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side with love spotlight:
by Melva Fager Okun
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If you haven’t met Diana McDuffee yet, you need to make a point to do so. She lives the UU principles and applies them to her work for candidates here in North Carolina. Diana holds the maybe unique distinction of twice joining the church. She joined the church in the 90s after being very active for several years in the church’s programs supporting progressive change in Central America. Along with Joe and Lucy Straley, Diana led the local Carolina Interfaith Taskforce on Central America (CITCA) and the San Jorge Nicaragua Sister City Project. Many Members of the Church in addition to the Straleys, (Violet Simon, Peg Misch, SAM Brooks, to name a few), were fellow companions in these projects. In 1990 Diana led an official election observer delegation to San Jorge Nicaragua. Joe Straley, Violet Simon and former Community Church minister Buddy Olney were members of that delegation. She later became inactive in the church due to a busy career at UNC and election to Carrboro Town Council, where she served with fellow church member, Allen Spalt. Upon retirement, she rejoined the church and we are all glad to see her back. Whether it’s working on a local, state, national, or international level, Diana McDuffee walks the UU talk, and then some.
For the past six months, Diana has applied her advocacy skills as a state leader helping two female candidates running for the NC House of Representatives. Since Diana lives in Orange County, she determined that her skills were readily available here, but would be needed in some of the other NC counties with changing demographics and fewer activists. The two districts these women are running from were heavily gerrymandered but now, thanks to hard fought legal challenges, the districts were redrawn and are now fairer.
Diana is currently working through an organization that connected her with candidates that aligned with her values. Once Diana had the opportunity to meet the two Cabarrus County candidates, she enthusiastically agreed to be the point person to help them. She describes her work for the two Cabarrus County candidates as somewhere between a part-time and full-time volunteer job. She participates in regular phone banking and recruits friends to join in. She helps organize fundraising events and recruits friends to join her. She prepares campaign materials on such topics as unemployment, education, healthcare, and medicaid expansion. In so doing, she pulls on her career as a research librarian at UNC’s Health Sciences Library. These materials are available to all the candidates supported by County-to-County across the state.
Diana is motivated in her work in an effort to build a more loving and inclusive community and her desire to see more peace, liberty and justice. The two candidates she is serving strive for the inherent worth and dignity of all people.
For the last few months, I have followed Diana’s lead and have regularly participated in phone banking for both candidates, become a sustainer to their campaigns, and I have written to over 100 friends to encourage them to support these fine candidates.
Candidates that align with your values need your help! If you would like to learn how to identify candidates that align with your values and support them, please contact Diana McDuffee at [email protected]. And be sure to say ‘hi’ to her at the next coffee hour.
For the past six months, Diana has applied her advocacy skills as a state leader helping two female candidates running for the NC House of Representatives. Since Diana lives in Orange County, she determined that her skills were readily available here, but would be needed in some of the other NC counties with changing demographics and fewer activists. The two districts these women are running from were heavily gerrymandered but now, thanks to hard fought legal challenges, the districts were redrawn and are now fairer.
Diana is currently working through an organization that connected her with candidates that aligned with her values. Once Diana had the opportunity to meet the two Cabarrus County candidates, she enthusiastically agreed to be the point person to help them. She describes her work for the two Cabarrus County candidates as somewhere between a part-time and full-time volunteer job. She participates in regular phone banking and recruits friends to join in. She helps organize fundraising events and recruits friends to join her. She prepares campaign materials on such topics as unemployment, education, healthcare, and medicaid expansion. In so doing, she pulls on her career as a research librarian at UNC’s Health Sciences Library. These materials are available to all the candidates supported by County-to-County across the state.
Diana is motivated in her work in an effort to build a more loving and inclusive community and her desire to see more peace, liberty and justice. The two candidates she is serving strive for the inherent worth and dignity of all people.
For the last few months, I have followed Diana’s lead and have regularly participated in phone banking for both candidates, become a sustainer to their campaigns, and I have written to over 100 friends to encourage them to support these fine candidates.
Candidates that align with your values need your help! If you would like to learn how to identify candidates that align with your values and support them, please contact Diana McDuffee at [email protected]. And be sure to say ‘hi’ to her at the next coffee hour.
Know a Community Church member who is doing powerful justice work that you want to spotlight?
If you are interested in interviewing someone for our next spotlight please email [email protected]
If you are interested in interviewing someone for our next spotlight please email [email protected]
