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Friday, March 5, 2021
7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST
Join us at FaithAction NJ’s UU Justice Gala 2021, on Friday, March 5, 2021 at 7:00pm as we gather in fellowship to celebrate what we have accomplished through Faith Action and where we are going. Racial Justice has been chosen as the theme to highlight the overarching goal of the dismantling racism work across all our Task Forces.
We started out expecting to hold a gala dinner in Princeton, expanding on the first gala held in Summit. We have shifted to a virtual event that will be presented via Zoom on Friday, March 5, from 7:00 – 8:30pm.
You will be hearing about the work of UUFANJ from Task Force Leaders working in the areas of Criminal Justice, Environmental Justice, Gun Violence Prevention, Immigration Justice, and Reproductive Justice. The program will also include representatives from the newly formed UUFANJ Youth Caucus.
We will be honoring Rev. Craig Hirshberg and Ms. Kim Gaddy. Rev. Hirshberg is our early Executive Director who led us in establishing UUFaithActionNJ (then called the UU Legislative Ministry of New Jersey). Ms. Gaddy is a coalition partner and longstanding activist with Clean Water Action and her hometown of Newark, NJ.
The gala will also have music, a breakout activity to get people moving, and bidding via the UUFANJ website before the event for Task Force themed gift and food baskets, delivered to the winners’ doorsteps. There will be a drawing for a door prize from among event attendees.
New Jersey’s 21 UU member congregations provide vital and appreciated support to UUFANJ, but a significant portion of our annual budget comes from individual UUs across our state. Your help enables UU FaithAction to provide both advocacy and legislative leadership that makes a real difference on issues of equity and justice, but also helps us build wider alliances between front-line communities, advocacy groups, legislators and key coalitions across the state.
Please be a part of this special evening. Youth and friends of UUFANJ are warmly invited too! Participating in the gala is a great opportunity to support UUFANJ and its important social justice work. We look forward to seeing you at the UU Justice Gala 2021!
If you are unable to attend the Gala, but wish to make a donation to support the work of UUFANJ, you can click the donate button at the top of this page or visit this link.
Rev. Craig Hirshberg is a UU minster who retired after serving for five years as the Executive Director of UU Faith Action NJ (formerly the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey (UULMNJ). Rev. Craig Hirshberg has a wealth of experience in the pulpit and in the community. She is Minister Emerita of the UU Congregation of Somerset Hills where she served as the founding minister. She brought to her ministry extensive non-profit experience including training, planning, community organizing and program development. She is a spiritual director and hosts meditation classes, retreats and other spiritual development activities. She is a graduate of Drew Theological School, and a lifelong student at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. She received her spiritual direction training at Shalem in Washington, DC and from the Rowe Spiritual Direction Program. Rev. Hirshberg also serves on the board or the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Team, being deployed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. She currently lives in Easton, PA where she is involved in community development and arts development efforts. She is married to her husband, Dominick De Pinto, and has three children, three grandchildren and a dog.
Ms. Kim Gaddy is the Environmental Justice Organizer for Clean Water Action of New Jersey. She has been advocating for communities impacted by industrial pollution and the goods movement system in Newark and across the country for 20 years. Kim develops and implements the NJ Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund's grassroots environmental justice campaigns and coalition building efforts. She is a former elected Newark School Board Member,New York/New Jersey Regional Representative for the Moving Forward Network, Appointed by Governor Phil Murphy to serve as Vice-Chair of the NJDEP's Environmental Justice Advisory Council, former Chair of both the Newark Environmental Commission and the Essex County Environmental Commission, a founding member of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and Founder of the South Ward Environmental Alliance. Previously, she worked in Municipal government in Newark for 12 years and served as the first female Chief of Staff, for Councilwoman Mildred Crump. Kim was recognized for her life-long environmental leadership with the NJDEP 2020 Richard J. Sullivan Award, the 2018 Newark Women from Suffragettes to the Statehouse, 2017 selected as 100 People of Newark, Women on the Move Award recipient and a 2007 recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Environmental Community award. Kim Gaddy is the proud mom of Sonny, Frankie Mo'Nay and Julian.
UU Justice Gala 2021
Friday, March 5, 2021 7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST
Virtual Event
UU Justice Gala 2021
Friday, March 5, 20217:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST
Virtual Event
UU Justice Gala 2021
Friday, March 5, 2021 7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST
Virtual Event
You will receive via email the Zoom link for the Gala and acknowledgement of registration.
We will send you a reminder link with the Program a few days before the event.
If you have any questions, please send an email to admin@uufaithaction.org.