"The Water Factor" Author Reading
2026-03-01 11:45 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Classroom B304
A reading and discussion with author Marilynne Eichinger
Join members of Community for Earth for a reading from The Water Factor, a near-future eco-thriller set in the Oregon High Desert, and a discussion of what happens when something as sacred as water is treated as a commodity instead of a human right. Light refreshments provided. Grab a drink from coffee hour and join us for a lively conversation.
The Water Factor raises urgent moral and spiritual questions about stewardship, justice, and our responsibility to one another. Award-winning author Marilynne Eichinger follows James Hokama Byrne as his trust in corporate systems gives way to a deeper calling to protect life and community. Set in Oregon’s High Desert and drought-stricken Ethiopia, the novel blends action and compassion into a powerful call to conscience. Join us for a conversation about the story, the real-world issues behind it, and what our faith asks of us in a time of climate crisis and growing inequality.

Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE
2026-03-04 14:00 - 14:45, 2026-03-18 14:00 - 14:45 | Portland ICE Facility, 4310 S Macadam Ave, Portland, OR, 97239, United States
Neighbor-to-Neighbor Interfaith Witness at ICE is an opportunity for faith communities to be in solidarity, declaring our moral outrage at the cruel practices of abducting community members, terrorizing communities, and separating families, in the name of an inhumane political agenda. We will demonstrate that neighbors show up for neighbors. We will be shoulder-to-shoulder to bear witness to our outrage, deepen our relationships, and build solidarity among our interfaith communities. Please dress accordingly for the weather. Please do not bring signs. We will provide whatever is needed for the ritual.

This series is supported by Together Lab, which has been organizing interfaith clergy to be a daily moral presence at the ICE facility on Macadam and at the Federal Courthouse downtown, as well as organizing neighbor-to-neighbor solidarity with teachers and families around Portland.

2026 Sewell Social Justice Lecture: AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation
2026-04-25 13:00 - 16:30 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
Sylvester Johnson explores AI as a force that can entrench systemic control or catalyze human agency. Lecture 1pm; Optional Workshop 3pm.
Register here!

AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation:
Lecture: 1-2:30 pm
Join us in person to explore how AI can be both a force of control and a powerful ally in the fight for freedom. Dr. Johnson will dive into the ways technology shapes society, from surveillance to activism, and discuss how to harness AI for positive change.
Optional Workshop: 3-4:30 pm
Please join us for Dr. Johnson’s optional workshop after the lecture. We’ll explore more deeply the implications of AI for social justice and identify ways to take action in our communities.
Summary:
AI introduces profound risks to privacy, the integrity of information, and collective well-being. We will critically examine the tension between state-sponsored surveillance, which poses an existential threat to civil liberties, and the rise of democratized civic technology fueled by the plummeting costs of computing and expanding access to information. Ultimately, Dr. Johnson details the building of an automated infrastructure of oppression and how we can leverage these powerful tools to create a new era of resistance and liberation.

Rumble on the River Data Centers Forum
2026-04-28 17:30 - 20:00 | Main Sanctuary, 1211 SW Main St, Portland, OR, 97205, United States
As a follow up to our Sewell Lecture about AI as a Tool for Oppression and for Resistance & Liberation, First Unitarian is hosting a session on data centers in Oregon. Aside from providing limited long-term employment opportunities and receiving tax breaks, data centers demand extreme amounts of water, energy and land.
The excellent panel includes Klickitat Chief Wilbur Slockish, John DeVoe from WaterWatch, Kaleb Lay from Oregon Rural Action, Nellie McAdams from Oregon Agricultural Trust, Kelsey Shaw Nakama from Tualatin Riverkeepers, and Jody Wiser from Tax Fairness Oregon. Moderator: Barbara Bernstein, Filmmaker and host of KBOO Radio’s Locus Focus.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for tabling. Session begins at 6:30 p.m.
