The core idea is that we could be stronger social justice leaders if we studied some of the amazing people who have gone before us, especially if we can apply their wisdom to the issues we are facing today.

Concretely, the Young Adult Prophets Project has been presented at a PCD con last year, and at Opus. We are deciding whether to put it on the schedule for Concentric and Opus this year. It has also been the topic of a monthly circle worship at the San Francisco Society and of many informal discussions. I wrote a grant so that we could publish and communicate what we are discovering. Those who get involved will get together for a conference with Utah Phillips and a few others in the late Fall.

An article introducing the idea appeared in the latest Ferment. It proposed widening our idea about who is a UU leader to include "enfranchised, parallel and dissident prophets." The idea is to honor not only those who sit on church boards or become ministers, but also those influenced by UU churches who innovate with pagan ceremonies or new forms of direct action civil disobedience.

So far, people are interested in and beginning research on the House un-American Activities Committee and the current global capitalist agenda, Calvin and punishment theology as it pertains to our prison system, the Women in Religion movement and where a meta-feminist spiritual movement may be heading.

The project is just beginning. There is lots of room for people to bring in ideas, or through dialogue to discover areas of interest. Meg Muckenhoupt is beginning to help introduce people in the Boston area. (I hear rumors that some folks in the Pacifica Northwest are getting interested.)

Some of us in PCD have talked about producing outreach pamphlets for use at demos that include radical UU history. (Walt Whitman at gay pride day, Thoreau opposing the conquest of Mexico at marches against wars of colonization...)

UU historian David Pettee has agreed to help us set direction and perhaps to read and comment on our work. Our sources could include oral interviews of living UUs, or they could be the result of library research.

If interest continues to grow, workshops at this year's Concentric and Opus will be places to find out more.

The UU Young Adult Prophets Project is an idea. If it sparks your interest, send a note to this list or to me, and perhaps we can turn it into a movement.