Is it just us, or does your calendar seem to fill more quickly when there’s warm weather, too? With summer in full swing, UFE has been busier than ever, meeting with organizers and partners across the country, connecting the dots between racial, economic and gender justice through our popular education trainings, and supporting movements on the ground to raise wages and address the growing racial wealth divide. We’re so excited to share all that we’ve been up to!

The following reflection was written by our intern Monica Alfaro, who attended one of a series of multiple workshops facilitated every week throughout the month of June by our Director Jeannette Huezo.

Our Executive Director, Jeanette Huezo, facilitated a powerful workshop in collaboration with Action for Equity - a coalition of community-based and social justice organizations working for a more equitable society based in Dorchester, MA. Participants attended to explore the meaning of wealth.

The following reflection was written by our intern Grace May! Grace was placed with our organization as a part of her internship with Student Action with Farmworkers. We're super excited to have Grace working working with us in North Carolina this summer.

We hosted the Education Justice Alliance (EJA) at the Avila Center in Durham, NC, for their recent retreat focused on restorative justice. EJA is a rapidly growing grassroots organization working on education justice. The director of our own Inclusive Economies Program, Fernando Martinez, consulted with a facilitator who specializes in restorative justice and conflict resolution, and was able to invite them to NC to offer their expertise. See photos from the retreat in the full blog post!

UFE’s Responsible Wealth program held a virtual “Tax Billionaires Now!” training on June 9.

Over 100 wealthy individuals registered for the event. We had 18 top-notch speakers over an informative and engaging 3-hour agenda! The event was facilitated by UFE’s Responsible Wealth Project Director, Mike Lapham. Panelists explored in-depth what’s in the three Billionaires Income Tax proposals, hearing from multiple representatives and senators... read our full post for more details!

Eroc Arroyo-Montano, our director of cultural organizing, has some updates and photos to share from trainings he facilitated in May!

The racist rhetoric of "replacement theory" has led to a dramatic increase in violence against people of color.

Elected officials that have weaponized replacement theory to incite fear and hate must be held accountable.

We are excited to release a timely update to a popular UFE workshop, "War and the Economy: Too Many Guns, Not Enough Butter."
This interactive workshop explores the impact of war and militarism on the US economy, examines militarism from race, gender, and class perspectives, and demonstrates how war and militarism drain communities of basic resources.

What makes us safer: more militarization, or investing in global climate and green energy solutions?

From April 22-24, UFE hosted our classic “Training of Trainers,” and what a memorable training it was! As the first full-scale training we’ve held in person since the start of the pandemic, this was an especially impactful event attended by over 40 incredible community and grassroots organizers from across the country. Covid-19 impacted us in many ways, and the training was a much needed opportunity to reconnect and find renewed hope in this difficult moment.

UFE is proud to congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson!

The confirmation of Ketanji Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, is a historic event. Many Senate Republicans voted against her confirmation, attempting to distract from her experience and credibility. Though this proved unsuccessful, it’s unfortunate that so many would choose to vote against someone who is extremely qualified, seemingly only to obstruct progress.

Our North Carolina team co-hosted a special training on healing justice and mental health over the weekend, with a group of over 30 youths. This training was a longtime vision for the leaders of Centro Unido Latino-Americano (CULA), who asked us to host them and facilitate parts of the event. Last fall, leaders of CULA attended our "Training of Trainers," a 3-day workshop where they learned about popular education and circle facilitation. Now they are putting what they learned into practice with their own members.

We are excited to share all that we've been up to with you... Watch in Spanish or English, it's filled with photos and stories!

Estamos emocionados de compartir contigo todo lo que hemos estado haciendo... Míralo en español o inglés, ¡está lleno de fotos e historias!