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!

On Thursday, March 3, 2022, UFE lost one of our dear friends and a former leader of the organization, Ann Manning, to cancer. Ann stepped into the role of Interim Executive Director for one year, serving from July 2008 through June 2009.

(English Below) El programa "Encuentro" con Julio Villagrán y la comunidad Salvadoreña en Carolina del Norte le invitan a un conversatorio sobre la realidad actual en nuestro país y aquí en Estados Unidos.

The growing racial and economic divide is the result of hundreds of years of laws, practices and policies created to sustain white supremacy and protect white wealth.

The national holiday on Monday depicts Martin Luther King Jr.’s efforts as a part of history. But the fight that he dedicated his life to has not yet been won. Dr. King once described the civil rights victories of the 1960s as having achieved “a degree of decency, not of equality.”

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been busier than ever working with organizers and activists to help build and sustain movements for economic, racial, and gender justice. Now is the time to come together - while remaining physically distant - to build even more powerful movements for justice and fix the broken systems harming our communities.

UFE is not fighting to get back to business as usual; together, we're redefining usual. We are demanding a world capable of providing real health and safety for all, and daring to imagine bold visions of what this world can look like. Learn more about our work below!

We are disgusted at the lack of justice in the recent jury decision that found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of homicide or recklessly endangering the safety of others, but we have also heard the circular, racist arguments given by white supremacists attempting to justify their actions too many times to be shocked. 

Join us Monday for the launch of Living Wage Week and a new national living wage standard. Register for the webinar now, before space is full!