Showing Up for One Another: Rooted in Courage, Grounded in Love
by Natasha Walker
“When history looks back at this era, the essential question will not be whether we knew every step of the blueprint, but how we chose to respond when the stakes were highest. ” — NW
We are grieving. We are heartbroken. We are tired.
As if you need a reminder that we are living through a pivotal, heavy moment in history, with a monumental election approaching. It is easy to feel the weariness settling into our bones, to look at the news and wonder how we can possibly keep moving forward when the path ahead feels unclear and the weight of the world feels so crushing.
When the problems before us feel massive, it is easy to fall into paralysis. But not knowing what to do is not a reason to do nothing.
Throughout history, Unitarian Universalism has never called us to have every answer before we step forward, nor has it asked us to be passive bystanders. Ours is a faith of active covenant, moral courage, and radical responsibility. When storms rage and threats to safety grow, we do not shrink back or retreat into isolation. Instead, we inherit a powerful legacy of organizing our resources, our moral imagination, and our communities to build networks of care and mutuality that sustain people both spiritually and materially.
Our UU values are a living toolkit for times like these. In a culture that pushes us toward individualism and despair, simply being together is revolutionary. Gathering in our shared humanity disrupts the narrative that we are powerless. It reminds us that our liberation is bound up in one another, and that care is our most potent form of resistance.
The world right now is aching for the grounded, transformative connection that our community offers. People are searching for spaces where they can bring their full, imperfect selves—their anger, their grief, their uncertainty, and their hope—and find a community that holds them as they step into action.
Yet, hope cannot remain an abstract idea or a passive wish. It has to be lived, shared, and made tangible through our daily choices and collective presence. As theologian Paul J. Wadell reminds us:
"Hope has to be seen to be believed. It has to be made visible. It has to be something we can feel and touch. We are called to be persons who embody hope for one another. We have to be each other’s partners in hope."
Image of a city downtown skyline, next to a shining body of water, covered in a thick, yellow haze.
That is why we gather. The Solidarity Summit was created so that none of us have to carry the weight of this moment alone. Following the 2024 election, we knew this moment would require us to shift our approaches, experiment with new ways of being together, and deepen our relationships to meet the massive challenges before us. We cannot organize in silos, nor can we sustain our spirits in isolation.
The Summit is designed to be a landing pad and a launchpad. It is a space where we gather to process our collective pain, replenish our exhausted spirits through sacred connection, and coordinate our practical power for the days ahead. It is where we show up to be each other’s partners in hope—grounding ourselves in the knowledge that we do not need to have all the answers to take the next step together.
When history looks back at this era, the essential question will not be whether we knew every step of the blueprint, but how we chose to respond when the stakes were highest. As author Omar El Akkad wrote:
“The moral component of history, the most necessary component, is simply a single question, asked over and over again: When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?”
We choose justice. We choose love. We choose each other—and we show up together.
Registration is Now Open
Come as you are—heartbroken, uncertain, weary, angry, or ready to organize. Bring your grief, your passion, and your willingness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with community. Join us at the Solidarity Summit as we anchor in our shared values, heal through collective power, and build the courageous future we know is possible.
See you soon!
Click Here to Register for the Solidarity Summit: https://forms.gle/u3rKQDAiJbx5tr559
Natasha Walker
Executive Director, UUANI