Just a month before quarantine our Director of Cultural Organizing, Eroc Arroyo-Montano had the opportunity to be a co-facilitator and advisor in collaboration with the Educators Healing Gathering hosted by "Our Fire Collective." Combining healing justice and popular education, Eroc moved educators through different practices and helped to advise the group on next steps.

Our National Education Director, Riahl O'Malley, ended the month of January by facilitating at COPAL's leadership institute. COPAL is working to unite Latinxs in Minnesota in active grassroots communal democracy that builds racial, gender, social and economic justice across community lines. They are doing big things in Minnesota and beyond, so check them out!

This was the first of a series of leadership trainings planned for 2020. The 3-days training was attended by 22 leaders.

Our Resource Mobilization Director, Sara Sargent, shares the story of how she got here while looking back on a transformative year.

Reflecting on my first year at United for a Fair Economy, I’m thankful to be part of the UFE team. I feel that now, more than ever, we need each other and we need grassroots organizations like UFE to stand up to greed, injustice and rising inequality in our communities.

Every year, United for a Fair Economy publishes a “State of the Dream” report that looks at the state of racial economic inequality in the US. The report, written in honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has a different theme each year (view our past reports).

We are excited to share that the 2020 State of the Dream report will be focused around the influences and intersections of gender and race in the fight for a fair economy!

It was the last day of a four-day Training of Trainers at United for a Fair Economy... most had spoken up during one activity or another, but there was one participant -an elder Latina- who had hardly spoken at all. Ok, I thought, no need to push.

Really though, her silence made me nervous. Did she disapprove? Did she feel unsafe? I thought there might be something we were doing wrong or, at the very least, that we needed to adjust.

On December 14, at CCDS's end of year celebration, United for a Fair Economy was recognized with a certificate for our continued support of CCDS since the project’s inception three years ago. CCDS is a Massachusetts-based community working to create a more fair economy by creating space for grassroots organizers in working class communities of color.

There are so many ways to turn your "audience" into active participants. We know from experience that learners are more likely to understand, retain, and apply knowledge if they are engaging their heads, hearts, and hands.

If we want people to take action in groups to end inequality we can't afford to use the same top-down learning methods over and over again. We want people to leave feeling that they have the solution and the means to implement it.

Our executive director, Jeannette Huezo, has been very busy this year! Take a moment to catch up on the awards she's received, the panels she's spoken on, and the work she's led.

Thanks to all who joined us for a celebration of United for a Fair Economy's past, present and future! For a quarter century, UFE has been at the forefront of supporting movements for economic justice. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we gathered in community to view performances by local and national artists, listen to presentations from movement leaders, and enjoy food. 

If you would like to look at our photographer Pedro Cruz’s photos from the event, you may view them here.

Thank you to all those who attended the Training of Trainers in North Carolina! Over three days, participants became trainers, gaining new skills to facilitate workshops and build the movement to raise the minimum wage.

Every year the United Association for Labor Education hosts four regional women worker's schools. For the past two years, our Executive Director & Senior Popular Educator, Jeannette Huezo, has been invited there to facilitate our "Connecting the Dots: Race, Gender and Economic Inequality" workshop.

Jeannette had this to say: "We had a great time learning from one another's stories that revealed so many struggles, and also common ground, at UALE's Southern Women Worker's School. What an amazing opportunity to be in this space!"

In light of the Trump Administration’s continued attacks on immigrants’ rights, it is of the utmost importance for United for a Fair Economy (UFE) and other social justice organizations to stand in solidarity with immigrants in the US. As a supporter of living wages, wealth-building opportunities, and equal justice for all workers, UFE has a history of standing up for immigrants’ rights and is committed to securing equal rights for documented and undocumented workers alike. However, while UFE recognizes that immigrants are an integral part of the American economy, they are first and foremost our friends, family members, and the pillars of our communities who deserve fundamental rights and respect.  --We stand in solidarity with immigrant communities today and always.