

Excerpts from UU Worldarticle by Jane Greer

Delegates at the 2010 General Assembly in Minneapolis overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution Saturday committing themselves to holding a special “Justice” General Assembly in Phoenix in 2012.... The issue of whether to boycott Phoenix as the site of the 2012 GA had been hotly contested among UUs after the passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which empowers local police to check the immigration status of those otherwise detained. Shortly after the bill’s passage at the end of April, the UUA board released a business resolution advocating that the UUA boycott Phoenix as the site of the 2012 GA.

The board is empowered to determine both the time and place of General Assembly. They put the issue on the GA agenda to include delegates in the decision-making process.

In early June, UUA President Peter Morales issued a letter asking UUs not to boycott Phoenix and to create a General Assembly that would be focused on witnessing for immigrant justice. His letter included invitations from two immigrant advocacy groups, Puente and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, asking UUs to hold their General Assembly in Phoenix in 2012....

[After much discussion] the final amended resolution was presented to the General Assembly at the Saturday afternoon plenary session. One section of the resolution, about limiting GA business to the minimum required by the bylaws, was left as an unincorporated amendment, subject to debate and a vote. An attempt to remove that section failed. The resolution to hold General Assembly in Phoenix 2012 passed with an overwhelming majority.

RELATED RESOURCES

A message from UUA President Peter Morales on Immigration. (UUA.org)

UUs Protest Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law (UUA.org)

Standing on the Side of Love UUA human rights campaign with information on summer program in Arizona. (standingonthesideoflove.org)