University of Orange

Introducing Latin American Liberation Theology
2026-01-26 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-02 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online
Introducing Latin American Liberation Theology
3-session Mini Course, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, + Feb. 9
7pm-8pm ET on Zoom
Latin American Liberation Theology is one of the signal developments in spirituality and transformative politics in the post-WWII era. This three session mini-course will introduce the historical contexts, community practices, and basic concepts of Liberation Theology to all those interested in the liberatory and spiritual aspects of community-building. Leonardo Boff, a Brazilian theologian, captured the essence of the spirit of Liberation Theology when he wrote: “The process of liberation brings with it a profound conflict. Having the project be clear is not enough. What is necessary is a spirituality of resistance and of renewed hope to turn ever back to the struggle in the face of the defeats of the oppressed.” In a time of increasing conflict and struggle in our society, join us to renew your sense of hope by learning from our Latin American friends and fellow sojourners in the struggle for a better world.
Edgar Rivera Colón, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and ordained minister in The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM) who provides pastoral accompaniment to tenant rights organizing groups, labor unions, and immigrant justice movements in Los Angeles. He offers spiritual direction for faith-based activists. He is a U of O board member and minister at Faith + Works Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Orange, NJ. He first encountered the practice and theory of Liberation Theology when he lived and worked in El Salvador and Nicaragua in the mid-1980s as a young Jesuit. He lives in East LA in a queer Latina multigenerational household with his nieces, their moms, and fury canine nephews Biscuit and Hans Solo.

Please register for this class here.

What's the Story? Memoir Writing Class - Winter 2026
2026-01-28 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-04 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-11 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-18 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-25 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-03-04 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-03-11 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-03-18 11:00 - 12:30 and 1 more date | Online
10-week virtual memoir class offered by UofO, taught by developmental editor Susan Hasho
The class is held on Wednesdays 11:00am to 12:15pm on Zoom, and will run January 21, 2026 – March 25, 2026.
What’s the Story? A Memoir Writing Class
Do you have some stories you’d like to tell? There may be stories about your life that you want to tell your children or grandchildren, perhaps about another country or culture you came from or your parents came from. Was there an experience that changed your life or your neighborhood? How about if you were in the military and you want to share something about that? If you have a desire to share or describe anything that you are fascinated by, care about or even want to change, this class is a place to do that.

Format
What’s the Story is a 10-week writing class that intends to provoke, free and guide anyone to write a memoir that reflects their own unique voice and life experience. This is a workshop-style interactive course. Participants will take turns sharing their work and have opportunities to receive feedback and guidance from the instructor and the other participants. There is also time to discuss technical skills, confront creative blocks, and set writing goals. All writing is done outside of class at your own pace.
Like all UofO events, this class is offered for free, but your tax-deductible donation goes a long way to cover the costs of delivering the course.
**If you are interested in joining this class, please email us at info@universityoforange.org to join the waitlist.**
Susan Hasho is a developmental editor which is an editor involved in the mysterious process of enabling writers and anyone interested in writing to find their way through the maze of expectations, judgment and even fear to find the true heart of what they want to write. She has trained and worked as an actor and writer, and moved into the advertising field to work as a copy editor for advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies. She began working with writers several years ago as an editor and it became her goal to teach a writing class that would enable people to be as free of self-criticism and inhibiting expectations as possible in order to write clearly and openly with joy.

February Solidarity Potluck - TEFF & Lunar New Year
2026-02-16 18:00 - 20:00 | The HUUB, inc, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Join us for our monthly solidarity potluck at the HUUB! This month we are celebrating the Lunar New Year, writing cards to immigrant families in detention, and hosting a screening of the Thomas Edison Film Festival. The film screening will be about an hour with thoughtful and lighthearted films by independent filmmakers from the US, Japan, China, and Kenya.
Bring a dish, bring a friend! We hope to see you there!
Potlucks meet from 6pm-8pm at the HUUB, 35 Cleveland Street.
Save the dates for more potlucks:

Monday, March 9th: Community Iftar
Monday, April 6th: Community Seder
Monday, May 18th
Monday, June 15th: UofO Graduation

Community Iftar Potluck
2026-03-09 18:30 - 20:30 | The HUUB, inc, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Join us on Monday, March 9th for our annual Community Iftar Potluck!
Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal during the month of Ramadan. Everyone is welcome to join, whether you are observing the fast or not. Bring a friend and bring a dish to share (no pork or alcohol for that day).
Please note we begin gathering a little later than usual – 6:30PM – and will start our meal at 7PM.
We’re excited to co-host this Iftar with The HUUB, and the FAITH+WORKS UU Congregation of Orange, and the Palestinian Youth Movement NJ Chapter.

Save the date for more solidarity potlucks at the HUUB!

Monday, April 6th: Community Seder
Monday, May 18th
Monday, June 15th: UofO Graduation

Potlucks meet from 6pm-8pm at the HUUB, 35 Cleveland Street.

Community Seder Potluck
2026-04-06 18:00 - 20:00 | 35 Cleveland St, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Join us on Monday, April 6th for our annual Community Seder Potluck!
In partnership with the HUUB and Faith + Works UU we will celebrate Passover, springtime, and liberation. We will snack on the Seder plate foods, sing songs, read from our Haggadah, and enjoy a meal together.
We hope you will join us! 6pm at The HUUB, 35 Cleveland Street, Orange, NJ.
Here is our Seder Sign-Up sheet – help us gather our Seder plate items or bring a dish to share!
Save the date for more upcoming potlucks:
– Monday, May 18th @ 6pm
– Monday, June 15th @6pm (UofO Graduation)

Birding in Orange
2026-04-18 09:30 - 11:30
Join us for a birding walk in Orange! We will walk around Orange Park to see the park’s resident birds and birds migrating through the area.
Please wear comfortable shoes, bring water, and bring binoculars if you have them! The walk will be along a paved 1 mile path.

Please REGISTER HERE!

Autonomous Spaces Series: Patria o Muerte, Venceremos
2026-05-03 15:00 - 17:00 | The HUUB, inc, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Patria o Muerte, Venceremos
Sunday, May 3rd,
3pm-5pm at The HUUB
Join us on Sunday, May 3rd for the fourth session of our autonomous spaces series. We will hear a report-back from Douglas Farrand who recently was part of a delegation to Cuba, followed by a teach-in about the embargo.

Register online here.

May Solidarity Potluck - Haitian Flag Day
2026-05-18 18:00 - 20:00 | The HUUB, inc, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Join us for our monthly solidarity potluck at the HUUB! We will celebrate Haitian Flag Day, honoring the creation of the Haitian flag during the revolution and the enduring spirit of liberty it stands for.
Bring a dish, bring a friend! We hope to see you there!
Potlucks meet from 6pm-8pm at the HUUB, 35 Cleveland Street in Orange.
Save the date for the next potluck on Monday, June 15th.

June Solidarity Potluck + UofO Graduation
2026-06-15 18:00 - 20:00 | The HUUB, inc, 35 Cleveland Street, City of Orange, NJ, 07050, United States
Join us for our monthly solidarity potluck and annual UofO Graduation at the HUUB!
At UofO we hold our graduation ceremony on or around Juneteenth as one of the ways we express the connection between freedom and our ability to educate each other, and to celebrate our accomplishments. This year we are inducting a new chair and celebrating 10 years of Music City!
Our graduation will be on Monday, June 15th at 6pm at the HUUB. It coincides with our monthly Solidarity Potluck. Bring a dish, bring a friend, and bring a hat!
Potlucks meet from 6pm-8pm at the HUUB, 35 Cleveland Street.
Save the dates for summer potlucks: Wednesdays, July 15th + August 12th

Root Shock & Resistance: Rural Black Land Loss and Mobilization for Restoration
2026-06-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Root Shock & Resistance: Rural Black Land Loss and Mobilization for Restoration
Thursday, June 18, 7PM ET
From the colonial period to the present administration, millions of acres of land have been repeatedly taken out from underneath Black farmers here in the U.S. From hooded vigilantism in the night to modern banking in the day, these land grabs have pushed out thousands of Black towns and farming communities. The resulting population displacement represents a “root shock” of broken-up community and battered public health–to the detriment of the whole of the country.
Black communities rural to urban have always resisted these campaigns. Our panel of farmers, food activists, and people’s scholars will explore the nature of these attacks and the many ways communities have long resisted them, including mobilization efforts today.
Confirmed speakers: Mindy Fullilove (Author of Root Shock), Savi Horne (Land Loss Prevention Project), Rae Gomes (Community Kitchen), Mia Charlene White (BIPOC Planners Collective), and Elsa Calderon (Co-author of “Rural root shock”). Moderated by Rev. Dr. Edgar Rivera Colon (University of Orange). More panelists to come.
Tickets for the online event are on a pay-what-you-can scale, with all proceeds to be donated to Black farmers organizations.
Sponsored by: Michigan State’s Center for Regional Food Systems, the University of Orange, and the Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps.

REGISTER HERE
