March 24, 2019: Sunday Forum - Unist'ot'en Camp: Stop the Pipelines

Sunday, March 24, 2019.  9:15 AM.

Over the years, BUF has supported the Unist'ot'en Camp and its advocates, particularly Western University students who have devoted an enormous amount of their resources helping construct the Camp.  The Unis’tot’en (C’ihlts’ehkhyu / Big Frog Clan) are the original Wet’suwet’en Yintah Wewat Zenli distinct to the lands of the Wet’suwet’en in British Columbia, Canada and have been constructing dwellings and community centers on land targeted by Coastal Gaslink (CGL) for gas pipelines.  The Unist'ot'en Camp has become Canada’s Standing Rock with non-violent protestors blocking and opposing construction through unceded, traditional indigenous territories.  Recently the Royal Mounted Canadian Police have moved in to break up Unist’ot’en and other camps along the route, allowing for Coastal Gaslink heavy equipment to begin preparing for construction.  What’s happening now and where do we go from here?

March 17, 2019: Sunday Forum - Truth and Reconciliation-Healing the Past and Looking Forward

Sunday, March 17, 2019.  9:15 AM.

Shirley Williams of Lummi Nation and Whiteswan Environmental will provide an indigenous perspective of what the Truth and Reconciliation movement is and why it is so critical to the future of indigenous communities. Truth and Reconciliation is a movement bringing together indigenous and 
non-indigenous communities to engage in dialogues and actions that strive to heal trauma, address inequities, and restore, protect and preserve indigenous 
lifeways. It is a multifaceted movement that addresses many intersectional 
issues, while working to dismantle white privilege and domination.

Mach 10, 2019: Sunday Forum - Lummi Youth Canoe Journey with Becky Kinley

Sunday, March 10, 2019.  9:15 AM.

Becky Kinley serves as the Youth Leadership Manager under the Lummi System of Care Expansion Initiative. The Lummi Youth Canoe Family is for Lummi youth between the ages of 13-21 to engage in our culture by preparing for the annual canoe journey and/or international cultural exchange opportunities’. Our desire is to learn who we are as Lummi People and our strong Lummi values; while protecting, promoting, and preserving our Schelangen (Way of Life). As youth, we are empowering youth and communities around us to stand up their rights and being the voice of the next generation. The Lummi Youth Canoe Family is fiscally sponsored by the Lummi Nation Service Organization. the Lummi Nation Service Organization is a tribally chartered non-profit since 1996 who’s mission is to Strengthen the people through cultural, social, and economical abundance with hopes that we will empower our people Nilh Xwenang Tse Schelangen (This is our way of life) a healthy, giving, and prosperous community.

March 3, 2019: Sunday Forum - History/Involvement of BUF's Involvement with Original Nations and Peoples

Sunday, March 3, 2019.  9:15 AM

Join Beth Brownfield and Deb Cruz as we explore BUF’s involvement with indigenous issues and communities.  Since 2005, our initial contact with Lummi Nation, we’ve charted a path that has led us through many places along the journey through Indian Country not only here in Whatcom County, but throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.  Hear about where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going on our journey to establishing right relations with our indigenous communities.

Beth Brownfield: Beth is a lifelong activist and educator who has dedicated herself to working for understanding and social action around tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and cultural appreciation. She has been deeply involved with solidarity work in the Dakotas, Minnesota and the Pacific Northwest, inspiring and mentoring UU congregations in MN, MA, ID, WA, OR.

Deb Cruz: Deb has worked with issues in Indian Country across the northern U.S. since the mid-1970s. She has worked with Beth Brownfield in establishing relations with Lummi Nation and other Tribes/Nations throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is also President and Issue Team lead for First and American Indian Nations Solidary of JUUstice Washington, Washington State’s UU action network.

February 25, 2019: Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival Presents "Warrior Women" at BUF

February 25, 2019 at 7:00 PM.  Join the Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival and BUF’s Native American Connections Committee in viewing Warrior Women.  This film is the story of mothers and daughters fighting for indigenous rights in the American Indian movement. The film unveils not only a female perspective of history, but also the impact of political struggles on the children who bear witness.  

More info at https://www.warriorwomenfilm.com/.

2018 Totem Pole Journey Blessing at BUF

"When Two Worlds Collide" Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival at BUF

Monday, February 19 at 7:00 pm

The Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship and the Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival invite you to a viewing of "When Two Worlds Collide."        

In this tense and immersive tour de force, audiences are taken directly into the line of fire between powerful, opposing Peruvian leaders who will stop at nothing to keep their respective goals intact. On the one side is President Alan Garcia, who, eager to enter the world stage, begins aggressively extracting oil, minerals, and gas from untouched indigenous Amazonian land. He is quickly met with fierce opposition from indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, whose impassioned speeches against Garcia’s destructive actions prove a powerful rallying cry to throngs of his supporters. When Garcia continues to ignore their pleas, a tense war of words erupts into deadly violence.