Melissa Harris-Perry, a UU scholar who gave the Ware Lecture in Salt Lake City in 2009, was recently named the host of a two-hour weekend show on MSNBC. The new show, “Melissa Harris-Perry,” will debut on Saturday, February 18 and will focus on national politics and “explore the intersections of culture, art, and community issues.” (MediaBistro – 1.5.12, MSNBC.com – 2.1.12)

Assisted-suicide doctor on NPR

Dr. Larry Egbert, co-founder of the Final Exit Network, and a UU from Baltimore, Md., talks to NPR’s Michel Martin about helping people end their lives. Last week I pointed to a lengthy Washington Post profile and slideshow about Egbert. (NPR – 1.27.12, Washington Post – 1.22.12)

Racism in America, Dinner in the Dark, and more

The Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, author of several books, including In Between: Memoir of an Integration Baby, spoke at Iowa State University on the subject of racism in America. Read Morrison-Read’s recent UU World feature on the “black empowerment” controversy. (Iowa State Daily – 1.31.12, UU World – Winter 2011)

See also: Morrison-Reed gives lecture on integration, connection across cultures (Iowa State Daily – 2.5.12)

Roberta Wilson, an 84-year-old member of Third Unitarian Church in Austin, Tex., and an active volunteer in her community, has been honored for her efforts to improve education for Austin residents, and says she has no plans to slow down now. (Austin Weekly News – 2.1.12)

The New York Times highlights Being Alive and Having to Die: The Spiritual Odyssey of Forrest Church, a recent book by UU author Dan Cryer. See the upcoming Spring issue of UU World magazine for a Book to Note on Being Alive and Having to Die written by UUA executive vice president Kay Montgomery. (New York Times – 1.29.12)

The steeple of the 186-year-old First Parish Church in Portland, Maine, is being refurbished to match the original. (Portland Press Herald – 1.30.12)

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, Calif., participated in a “Dinner in the Dark,” an eight-course meal during which they were blindfolded to get the experience of being blind. (Ventura County Star – 1.31.12)

The UU Congregations of Fayetteville and the UU Congregation of the Sandhills in Whispering Pines are working together to oppose a proposed North Carolina constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. (Fayetteville Observer – 2.2.12)

The annual madrigal dinner at the Manatee UU Fellowship in Bradenton, Fla., raised funds to send children from the church to summer camp. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune – 1.30.12)

And while there is no mention of Unitarian Universalism or the UUA’s Standing on the Side of Love campaign in this heartbreaking Rolling Stone article about a town’s anti-gay climate leading to a rash of teen suicides, I couldn’t help but notice the person wearing the yellow Standing on the Side of Love T-shirt in the story’s header photo of a candlelight vigil. (Rolling Stone – 2.2.12)

The Rev. Karen Tse, a UU minister and human rights lawyer, says that in the Year of the Dragon, it is time for us to finally stop torture. Watch Tse’s 12-minute TED talk on CNN, and read a profile of her from UU World. (CNN.com – 1.22.12, UU World – Winter 2007)

Church’s rare silver sells for $1.72 million

Last week I pointed to this great Sotheby’s video, which gives the background on a collection of rare silver being auctioned off by the First Parish Church of Dorchester, Mass., and features interviews with church members. This week, the Boston Globe reports that the congregation sold several pieces from the collection, bringing in about $1.72 million, which will be used for building restoration work. (Sotheby’s – January 2012, Boston Globe – 1.21.12)

Assisted suicide, leather spirituality, and more

The Washington Post has a lengthy profile and slideshow about Lawrence Egbert, a retired anesthesiologist and UU from Baltimore, Md., who has made headlines for his work with assisted suicide. Site may require registration to view this article. (Washington Post – 1.22.12)

Huffington Post blogger and UU Amy Shiner is looking for an integration of her spiritual and sexual life. (Huffington Post – 1.24.12)

As part of a continuing series on local houses of worship, the Martha’s Vineyard Times profiles the UU Society of Martha’s Vineyard. (Martha’s Vineyard Times – 1.25.12)

The Rev. Amy Brooks, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lake Norman in Davidson, N.C., is working to promote faith-based environmentalism. (Charlotte Observer – 1.25.12)

To mark the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, members of Harbor Unitarian Universalist Church in Muskegon, Mich., gathered to discuss reproductive justice and sexual freedom. (WZZM – 1.21.12)

John Sutterby, who serves the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Brownsville, Tex., will perform same-sex marriage ceremonies as part of a marriage equality event in February. (KGBT-TV – 1.22.12)

The Statesman Journal profiles newly ordained UU minister the Rev. Lise Adams Sherry. (Statesman Journal – 1.22.12)

A Sotheby’s video giving background on a collection of rare silver being auctioned off by the First Parish Church of Dorchester, Mass., features interviews with the Rev. Arthur Levoie and other congregation members, shots of the interior and exterior of the building, the neighborhood, and, of course, the historic silver. The 4-minute video has such high production values you’ll feel like you’re watching Masterpiece Theatre. (Sotheby’s – January 2012)

Martin Luther King Jr remembered, and more

The Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, N.J., hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event that included a speech from a local who worked with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the recognition of local students who carry on King’s legacy. (North Jersey.com – 1.18.12)

First Unitarian Universalist Church and Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. at a joint service. (NewsChannel5 – 1.15.12)

The Rev. Robert Murphy, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, Mass., reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. and the time for social and economic change

See related: A passion for environmental justice (UU World – Winter 2011)

The Rev. Mark Kiyimba, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala, Uganda, spoke in Maryland about his campaign against homophobia in his home country. (Metro Weekly – 1.18.12)

See related: Ugandan UUs oppose anti-homosexuality bill (uuworld.org – 2.22.10)

As temperatures in the Pacific Northwest dropped, the 24-bed shelter at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, British Columbia, was expected to reach near capacity. (Daily News – 1.17.12)

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Reading, Mass., is partnering with the Food Project of the North Shore. (Wilmington Advocate – 1.14.12)

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, Ohio, called the Rev. Matt Alspaugh as its minister following two and a half years of his serving there as a consulting minister. (Youngstown Vindicator – 1.14.12)

The Rev. Karen Tse’s TED talk, “Abolishing Torture,” was selected as #3 in the “Best of TED 2011 Countdown” by TED and the Huffington Post. UU World profiled Tse, a UU community minister and director of International Bridges to Justice, in 2007.

UU activist named ‘person of the year’

Spanish-language paper Frontera named UU and immigrant rights activist Mar Cárdenas Person of the Year. Cárdenas, South Bay ministry team coordinator for the UU Church of San Diego, was arrested in Phoenix in 2010 during protests against Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law SB1070. (Frontera – 12.20.11)

See also: 29 UUs arrested in Phoenix protest (uuworld.org – 8.2.10)

Fifty years in a manger, a Unitarian carol, and more

Member Billy Hobbs has performed in the Nativity play at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Maine, for 50 consecutive years. (Press Herald – 12.17.11)

The carol “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” written by Unitarian minister the Rev. Edmund Hamilton Sears in Wayland, Mass., may have had its roots in his time spent in the town of Lancaster, Mass. (Sentinel and Enterprise – 12.19.11)

See also: It Came Upon a Unitarian Midnight Clear (UU World – November/December 2002)

Members of First Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y., are expected to donate between $50,000 and $80,000 to a juvenile delinquency prevention program. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – 12.18.11)

Since 2008, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, Ore., has given about $10,000 to its Microfinance Project, but in 2012 it will add another $5,000. (Statesman Journal – 12.21.11)

This lengthy article about emergency homeless shelter system in Illinois’s McHenry County begins at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Woodstock. (Northwest Herald – 12.19.11)

The Rev. Jay Leach, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte, N.C., joined other clergy at the Lowes Mooresville headquarters to talk to the company about reinstating their advertising on the TLC reality show All-American Muslim. Lowes pulled its advertising after receiving complaints from conservative groups. (Charlotte Observer – 12.21.11)

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick, Maine, watched as the remains of their 126-year-old building, which was damaged by fire in June, were demolished. (WCSH-TV – 12.20.11)

Vandals targeted the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eau Claire, Wisc., leaving six graffiti markings on its building. (WEAU-TV 13 – 12.20.11)

This article about pagans in British Columbia talks about the annual Yule celebrations at the Vancouver Unitarian Church. (Vancouver Sun – 12.18.11)

The UU Congregation of the South Fork in Bridgehampton, N.Y., and the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., opened their doors to the community for their annual winter solstice celebrations. (The Sag Harbor Express, Minneapolis Star Tribune – 12.16.11)

Holiday break

Season’s greetings from UU World. Our offices will be closed for the holidays December 26 to January 3. UUs in the Media will return on January 6. See you next year!