Baltimore — September 20, 2010 The Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice of Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Northern VA. represent a partnership of congregations, organizations and individuals deeply committed to the religious principles of human dignity, justice and compassion for all people. They help Unitarian Universalist activists carryout their social and economic justice agendas, and hold an annual Awards Gala to celebrate social justice visionaries.
The Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice will present an interfaith panel at Washington D.C. Green Festival, October 23-24, with members representing Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. The panel will be moderated by a Unitarian Universalist minister and will address why and how these faith communities are responding to the current worldwide environmental crisis, especially with regard to environmental justice issues.
Panel participants include:
Representing the Jewish perspective, Joelle Novey, Executive Director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light;
Representing the Christian perspective, The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton who is the first African American Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Maryland and was formerly the Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral. He wants to be known as “The Green Bishop,” and has been a leader in addressing climate change as a religious issue;
And representing the Muslim perspective, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, who serves as the director of Community Outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Northern Virginia. He was the first Muslim Chaplain installed at Howard University and has been cited by Greater Washington Interfaith power and Light for his leadership on green issues within the Muslim community.
The moderator will be Unitarian Universalist minister and administrator of the regional group Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Rev. Cynthia Snavely.
Also, the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice exhibit in Green Festival’s marketplace will undergo renovation to become interactive in design, thanks to visual artist Caryl Henry Alexander from Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church in Camp Springs, MD.