faith-rooted action that runs deep

United Interfaith Action (UIA), a faith-based organization founded in 1996, promotes social and economic justice and improves the quality of life of all residents in Southeastern Massachusetts, focusing on New Bedford and Fall River. We recruit and train lay leaders and clergy to act on issues of greatest concern, founding social action on the teachings of our different faith traditions.

UIA has many accomplishments in its 20-year history. We worked to win outreach worker programs for at-risk youth, increase funding for adult basic education programs, secure job training funds, support immigrant and workers’ rights, and to pass an Innovation School policy. UIA also helped win the Raise Up MA campaigns, collecting over 20,000 signatures for ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage, provide earned sick time, and provide paid, family medical leave to workers across the Commonwealth.

At the statewide level with work with the Massachusetts Communities Action Network and nationally we partner with Faith In Action.

UiA Action Photo Rhoda Purcell and Karen Treadup June 2019.jpg

setting the stage for change today

Beginning in 2017, we held 600 community listening conversations in Fall River and New Bedford which resulted in 100 leaders selecting issue areas for action in education, public safety, addiction, and immigration. Since then….

  • 40 leaders engaged in 60 issue research meetings & negotiations to hone proposals for action in our chosen issue areas

  • Two powerful action meetings were organized with 500 community members in Fall River and New Bedford with the City Mayors, Police Chiefs, School Superintendents, and State Legislators committing to act for change

  • Leaders worked locally and statewide on the landmark Student Opportunity Act, a $1.5 Billion education funding increase, and won commitments from local school districts to help set spending priorities.

  • Fall River leaders won a reversal in the police department's U-Visa policy for undocumented immigrants - read about that here

  • New Bedford leaders helped launch a HUB multi-sector, crisis intervention network with the police

  • Local police departments committed to implicit bias and conversational language training for officers

  • UIA continues to fight for more long-term treatment resources for those battling addiction and is working to pass the Work and Family Mobility Act in Massachusetts

 

MCAN UIA Action Fall River May 22 2019 ©Karen Elliott GreisdorfKEG_7802.jpg

looking ahead in faith & for Justice

  • In Fall 2019, UIA re-launched its Board of Directors, Clergy Caucus, and Fundraising Team with a first, joint-city fundraising dinner attended by over 200 community members. These three entities are actively engaged in strategic conversations to take our work deeper and wider.

  • We look forward to continued development and a School of Prophetic Action leadership training in 2020.