Report from GA 2005

The UUA's General Assembly 2005 was held from June 23 to June 27 in Forth Worth, TX. For a complete report on workshops, planeries with RealAudio and video, please check out our UUA GA Website.

The following programs were sponsored by A/PIC with DRUUMM:

Transracial Adoptions, Interracial Families: Changing Faces, Changing Hearts
This program addresses the needs of the growing numbers of transracially adopted youth of color in our UU congregations, focusing on how to reduce potential identity marginalization and instead, support identity development. Panelists for this program include transracial adoption activist Stephanie Cho, Beth Hall of PACT (an adoption alliance), and transracially adopted UUs Meggie Dennis and the Rev. Kristen Harper. [Special note: Beth Hall was unable to participate due to a death in the family. The Rev. Meg Riley, a UU minister who has adopted a daughter from China, substituted for Beth.]

The Tsunami Relief Banquet
The A/PIC is putting its faith into action by sponsoring a benefit for the victims of India's tsunami. Speakers will include Charlie Clements (president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee) and a number of people who have returned recently from India and who have experienced the devastation firsthand. Funds raised will benefit the work of UUSC.

The Annual A/PIC Luncheon -- About twenty A/PI UUs and their allies met for lunch at the Fox and Hound on Saturday.

GA Reflection by Rev. Leslie Takahashi Morris
Somewhat recovered from GA and in the last days of work before vacation--I wanted to take the time to mention how well we were represented in so many areas at GA including by Young Kim who gave a very important perspective in his final remarks as a member of the nominating committee and Kok-Heong
McNaughton who let them know what was what in her acceptance remarks. Manish Mishra was wise and thoughtful as a member of the Commission on Appraisal as they released their landmark report which he helped shape.

Joseph Santos-Lyons and Meggie Dennis and Lily Sparks were eloquent and brave as part of the panels on transracial adoption. Jennifer Ryu was an excellent chaplain for the second panel as were Catie Chi Olson and others. Jennifer was also the coordinator of our APIC lunch.

Catie Chi Olson and Sharmila Khare did a great job setting up for the Tsunami update.

All of our work was supported by Tomoko Takano's great staff work for A/PIC which included dispensing Kleenex WHILE selling books.

It is always the case that I will forget someone and yet I wanted to mark what was on my heart which was the strong APIC presence.

Photo Gallery

GA Archives:
GA04 -- Long Beach, CA
GA03 -- Boston, MA