Celebrate!
February is a kind of month on the edge, not yet spring, but not quite winter still. Most of our February holidays seem to celebrate that place on the edge of the seasons. So whether you live in a place where the trees are already blooming or in a place where you expect snow on the ground for at least another month, click on the links below to find fun facts and activities for celebrating the holidays of this in-between season.
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We Honor… |
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| Black History Month in the US by choosing Lewis Latimer as our person of the month from UU history. The son of escaped slaves, Latimer became one of the first African American inventors and helped found the Unitarian church in Flushing, New York.
Latimer grew up in Boston. His family moved from house to house to escape from slave catchers, and he attended only grammar school before going to work in his father’s barbershop. At 16, Lewis Latimer enlisted in the Navy to fight for the Union in the Civil War, lying about his age. On his return, he landed a job as an office boy with a patent-law firm. Latimer eagerly studied the draftsmen who turned clients’ sketches into drawings for their patent claims. He bought his own tools and practiced at night. In eleven years at the firm, he rose to head draftsman—but was paid less than white draftsmen.
In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell, a teacher of deaf students, asked Latimer to help him apply for a patent. Bell knew others were also working on devices to transmit human voices over electrical wires, and he was in a race to secure a patent. Bell and Latimer, just a year apart in age, worked furiously on Bell’s application after-hours from their jobs. Just four hours after the patent was approved, another inventor submitted his own plans.
Latimer’s biggest contribution was making the light bulb practical and affordable. In 1879 Edison received the U.S. patent for the light bulb. However, the paper filament in his bulb lasted only a few days. After hundreds of experiments, Latimer the same year developed long-lasting and inexpensive carbon filaments. He also improved almost every step in light bulb production: a threaded socket; the oven, chemicals, and glassblowing equipment; a new switch. He oversaw installation of public lighting systems in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London.
Latimer’s creativity extended far beyond electricity. Among inventions he patented himself were a forerunner of the air conditioner and a locking coat rack. He played the flute and violin. He wrote a book of poetry and a play that was produced. Latimer insisted on full citizenship and integration of African Americans into society. He bought a large house in the mostly white neighborhood of Queens, which is now a museum in his honor. And in 1908 he helped found what is now the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens, where his portrait hangs in the sanctuary.
(Adapted from an article in the UU World by Kimberley French) |
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Act!
In the United States, February 5th this year is known as Super Tuesday because many states will be holding presidential primaries. A primary is a chance for people to vote for which person they’d like to be able to vote for for president. Sound confusing? Well, it is, kind of. It’s a way of narrowing down the choices for the final vote in November. The two major political parties (Democrats and Republicans) hold the primaries to choose who will represent their party in the election for president. Of course, kids can’t vote in these elections, but you can certainly learn both about the people who are running for president and about how the process of elections works. You can share your opinion about the candidates with your family, and with other adults you know, and have an influence that way. And, most importantly, you can prepare yourself to be a responsible voter when you grow up. In order to work properly, a democracy needs voters who take time to study their choices, and whom make the effort to cast an informed vote.
So, if you live in the US, find out when the presidential primary is in your state (if it hasn’t happened yet) and ask to go along with a grownup from your family when they vote. Even if you can’t vote yourself you can see how the process works and start getting yourself ready to take responsibility for your own little piece of running the country. |
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Nurturing Your Spirit
One way of praying is to pray for someone else, to wish for their health and happiness. You can do this by picturing the person glowing with light, imagining them as strong and joyful, sending them your love. You can turn making or signing Valentine’s cards into a spiritual practice by giving a short prayer for each person as you write their name. (Or just before or after you write their name—since you might want to close your eyes to picture them better.) They might never know that their Valentine comes with a special gift of prayer, but that’s fine. Putting a little more love out into the world just can’t hurt!
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Principles in Practice
Our fifth UU principle is “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” In other words, we believe that people should act out of their own sense of what is right and good, and that people should have the chance to vote about matters that affect them. In addition to the suggestions in the Act! section above about learning about how presidential elections work, and the people who are running for election, you can practice the democratic process in your own home. Some things parents just get to decide, because they’re responsible for the big picture, and know that some things, like showers and homework and vegetables, are important even if you might not think they are fun. But some things make sense for families to use the democratic process on, giving everyone a chance to vote. Your family could vote on what movie or TV show to watch together. You could vote on where to go out to dinner. You could vote on what charity your family should support, or what to name a new pet. Hey, maybe you could even vote on what things you should be able to vote on! (That would be kind of like a primary election, huh?)
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