Justice
Throughout our 200 year history, working toward social justice has been a significant part of our mission as a progressive religious community. Our justice work has taken many forms over the years and has included activism around civil rights and equality for Black Americans, supporting the movement to end Apartheid in South Africa, advocating for promoting nonviolence and resisting war in all its forms, and providing shelter to unhoused people, among many other issues (see our History page for more!).
Today, our approach to justice work acknowledges that systems of oppression and injustice are interconnected and global, and our commitment to building a better world must also be comprehensive, flexible, and strategic. We must, and do, reject all forms of fascism, white supremacy, imperialism, anti-queerness, religious discrimination, and apartheid. You can read more about our stance on the rising wave of Fascism in the United States here, and about our mission and vision here.
Here are a few of our congregation’s current justice-focused initiatives and programs, which range from providing material support to local grassroots organizations to engaging in advocacy and education on international injustices. We welcome new involvement and new justice-based initiatives, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are interested in learning more!
WORTHY NOW
At the Community Church of New York, we are proud to partner with the Church of the Larger Fellowship to serve as the Pen Pal Hub for their program connecting incarcerated Unitarian Universalists with free world pen pals. This ministry is a lifeline for many UUs who find themselves cut off from many methods of essential communication with friends, family, and society at large during their incarceration.
We believe that a person's worth is not defined by their relationship to the law or the carceral system, and this program is one of the ways that we put this belief into practice and fight back against the dehumanization inherent to our prison systems.
Those in the NYC area can reach out to us directly to find out how to participate! UUs interested in becoming part of this pen pal program can find out more information at https://clfuu.org/worthynow/pen-pals/.
See a short video here about this work.
ANTI-ICE ORGANIZING
We have always taken a strong stance against ICE and the authoritarian tactics used by our government to separate families, deport people into dangerous situations, hold people in detention centers under incredibly inhumane conditions, and shoot down protestors in the street. These tactics and the unprecedented, racially motivated crackdown on immigrants are one hallmark of the fascism we see taking hold rapidly in the United States.
We strongly oppose the incursion of ICE into New York City and are deeply involved in interfaith organizing to counter these attacks on our communities on all levels. Our primary partners in this work are Hands Off NYC, which “brings together a broad coalition to protect against, preempt, and prepare for federal incursion in New York City… through mass mobilization, neighborhood organizing, and building a culture of defiance.”
If you would like to partner in this or other work related to fighting back against ICE and protecting our immigrant neighbors, please reach out directly.
PALESTINE ADVOCACY
The Community Church has spoken out against apartheid since the early 1970s, when members of our community began organizing for an economic boycott of apartheid South Africa. Today, we see clearly the system of apartheid that has been installed by the Israeli government throughout Israel and Palestine; a system in which Palestinians are subjected to a different set of laws and punishments, inferior economic opportunities, and stifled political speech and participation. In December 2025 and January 2026, three members of our staff traveled to Palestine in order to learn more about the conditions on the ground in Jerusalem and the West Bank. They reported back on their experiences at this recorded event, this service, and in this blog post. Rev. Peggy, our senior minister, delivered a sermon on apartheid as a stain on our collective souls, and Brother Zachary, Chaplain for Pastoral Care, presented a powerful wisdom story on the history and many manifestations of this kind of systematized racial inequality that exist globally today.
In addition to educating our community about this issue, our staff engage in faith-based activism and advocacy against unconditional military support to states who violate international law, and in favor of increasing our funding of humanitarian assistance to people displaced and otherwise affected by war and genocide.
DOOLITTLE FUND GRANTS
The Ethelwyn Doolittle Justice and Outreach Fund provides financial support to organizations who advocate, organize, and mobilize locally for systemic change on issues of social, economic, environmental and climate justice, and human rights
The Fund provides financial support to small nonprofits and movement organizations outside of the Community Church of New York. The Fund supports advocacy and grassroots mobilization for systemic change on issues of social, economic, environmental and climate justice, and human rights.
Grant recipients for the 2026-2027 program year are:
Recipients in 2025-2026 were:
Organizations cannot be nominated nor apply directly and the Fund does not accept unsolicited proposals. The Doolittle Committee will contact a potential awardee if they are under consideration.