UU and JJ History of Collaboration in North Carolina
We have the moral responsibility to do together what we cannot do alone.
For the last three years, Abby Lublin and Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson, as executive directors of Carolina Jews for Justice and UU Justice NC, respectively, have centered this wisdom in guiding their communities. This strategic, collaborative approach has allowed both organizations, and both leaders, to be more impactful, effective, and attain greater reach, than either could on their own.
In just the last year, CJJ and UU Justice NC worked together to:
- create and operate the NC Rapid Response Safety Network in partnership with Blueprint NC, helping to counter voter intimidation efforts at polling sites and ensure voters safety,
- host seven joint You Can Vote voter empowerment trainings, bringing together Jewish and UU congregations across the state,
- organize three national phonebanks and make 60,000 calls for reproductive rights, and
- helped launch the Blueprint NC Faith Table, an interfaith network of progressive faith communities mobilizing for social justice.
Partnership and Friendship
Doing the work of a statewide organization is no small feat for CJJ’s three-person staff. These goals are even more challenging for UU Justice NC’s work-party of two. Which is why a partnership between the two was so appealing for both sides.
However, this relationship is deeper than most non-profit collaborations.
The connection between the organizations is a reflection of genuine camaraderie and friendship between Abby and Rev. Lisa.
“With Abby, the willingness to collaborate is a given,” says Rev. Lisa. “We work and function like siblings. We’re like sisters.”
The two first-time executive directors forged their organizational leadership and administrative chops together, supporting each other through the inevitable ups and downs, learning curves and transitions inherent in non-profit stewardship.
They were there for each other through personal hard times, too. Abby was attending a statewide UU gathering on October 7, 2023, as she was confronting and processing news of horrific violence in Israel/Palestine. When Rev. Lisa was recovering from emergency abdominal surgery in late 2022, it was the CJJ staff who not only brought meals to Lisa but also stepped up to help with UU Justice NC’s end-of-year fundraising.
In 2024, Abby and Rev. Lisa extended their sibling-like relationship organizationally, combining operations for six months ahead of and during election season. The organizations held joint weekly staff meetings and strategized, planned and executed programs together. This cohesiveness proved essential during the hectic operational phase of the NC Rapid Response Safety Network during early voting and on election day.
It also spurred growth and evolution.
“Together, we have grown as organizations,” Rev. Lisa reflects. “We have also found our place as small, faith-based non-profits in a larger, secular, social justice ecosystem.”
Transitions and Beginnings
While Abby and Rev. Lisa have deepened the relationship, organizational ties between CJJ and UU Justice NC existed before Abby came on board to lead CJJ in the sumer of 2022, or Rev. Lisa joined UU Justice NC in 2020. A confluence of similarities – small organizations, representing small faith communities, both steeped in values of social justice – is what originally brought UUs and JJs together.
In 2019, Rev. John Saxon, Cole Parke-West and Brandon Mond, a previous generation of UU and JJ organizers, led actions at detention centers, calling attention to the conditions in which immigrants detained at the border were being held. The following year CJJ and UU Justice NC communities worked to provide voter safety and advocate for voter rights legislation. In 2021, as part of the People’s Budget Coalition, they partnered to advocate for Medicaid expansion, holding vigils in front of the North Carolina General Assembly, eulogizing victims of the healthcare coverage gap. And in 2022, the NAACP of Columbus County invited the groups to help when racist comments by the county sheriff were made public and the safety of Black county residents was threatened.
CJJ has also been a fixture at the UU Friday Action Hours since the weekly virtual meetup started more than five years ago.
The two organizations have built a rich history of working together through numerous challenging campaigns and across many issue areas. That history is now adding a new chapter. In June, the relationship entered a new phase, as Abby handed the reins to Rabbi Sandra Lawson, concluding a leadership transition at CJJ.
“We have always held Carolina Jews for Justice as our closest partner,” says Rev. Lisa. “We are so excited to welcome Rabbi Sandra Lawson to the UU Justice NC – CJJ family.”
A new leadership dynamic will undoubtedly change and grow the CJJ-UU Justice NC partnership in new and exciting ways. Rabbi Sandra, who served as the inaugural Director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism, brings a wealth of wisdom and experience with her to CJJ.
“From the moment I stepped into this role, I felt the depth of what Abby and Rev. Lisa built together — something sacred, rare, and real,” says Rabbi Sandra. “Their partnership is a model of what’s possible when we lead with trust, humility, and shared purpose. This is what true solidarity looks like: showing up for each other when it’s hard, and refusing to let go of the vision of a more just North Carolina. I’m honored to carry this work forward, to deepen our collaboration, and to build, fight, and dream together in this next chapter.”
As the organizational relationship enters a new phase, it stands upon a strong foundation of shared values and experiences, commitment to social justice, and trust in each other.