What is TUUCAN?

Dear friends, this week we are introducing you to TUUCAN--the Tennessee UU Community Action Network. This amazing organization is off to a great start, and the Board of Westside has formally stated our support of its development. Our representative on the TUUCAN Steering Committee is Curtis Dush, and she keeps the board apprised of all that's happening in their work. Please take a look at this message from TUUCAN, and let me or Curtis know if you have any questions, or would like to be involved.

Rev. Carol

----

From Curtis:

I'm so excited about the energy and momentum we're building at the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network, or TUUCAN. It truly feels like we're riding a wave right now! If you're passionate about putting our UU values into action here in Tennessee, I'd love for you to get involved. Our general meetings are a fantastic way to connect with others and learn about the important work we're doing. They're open to everyone and take place on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Most of us join via Zoom, which is super convenient, but we also usually have a good group meeting in person at TVUUC if you're local. If you'd like to join us online or in person, please reach out to me, and I'll be happy to provide you with the Zoom link and any other information you need. I look forward to connecting with you!

Below is the congregational letter and mission statement of this organization, TUUCAN

Mission statement:

We, the members of the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network (TUUCAN), covenant to work for social, environmental, and legal justice in Tennessee—supporting each other and sharing our resources as we work to live our UU values into practice across our state. We pledge to be a strong, united, and public voice representing those values to our elected officials and the public at large as active participants in our local and state democratic process.

Dear Unitarian Universalists of Tennessee,

Across our state, rights are being stripped, voices silenced, and communities pushed to the margins. In moments like these, discouragement is easy. Many Unitarian Universalists — individually and in our relatively small 14 congregations sprinkled across the state — feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of legislation, court decisions, and public organization behind movements that strip people of their hard-won rights and freedoms. Despair is tempting. But Unitarian Universalists do not shrink from the storm—we organize, we resist, and we act.

This is the moment for action, not despair: Action in service of voting rights and access. Action in service of immigration justice. Action in service of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Action in service of LGBTQ rights. Action in service of environmental justice. Action in service of human rights, justice, and UU values.

That is why the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network (TUUCAN) is forming: to unite, amplify, and make real the values we covenant to uphold; the values recently voted upon across our denomination —Love, Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity. TUUCAN will educate and advocate for policies that align with these UU values.

We intend to provide a space of care, a place of nourishing spiritual comfort and grounding for UUs across the state. We are building a network of power, not just presence—a coalition that not only speaks but is heard; that not only gathers but mobilizes. In these early stages, TUUCAN is looking to harness the power of Tennessee’s more than 2,000 UUs to take actions such as:

● Organize:

o Connect UUs across the state in collective action

o Ally with partner organizations aligned with our UU values that are already doing transformative work on issues affecting our communities.

● Equip: Provide education, training, and strategic opportunities to sharpen our skills as advocates and organizers.

● Amplify: Issue timely and relevant statements, engage the media and elected representatives, and speak truth to power.

● Map Our Strengths: Identify the wealth of talent, connections, and resources across our congregations to channel them where they are needed most. Develop resource maps of the wealth of talent in our congregations.

● Discern Our Next Steps: Pursue further activities as the need may arise, ensuring that our structure reflects the values of shared leadership and congregational accountability.

In the initial stages of TUUCAN, representatives of interested congregations have been meeting as a preliminary steering committee. We are receiving guidance from the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team helping us think strategically about how we build TUUCAN in a way that is both effective and sustainable. Additionally, we are studying the models of other UU State Action Networks (SANs)—learning from their successes, their structures, and their struggles. We are not starting from scratch. We are building on the wisdom of those who have walked this path before, adapting their lessons to meet the unique needs of Tennessee’s Unitarian Universalists.

The eventual structure of TUUCAN is still in the formative stages, The full steering committee will ideally have representatives from all UU congregations in Tennessee and will elect officers as needed to fulfill its mission. All participating congregations would have representatives with voting status.

As a coalition of voices from across the state, TUUCAN can advocate for a better way for all the people of Tennessee to live together. We can work for a future where everyone thrives—indeed, we have the responsibility to do so.

The existence and activities of the network will depend upon the support and participation of its members and member congregations, including volunteer participation and financial support for expenses like website hosting and development, mailings, and potentially administrative support.

Efforts like these are consistent with UU values in support of rehumanizing work in our society today. If you agree, we hope you will support the network by committing a representative from your congregation and pledging to support its work with time, talent, and treasure. TUUCAN can be a truly effective vehicle for collective UU action in Tennessee when we move forward together.

If you have questions you can talk with your congregation’s participant on the TUUCAN working committee, or if you are interested in having a TUUCAN representative talk to your congregation, please contact Mark Mohundro, a member at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.

We’ve worked for years individually and within our local congregations. Now it’s time to unite our congregations statewide in intentional, faithful, and accountable action. The world is on fire and our faith compels us to act and build something powerful. Together.

In faith and solidarity,

The Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network (TUUCAN)