First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh

Since 2000, the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) has been organizing values-driven people and people of faith to change the balance of power for justice and equity in Southwestern Pennsylvania. PIIN is a power building organization of thirty-one interfaith congregations, and allied nonprofits and labor organizations focused on affecting change through the practices of community organizing. By mentoring and training leaders, building relationships with those in power, and holding them accountable, and by planning and implementing powerful collective action, PIIN creates opportunities for motivated people, especially marginalized people, to build power for justice. Our current priorities are Criminal Justice Reform, Environmental Justice, Public Education; Gun Violence Reduction and Justice for Immigrants. We use Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) as an organizing tool to engage residents to become community leaders for needed change.

Caste: the Origins of Our Discontent, written by Isabel Wilkerson, provides insights into the persistence of racism in the United States. An anti-Black caste system has predominated since before the founding of our nation, limiting our vision and our lives. While unique in many ways, anti-Black racism shares characteristics with other caste systems. In these four workshops we will develop our ability to recognize the characteristics of the anti-Black caste system, understand how and why it is perpetuated, and discuss what we must do to get ourselves and our society out of the racist caste box. Four sessions – Sundays 12 to 1:30pm – Lunch will be provided September 28, October 5, October 19, & November 2 Sponsored by the Racial Justice Task Force of First Unitarian Church. Sign up at RacialJustice@first-unitarian-pgh.org