UUFA News

UUFA Art Exhibit “Black in White” Runs Through July

In the UUFA Welcome Hall Gallery from June 3 to July 28

The gallery is open each Sunday from 10:30 until 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Contact the office for other times/days.

“. . . I look for what is forgotten in a shared history, and I use that past to interrogate our present condition.” Rodney Grainger

On June 19, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. the Racial Justice Team will sponsor a lecture by local artist Rodney L Grainger whose work will be on display starting June 3rd..Rodney’s work focuses on the American Black experience, both the terrors of racism and the comforting Black household workers with whom he grew up in Alabama. 

Rodney art has been exhibited in various galleries: Atlanta Art Gallery, Spirull Gallery, City Gallery East, Gertude Herbert Institute of Art, Georgia State University Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Beacon Hill Artists, among others. He is the recipient of the Artist Merit Award, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA and is a Fellow at the Artist Residency Program at The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, GA. 

About his work, Rodney says “Race, gender and class are recurrent themes in my work as I seek to give voice to those in our collective history who are less often, if ever, heard. I am interested in creating an appealing aesthetic that accesses deeper levels of personal awareness rather than simply polemical or editorial statements. My narrative works examine cultural forgetting and acts of remembrance which are deeply influenced by my experiences of growing up in a racially segregated Birmingham, Alabama during the 50’s and 60’s. I have relied on charcoal drawing (actually paintings in black and white) as my principal medium because it is so closely aligned to writing. It is the most visually graphic, and black and white is the primary language of memory, dreams and the unconscious. “

You can see some of Rodney’s work from the Atlanta Art Gallery here: http://atlantaartgallery.com/Artist%20Pages/Grainger.html

Share the Plate / Cause-of-the-Month: Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens (DIA)

During May Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens (DIA), an Athens organization with a mission to create and promote spaces for the liberation of undocumented immigrants in the United States, will receive one half of all undesignated offerings. For details contact justice@uuathensga.org


Help with Food Insecurity

Please continue to bring non-perishable food items to Fellowship Hall’s wicker baskets. While all CANtributions are appreciated, in May the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank is especially in need of white rice, Hamburger Helper, and dried pinto beans. To give by credit card, visit uuathensga.org/give and look for “Charitable Giving.” To give by check, make the check out to UUFA and put “CANtributions 1-8016” in the memo line. To learn more, contact  justice@uuathensga.org. If you are experiencing food insecurity or know someone in our UUFA community who is, please contact Rev. Pippin (revpippin@uuathensga.org).


UUFA Justice Partner Highlights

AADM Workplace Rights & Career Lab

AADM invites you to May 9’s Saturday School in partnership with Patrick Ihejirika and Pathwise NYC, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals become more competitive for the careers they want. This free session will cover workplace rights and career development, helping you understand fair pay, safe working conditions, and how to advocate for yourself on the job. Participants will also take part in hands-on resume workshops and gain access to Pathwise’s career tools to strengthen resumes, identify skill gaps, build clear career plans, and stay organized throughout the job search process. Register here for the 10 to 11:30 am sessionat Oconee Street United Methodist Church: https://www.aadmovement.org/events/may2026-saturday-school


Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) Meeting

All are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition on May 15 from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Oconee Street United Methodist Church. For more information contact justice@uuathensga.org.